The College for Behavioral Health Leadership

Where behavioral health leaders collaborate to grow and transform communities across the nation.

Resources

National Survey of Compensation Among Peer Support Specialists

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The peer support specialist workforce has been growing and expanding since Medicaid established funding for these services in 2007. Absent from much of the research on the peer support specialist workforce has been a detailed national review of wages and compensation. The genesis for this study began at The College for Behavioral Health Leadership during an annual summit, with the recognition that leaders in the peer support services field did not have any reasonable benchmarks for compensation standards.

In order to address the focus of this study two surveys were constructed. One was designed for peer support specialists to report their current compensation (N = 1,608). A second survey was developed as a comparison for organizations who employ peer specialists (N = 271). Non-probability sampling methods were used and three leading consumer organizations (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, International Association of Peer Supporters, and New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services) promoted and disseminate the surveys.

The findings of this study illustrate that there is diversity among the current national structure for the wages of peer specialists. This includes significant differences in average compensation rates between those who work all different hours ($15.42) and only full-time ($16.36). There are also different wage rates among the types of organizations (consumer and peer run organizations, community behavioral health organizations, health care provider organizations, inpatient psychiatric facilities, and health plan and managed care organizations) that employ this workforce. An analysis of the wages of peer specialists in the 10 US Department of Health and Human Services regions also demonstrates geographic differences in compensation rates and compares regional and national averages. Inequities in compensation rates are also noted between male and female peer specialists, with men receiving on average in excess of $2.00 more per hour than women. The implications for the findings of this study are discussed and include the need for greater attention and focus on the wages of the peer specialist workforce.

Using My Cultural Voice: Health Activation from a Cultural Perspective

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This recording is from a webinar presentation on November 12, 2015. The webinar provided an approach and resources to facilitate authentic communication between service recipients and providers. This new approach and resource is called “Cultural Activation Prompts,” a type of consumer health activation tool that affirms personal cultural views on health and supports the need for these views to be incorporated into all aspects of health care, particularly behavioral health care. Since the achievement of health literacy should take place in the context of culture and community, cultural activation is a necessary part of the process. This presentation will:

  1. Provide the definition of the new “Cultural Activation Prompts” tool,
  2. Describe how to facilitate culturally-oriented discussions utilizing these new cultural activation prompts, and
  3. Illustrate the intricate role of the peer specialist in this process.

Presenters:

  • Moderator: Vivian Jackson, PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
  • Lenora Reid-Rose, MBA, Director, Cultural Competency and Diversity Issues, Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
  • Carole Siegel, PhD, Former Director, NKI Center of Excellence in Culturally Competent Mental Health; Research Professor, NYU School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
  • Sandra Mitchell, Chairperson, Disability Committee, National Action Network

Peer Services Toolkit: A Guide to Advancing and Implementing Peer-run Behavioral Health Services

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In 2012, members and supporters of ACMHA: The College for Behavioral Health Leadership who shared a lived experience of recovery from mental health and substance use related conditions came together to form the ACMHA Peer Leaders Interest Group (PLIG). Building on ACMHA’s mission, the PLIG has sought to provide the peer recovery community with a “premier forum for the development of leaders and the exchange of innovations that impact the health and wellness of communities and people with mental health and substance use conditions.”

In late 2013, ACMHA and the PLIG were funded by Optum to explore an issue of primary concern to both: the unprecedented opportunities and challenges that peer-run services currently face during the implementation of national healthcare reform. As a result, representatives from over 20 nationally recognized peer mental health and addiction service agencies were able to participate in a March 25, 2014 ACMHA Peer Leaders Seminar that preceded the 2014 Annual ACMHA Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. During the day-long program, they shared common concerns that have helped to inform this ACMHA Peer Services Tool Kit, which is aimed at 1) supporting efforts to advocate and expand the capacity, capability and scope of peer services while 2) providing valuable background information for federal, state and local governments and for new payers.

Increasing the Role of Peer Support (CBHL Resource)

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On February 4, 2015, ACMHA members Harvey Rosenthal, Tom Hill, and Patrick Hendry offer a one-hour webinar about the new Peer Services Toolkit released by the College and supported through the funding of Optum. Materials from that webinar are available from the links below.

Peer-run services that promote wellness and recovery from mental health and addiction-related conditions have emerged as an essential key element in new designs aimed at improving health care outcomes and qualities. The “Peer Services Toolkit: A Guide to Advancing and Implementing Peer-run Behavioral Health Services” looks at the nature of peer support, its origins, essential elements, core values, training and certification, outcomes, providing services within peer-run and traditional agencies, state-level advocacy for peer support services, working with managed care companies, and much more.

Downloads

The Future of Health Care: Entering the Shift Age – A Q&A Highlight With David Houle

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David Houle, author and futurist, brought to Summit the forces and contexts of the Shift Age and how they affect us as individuals, business people, and leaders. He looked at the future of generations, technology, IP, big data, and other topics to provide eye-opening transformations, weaving in a contextual and conceptual understanding of the huge forces and changes that are and will completely transform the health care and medical landscape in the next ten years. The Shift Age is one of, if not the most, transformative and exciting times in human history. Houle left us with suggestions for how to prepare for and adapt to this new age.

