The behavioral health sector usually takes its sweet time catching up with business trends and best practices—more focused on care delivery and patient outcomes than buzzwords like “synergy” and “growth hacking.” But there’s one trend from the corporate world that behavioral health organizations can’t afford to ignore: career pathing.
Career pathing is all about keeping staff engaged, professionally fulfilled, and on board for the long haul. The key is helping your people see a future for themselves within your organization by spelling out exactly what that future could look like. More than merely filling roles and promoting internally, career pathing means investing in the individual growth trajectory of each employee.
Anthony Carter, Director of Practice Improvement & Consulting at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, believes the expectations of what a job should offer are evolving—and recruitment strategies need to evolve in tandem. “There’s an opportunity for us to really rethink how we approach recruitment and how we approach role assignment,” he said. “Offering someone a job is just not going to cut it anymore.”
While it’s true that framing each role as a catalyst for career development is a great way for organizations to retain more employees, this approach also helps leaders cultivate more engaged teams. This ultimately benefits your entire organization (and, most importantly, the clients you serve).
What is Career Pathing?
At its core, career pathing is like giving your team a GPS navigator for their professional journey, helping them see the possibilities for their future within your organization.
Why is this so crucial in behavioral health? Because in a field this demanding, seeing a future within the organization isn’t just nice—it’s necessary. When clinicians feel trapped in stressful roles, it’s only a matter of time before they look for something new. And if something new isn’t available inside their current organization, they’ll look elsewhere.
Studies show that most people consider employer-provided upskilling essential when considering a new job. A report from LinkedIn revealed that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development.
Now, translate that into the behavioral health context, where turnover not only hurts team morale, but also disrupts continuity of care. A robust career pathing system can be the difference between a revolving door and a stable, committed workforce. And that, in turn, means better client outcomes.
Identifying Opportunities
Staff therapists often don’t realize how many different career opportunities there are in behavioral health. They imagine practicing the same way from graduation to retirement—but they don’t think about what they’ll do if they start itching for something new. With career pathing, leaders highlight these trajectories clearly—showing therapists the way from where they are now to roles like clinical supervisors, clinic directors, or specialized experts.
A few behavioral health career destinations to consider are:
Clinical Supervisors: This position is great for those who love leading and improving care quality. It’s also perfect for therapists who are passionate about helping newer clinicians.
Clinic Directors: For therapists interested in the business side of things, becoming a clinic director allows them to manage the operational aspects of care. It involves strategic decision-making that influences organizational success and the wellbeing of both staff and clients.
Specialists: Therapists can also advance by deepening their expertise in specific practice areas, such as trauma, addiction, or family therapy. Specialization allows them to lead in their field, contributing significantly to the organization’s breadth of services and quality of care. It also opens opportunities to mentor others.
Training and Development: Those with a knack for teaching might find their calling in developing the next generation of therapists. This path focuses on enhancing the skills and competencies of the team, ensuring a high standard of care across the board.
But, there’s more to career pathing than just listing out potential job titles; it’s also about aligning the strengths and interests of individual providers with the organization’s future. Every therapist has their own goals, skills, and potential for growth, so effective career pathing requires thoughtful, personalized attention.
Carter emphasizes that each individual journey is unique—and there are multiple pathways to multiple destinations. What works for one person might not work for everyone.
“I chose the path of getting my master’s degree and then pursuing my clinical licensure,” he said, using himself as an example. “But not everybody needs to do that. What would it look like if I started with an organization and had opportunities to gain those credentials over time, increase my pay, and advance in terms of position within the organization? What if I didn’t have to take out student loans? We talk a lot about student loan forgiveness, but some people don’t even want to take on the student loan burden, and it prevents them from seeing a clear path in this space.”
Prioritizing (and Implementing) Career Development Plans
Creating (and carrying out) development plans is key in career pathing. Each plan needs to be individualized to fit the employee’s goals. Here are some of the main elements of a successful development plan:
Customized Roadmaps: Development plans serve as individualized roadmaps, covering the necessary skills enhancement, knowledge acquisition, and strategic steps toward career progression. These plans set specific, attainable goals, and include the resources and support for achieving them.
