The University of South Florida launched an interactive dashboard that visualizes the shortage of behavioral health professionals in the state.
Florida ranks slightly above average (21 out of 51) in overall prevalence of mental health issues and access to care, according to a 2024 report by Mental Health America.
The USF dashboard allows users to look at gaps in demand by county and filter by profession. The tool, created by the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce (FCBHW), is meant to help stakeholders like hospitals and policymakers make more informed decisions to tackle the workforce shortage.
“ It’s our responsibility to put this information out and in the best way that we possibly can,” said Julie Serovich, dean of the USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, which was selected to lead the initiative. “And we will continue to get better at it, and we will continue to add to it.”
Florida has a shortage in each of the six professions listed:
- Licensed clinical social workers: a shortage of over 3,500.
- Licensed Marriage: a shortage of over 1,000.
- Family therapists and licensed mental health counselors: a shortage of over 1,000.
- Licensed psychologists: a shortage of about 1,500.
- Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners: a shortage of nearly 3,000.
- Psychiatrists: a shortage of nearly 1,000.
Courtney Whitt, executive director of FCBHW, said that the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida’s population increase and lessening stigma over seeking mental health counseling have contributed to the shortage.
“ We know that our system has been underresourced,” Whitt said. “There have been challenges in terms of reimbursement rates, challenges with being able to bring on and retain that workforce, or be able to retain them in specific systems to make sure we have that full continuum of care covered.”
Mental health workers in Florida, like the rest of the nation, are also facing burnout, leading to a reduction in the workforce.
Whitt said that the organization recently did a retention survey of about 330 licensed professionals across Florida.
The survey found that 36% of professionals planned to leave the field in the next year, and nearly half, 48%, felt burned out because of their work.
“ Very clearly, we have to find out more about what creates that burnout,” Serovich said. “We have some general ideas, but we really need to get to a more nuanced understanding that will help both clinicians in the field and also help us as educators.”
The visualization also shows a geographical gap, with some rural counties, including Baker and Hamilton, having no licensed psychologists.
The behavioral health workforce is operated within the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, which is located on the USF Tampa campus. The initiative was created as part of a 2024 law and is financed by $5 million from the state each year.