Understanding Seminal Moments – A Leadership Tool

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Dr. AJ Robinson, CEO, Symphonic Strategies, led participants at the 2014 ACMHA Summit – “Leading the Future of Health” – through a model and several exercises to improve leadership skills in leading change. In this excerpt, Dr. Robinson speaks about knowing your history and defining seminal moment. He then leads the audience through a collective exercise. ACMHA member Dr. Ron Manderscheid ends the clip by providing an outline of what participants define as seminal moments in behavioral health.

Growing Into Peer Support

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One of the tracks in the 2014 ACMHA Summit addressed the critical roles that consumers play in health care, both as peer supporters and as managers of their own health. That group developed the idea of producing short videos on two topics—peer support and health activation. In this clip, Jana provides an outstanding description of her own growth into peer support and how she has been able to help others and herself through this essential role.

Activation: Managing Your Own Health

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One of the tracks in the 2014 ACMHA Summit addressed the critical roles that consumers play in health care, both as peer supporters and as managers of their own health. That group developed the idea of producing short videos on two topics—peer support and health activation. In this video Debbie and Ashley, mother and daughter, describe the family in which Ashley grew up and the mental health condition Ashley developed as a teen. Through her own growth in personal health literacy, Ashley was able to develop an understanding of the triggers for her own illness. This permitted her to become a health activated person, able to prevent episodes of depression even when confronted with the very untimely death of her young husband.

Transformational Leadership: A Dialogue

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ACMHA: The College for Behavioral Health Leadership and Optum presented this webinar on transformational leadership November 21, 2013. Our speakers were Andy Sekel, PhD, CEO, Optum Specialty Networks, and Jennifer Andrashko, MSW, LICSW, Open Door Health Center. Enjoy this presentation and dialogue about transformational leadership and connecting the follower’s sense of identity and self to projects and the collective identity of the organization.

Dr. Sekel, a seasoned leader in the field, oversees behavioral health, complex medical conditions, and physical health services that improve the overall health and well-being of individuals in the employer and health plan markets, as well as beneficiaries in Medicaid, Medicare, and other local, state and federal programs. Ms. Andrashko, an emerging leader, currently directs an integrated primary behavioral health program, which she also developed and implemented, in the only community health center in south-central Minnesota.

Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act

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The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) is a federal law that generally prevents group health plans and health insurance issuers that provide mental health or substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits from imposing less favorable benefit limitations on those benefits than on medical/surgical benefits. MHPAEA originally applied to group health plans and group health insurance coverage and was amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively referred to as the “Affordable Care Act”) to also apply to individual health insurance coverage. HHS has jurisdiction over public sector group health plans (referred to as “non-federal governmental plans”), while the Departments of Labor and the Treasury have jurisdiction over private group health plans.

Collaborative Leadership: A Foundation for Success Webinar

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ACMHA, in collaboration with Optum, presented the webinar “Collaborative Leadership: A Foundation for Success on September 19, 2013. Presenters were Sandy Forquer, PhD, Sevior Vice President for State Government Programs, Optum Public Sector; Sharon Raggio, LMFT, LPC, MBA, President and CEO< Mind Springs Health; and Cheri Dolezal, RN, MBA, Executive Director, Optum Pierce Regional Support Network. Recording was delayed approximately 4 minutes. The video begins with the webinar in progress.

ACMHA: A Policy Solace

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In 2006, the Board of Directors formalized the longstanding direction and tradition of the College to not take positions on public policy. In doing so, then president Dr. Eric Goplerud drafted an Arm Chair Reflection explaining why. The College continues to serve as the place where we wrestle with difficult ideas and seek to inform one another, without creation of a policy agenda.

Highlights: Learning From Distinguished Leaders – ACMHA Summit 2013

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ACMHA: The College for Behavioral Health Leadership is pleased to present highlights from an evening with three distinguished leaders: King Davis, PhD; Mary Jane England, MD; and HG Whittington, MD. In an interview format we hear how particular experiences shaped them and through their stories, we learn what motivates them, drives their passion, and how they sustain their enthusiasm for innovation in the face of undeniable challenges.

Learning From Distinguished Leaders – April 2, 2013

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ACMHA: The College for Behavioral Health Leadership is pleased to present an evening with three of ACMHA’s distinguished leaders: King Davis, PhD; Mary Jane England, MD; and HG Whittington, MD. In an interview format led by emerging leaders from the College, we heard how particular experiences shaped them and their leadership skills. Through their stories, we learned what motivates them, what drives their passion, and how they sustain their enthusiasm for innovation in the face of undeniable challenges. Please enjoy this dynamic conversation!

Mental health and addiction workforce development: Federal leadership is needed to address the growing crisis

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In a commentary for Health Affairs, Michael Hoge and coauthors summarize the substantial and growing body of evidence that the current mental health and substance abuse workforce is seriously inadequate with regard to number of practitioners, lack of diversity in its composition and overall preparation. The authors recognize that, with a growing number of older and ethnically diverse Americans who are at high risk for behavioral health disorders, combined with the sheer influx of newly insured, the system is at a point of crisis. They call on the Federal government to scale up and actually implement already identified “broad strategies and specific actions necessary” to grow and strengthen the mental health and substance abuse workforce to meet the challenges it faces now and in the future.