BHECN-ARPA News

News regarding the BHECN-ARPA Awards Project -- November 2025

A new BHECN report provides a clearer picture of trends, challenges, and opportunities in strengthening the state’s behavioral health workforce.

The report, which can be viewed here, shows that Nebraska has made steady progress in addressing behavioral health workforce shortages—including in rural areas—but that more work remains to bridge the gap between available services and residents’ needs.

Nebraska’s behavioral health workforce grew by about 49% from 2010 to 2024, and the number of providers in rural parts of the state increased 24% during the same period. Provider numbers increased in 40 rural counties over this time span.

“The report is exciting in that it shows the work that BHECN and others around the state are doing is helping to grow Nebraska’s behavioral health workforce,” said Marley Doyle, MD, BHECN director. “But the data also show how challenges remain.”

From 2010 to 2024, the data show:

• The Psychiatric Physician Assistant workforce grew by 267%,
• Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioners increased by 225%, and
• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners increased by 168%.

There have been shifts in the composition of the workforce, particularly in the number of Licensed Mental Health Practitioners who advanced to become Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioners.

“This shift expands our behavioral health system’s clinical capacity and insurance coverage options,” Dr. Doyle said, noting that LMHPs continue to play a critical role in sustaining access—especially in rural communities.

Read more about the report in this recent UNMC Today article.

Inspirit Counseling is a thriving, privately owned group practice serving the beautiful communities of rural Nebraska—including Dawes, Box Butte, Sioux, Sheridan, and Scotts Bluff Counties. Our mission is simple: to bring compassionate, evidence-based mental health care to every corner of our region. 

We are also offering a sign-on / relocation incentive for individuals who wish to join full time (20-25 clients a week) and see all ages, in person in our Alliance or Gering locations.

We welcome clients of all ages, from infants to seniors, and offer a wide range of therapeutic approaches to meet diverse needs. Our clinicians enjoy the freedom to blend their own style and specialties into their practice.

We offer competitive private-pay rates and accept most major insurance plans, including Nebraska Medicaid, ensuring services are accessible and sustainable.

Specialized Services We Offer

• Child-Centered Play Therapy
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Substance Use Evaluations and Outpatient Counseling

With offices in Chadron, Gering, Hemingford, and Alliance, you’ll find a supportive community wherever you’re based.

Why You’ll Love Working With Inspirit

At Inspirit Counseling, we believe in empowering our clinicians to do what they do best—help people heal and grow—while we handle the rest.

We offer a competitive percentage-based pay structure that increases with your level of licensure (Provisionally Licensed, Licensed, or Independently Licensed Mental Health Practitioner).

For provisional clinicians, we also provide clinical supervision to support your journey toward independent licensure.

We Take Care of the Details So You Can Focus on Care

• Comfortable office space in one of our established locations
• A full Electronic Health Records (EHR) system
• Credentialing, onboarding, and ongoing maintenance
• Comprehensive billing services (insurance and private pay)
• A dedicated full-time receptionist who manages initial scheduling, intake, and administrative tasks

Our goal is to make your work simple: arrive, provide exceptional therapy, complete your notes, and let Inspirit handle the rest.

Flexibility & Freedom

As a 1099 independent contractor, you’ll enjoy the flexibility to:

• Create your own schedule
• Choose the clients and populations that best align with your interests
• Build a caseload that fits your lifestyle and goals

This model gives you the autonomy of private practice with the support of a group environment—the best of both worlds.

Please note: as a contractor position, this role does not include employee benefits or tax withholdings. Practitioners are responsible for CEUs, licensure fees, and malpractice insurance.

Come Grow With Us

If you’re passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a supportive, community-centered team, Inspirit Counseling is the place for you. Join us and bring your unique energy, compassion, and expertise to the people who need it most.

Contact 308-430-1944 or inspiritcounseling16@gmail.com for more information.

In the photo above, Christina Winters, left, a licensed student counselor at Chadron State College, talks about the work done at her clinic with some members of the BHECN team.

The stop at the clinic, which received support as part of the BHECN-ARPA Awards Program, was part of a recent visit BHECN UNMC team members made to the Nebraska Panhandle.

The team gathered with students, clinicians, educators and behavioral health leaders in Chadron and Gering. Over coffee and conversation, they learned about the incredible work happening in the region and connected with those shaping the future of behavioral health in the Panhandle.

Learn about a NIDA funding opportunity

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) seeks preclinical and clinical research studies that will have high impact and quickly yield the necessary results to advance candidate interventions to prevent or treat Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) overdose closer to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval/authorization/clearance and/or implementation into clinical practice and community care.

• There is particular interest in the development of therapeutic interventions for prevention of initiation of SUDs
• Prevention of progression of the severity of SUDs
• Reduction of the dose of opioids analgesics
• Improvement of SUD treatment adherence
• Facilitation of substance use discontinuation 
• Treatment of drug withdrawal signs and symptoms
• Treatment of neonatal drug withdrawal
• Treatment of co-morbid SUDs
• Reduction of lethality of overdose
• Reduction of overdose relapse
• Reduction of the risk of substance-induced respiratory depression
• Any other behavioral and medical manifestations or consequences of SUDs or overdose
• Single or multiple comorbid SUDs
• Populations at high risk for SUDs

Learn more about the opportunity here.

NAMI will hold a virtual town hall on Thursday, Nov. 13, titled “Mental Health Treatment and the Court System.”

The webinar will run from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT.

Learn more and register here!  

Read a Daily Nebraskan story about a UNL ARPA award program to train rural medical clinics to improve communication between medical assistants and their patients.