Addressing Mental Health Workforce Shortages Through Community Health Worker Training

Mental health workforce shortages limit access to care, with nearly half of adults with mental illness receiving no treatment. This pilot study examined the implementation and outcomes of a community-based mental health training for community health workers (CHWs) to improve applied knowledge, enhance mental health understanding, build confidence in interacting with individuals with mental illness, and assess workforce readiness.

Participants completed a 40-hour in-person training developed collaboratively with Mental Health America of South Central Kansas, Communities Organizing to Promote Equity, and the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. Pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys assessed knowledge, confidence, preparedness, satisfaction, and employment intentions.

Sixty individuals completed the training. Participants demonstrated improvements in knowledge of CHW, mental health, and mental illness. Workforce readiness was high, and 17% of follow-up respondents were employed in CHW or related roles. Qualitative feedback emphasized the training's relevance, cultural responsiveness, and career impact.

This training provided comprehensive content through an interactive, skill-building, and applied framework. This is the first study to describe the curriculum and outcomes of such a program, and the findings are promising.

This pilot illustrates the value of integrating mental health content into CHW training models. The curriculum is adaptable for statewide and national implementation, including virtual or hybrid formats to reach rural and underserved areas. Findings suggest that mental health-focused CHW training is a scalable strategy to address workforce shortages and improve access to culturally responsive care, providing early evidence for a workforce development model that can expand community-based mental health capacity.