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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.

In terms of challenges, the report shows:

• About one in four Nebraskans experience a behavioral health issue each year, yet many still struggle to receive care due to provider shortages and long wait times.
• Extensive training requirements for behavioral health professions—along with limited supervision and post-graduate training opportunities—slow workforce growth.
• Several regions still require residents to drive more than an hour to reach in-person behavioral health services, underscoring the persistent imbalance between where providers are located and where care is needed.

“While telebehavioral health has improved reach, it cannot fully replace the availability of local, in-person services or the full range of care required to address the spectrum of behavioral health needs,” Dr. Doyle said.

To address these challenges, BHECN recommends Nebraska:

• Expand behavioral health training capacity across all regions, with a focus on rural accessibility.
• Increase support for graduate-level and post-graduate supervision.
• Encourage coordinated statewide partnerships that align education, policy, and service delivery.

As established by the legislative statute that created BHECN in 2009, the organization is charged with compiling and reporting data on the state’s workforce. New to this year’s report are data snapshots that examine the workforce from a variety of angles, including:

• Distribution of the workforce statewide.
• How the workforce is distributed across the state’s six behavioral health regions.
• Snapshots that explore the composition of the workforce by provider type.

“The new snapshots provide a more nuanced look at our workforce and how it’s composed,” said Melissa Tibbits, PhD, BHECN’s associate director for research and evaluation. “Having this type of data helps provide a clearer picture of where our strengths are, as well as where we still have gaps to fill.”

Dr. Doyle added, “We’re incredibly excited to share the updated data and new snapshots with Nebraska’s behavioral health community. These features are powerful tools that can help BHECN and other stakeholders craft more targeted interventions to address the state’s key workforce challenges.”

The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN) has selected 11 students as members of the 2025–2026 BHECN Scholars Program and welcomed back several members of previous cohorts.

These newest students compose the second class of the statewide BHECN Scholars Program, which was launched after the success of its predecessor, the Behavioral Health Opportunities Program (BHOP)—a pilot initiative at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK).

BHECN Scholars is a pathway program that supports undergraduate seniors who plan to pursue master’s degrees in Nebraska-based behavioral health programs following graduation. Scholars receive tuition support, mentorship, professional development, and participate in social and learning opportunities built around a cohort model.

The program’s purpose is to recruit regionally and culturally diverse students into the behavioral health workforce and ensure their success as practicing, licensed professionals in Nebraska.

“We are thrilled to welcome our newest group of scholars and to welcome back our returning scholars,” said Alison DeLizza, PhD, BHECN’s associate director of education and interdisciplinary provider relations, who oversees the program. “This is a truly remarkable group of students who will make amazing contributions to Nebraska’s behavioral health workforce.”

The 2025–2026 BHECN Scholars are:

• Amya Coon of Omaha, who attends the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and majors in criminal justice and sociology with minors in geography and human rights and humanitarian affairs.
• Angelica Anaya of Scottsbluff, who attends the University of Nebraska–Kearney and majors in social work.
• Steven Dalmeida of Lincoln, who attends Nebraska Wesleyan University and majors in psychology and marketing.
• Ella Fundus of Lincoln, who attends Nebraska Wesleyan University and majors in social work with a minor in criminal justice.
• Taylor Hasebroock of Oakdale, who attends Nebraska Wesleyan University and majors in social work and communication with minors in family studies and marketing.
• Grace Domenge of Lincoln, who attends the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and majors in child, youth, and family studies with minors in psychology and victimology/victim studies.
• Meghan Gallagher of La Vista, who attends Doane University and majors in psychology with a minor in substance use counseling.
• Jerri Cudaback of Bellwood, who attends Wayne State College and majors in psychology with a minor in human studies.
• Katie Solano Mejia of Wayne, who attends Wayne State College and majors in psychology and human services.
• Emjay Coyan of Omaha, who attends the University of Nebraska–Omaha and majors in psychology with minors in communication studies and victimology.
• Daisy Bravo Perez of Grand Island, who attends the University of Nebraska–Omaha and majors in social work and Latino/Latin American studies with a minor in sociology.

Scholars selected for the program receive a one-time $5,000 payment in the fall of their senior year. Funding is distributed directly to the scholars and can be used to support tuition and other educational expenses.

If admitted into a graduate-level behavioral health program in the fall following their senior year, scholars have the opportunity to renew their membership for a second year. Several scholars from BHECN’s inaugural cohort qualified for this honor. They are:

• Elisa Herrera of Osmond, who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska–Kearney and is pursuing a master’s in clinical mental health counseling at UNK.
• Delaney Ham of Omaha, who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska–Omaha and is pursuing a Master of Social Work at UNO’s Grace Abbott School of Social Work.
• Patricia Parish of Lincoln, who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is pursuing dual graduate programs: a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (Community Counseling Track) and a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy at UNL.
• Alexis VanDeWalle of Colorado Springs, Colo., who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska–Kearney and is pursuing a Master of Social Work at UNO’s Grace Abbott School of Social Work.
• Kaylee Reimers of Wood River, who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska–Kearney and is pursuing a Master of Social Work at UNO’s Grace Abbott School of Social Work.
• Toni Lopez of Limon, Colo., who earned her undergraduate degree from Chadron State College and is pursuing a Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Chadron State College.
• Bianca Mullikin of Wauzeka, Wis., who earned her undergraduate degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and is pursuing a Master of Social Work at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
• Lauren Burris of Omaha, who earned her undergraduate degree from Creighton University and is pursuing a master’s in school psychology at UNO.
• Amelia Moore of Kearney, who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska–Kearney and is pursuing a Master of Social Work at UNO’s Grace Abbott School of Social Work.

Five members of the initial BHOP pilot program at UNK in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate program are also returning this fall. They are Haley Clark, Johanna McClure, Juana Domkpo, Mariah Seim, and Olivia Longmore, all of Kearney.

In addition to financial support, Scholars receive access to specialized programming designed to enhance their professional development, networking, and mentorship from licensed behavioral health providers. The program also offers assistance with graduate school applications—including a letter of recommendation—engagement in BHECN-sponsored activities, and sponsorship for regional educational conferences.

Learn more about the BHECN Scholars program here.

The current application cycle for the Graduate Trainee Support Program (GTSP), formerly known as the Graduate Trainee Stipend Program, remains open through Monday, Nov. 10.

GTSP applications will be accepted for experiences starting in the Spring. The program financially supports master’s-level students in behavioral health graduate programs across Nebraska during their advanced practicum or internship experiences that serve rural, public-sector, or justice-involved communities.

Under the new tiered model, students completing 200 hours or more of their final clinical experience may be eligible for funding.

Additionally, students who complete their experience in a justice-involved setting may qualify for up to an additional $5,000 bonus. To be eligible, students must have a confirmed practicum or internship placement, be in good academic standing, and intend to practice in Nebraska after graduation.

Learn more about the program and how to apply 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!  

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.

BHECN has online training opportunities

See our offerings here!

 402.552.7697 | bhecn@unmc.edu