Alignment with Organizational Goals: Make sure each employee’s personal growth path also contributes to the organization’s goals, whether that’s improving care quality or broadening services offered. For example, if your organization isn’t planning on expanding to more locations, don’t put “clinic director” on every therapist’s development plan.
Active Implementation: Moving from planning to action involves consistent follow-through, including regular progress reviews, access to educational resources, and leadership support. That means development plans need to have robust support beyond the paper they’re written on.
Feedback and Adjustment: A development plan can be fine-tuned over time to reflect changing needs, opportunities, or organizational changes. Therapists and supervisors need to communicate openly, constructively, and regularly so the plans stay relevant and dynamic.
Realistic Timelines: Accurate but reasonable development timelines prevent therapists from feeling as though their growth is always just out of reach. By making progress feel natural and achievable, you’ll keep therapists engaged and win their trust.
Educational Investment (and Returns)
Drafting a career development plan is one thing, but getting the right training, resources, and support is the real magic of career pathing. The path from new therapist to specialist, clinic director, or supervisor is paved with hours of experience, mentorship, and educational training.
Every development plan should include a detailed educational strategy, pinpointing the specific training and learning opportunities that align with the therapist’s career ambitions. To be successful, the plan should include clear milestones and the educational resources to reach them.
Here’s how to effectively incorporate education and development into career pathing:
Budget for Success: Allocate a portion of the budget to educational initiatives. This could cover tuition fees, online courses, workshop registrations, and even time off for study.
Flexible Learning Opportunities: Embrace flexibility to accommodate educational pursuits, such as offering adjusted work schedules, remote work arrangements, or extended leaves.
Support Systems: Establish mentorship and advisory programs to help therapists through their educational journeys. Mentors can offer advice on which courses or certifications will best serve their mentees’ career objectives within the behavioral health landscape. If you don’t have an in-house expert, feel free to look out-of-organization to find the perfect fit!
Celebrate Achievements: Recognize and reward educational milestones as integral parts of career progression. Celebrations can be as simple as acknowledging newly completed certifications at a team meeting or as formal as holding award ceremonies to spotlight significant academic accomplishments.
Carter says investing in your employees over the long term is a powerful way to build staff loyalty and satisfaction. “I’ve really been intrigued by these programs that offer training while on the job—that allow you to get another credential, which allows you to advance,” he said. “I think that’s so wonderful because it’s not only giving you that information and credential, but it’s also allowing you to really be supported by your organization. It creates this desire to want to stay and to do more because you see how much the organization is pouring into you.”
A Note on Promotions
Promotions are a tangible way for organizations to show they’re serious about nurturing the growth they preach. Nothing is more frustrating for therapists than hearing all about advancement opportunities, only to see those opportunities handed to outsiders. It’s a clear mismatch between what’s said and what’s done. That’s why it’s crucial to keep promotions internal whenever possible.
Carter added that advancement opportunities must be offered in a timely manner. Earlier in his career, for example, the slow pace of promotion led him to leave an organization. “I wanted to advance, but they were like, ‘It’s going to be about eight to nine years before you’re considered for a supervisor role,’” he explained. “I didn’t want to wait that long. I felt excited and I had energy to do something different. And so it led me to apply for a different job.”
If an organization is proactive, leadership can plan ahead for possible openings and help transition in-house folks to those new roles. This creates a smoother changeover and greater continuity for the team, while also showing other staff members what is possible for them.
If your organization does end up looking outward for candidates, transparency is crucial: explain the reasoning behind the decision and double down on your commitment to leveling up those who are looking to advance.
It takes more than good intentions to create an environment where behavioral health professionals want to stay for the long haul. You need actionable strategies, meaningful educational investments, and a genuine commitment to internal development.
For a comprehensive guide on making “I could work here for a long time” a reality in your organization, our workforce-focused ebook, “Building a ‘Best Place to Work’ in Behavioral Health,” is a must-read. Download your copy now to get insights and practical steps to ensure your team not only sticks around, but also flourishes.
