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A Prospective Examination of Clinician and Supervisor Turnover Within the Context of Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in a Publicly-Funded Mental Health System

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Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Staff turnover rates in publicly-funded mental health settings are high. We investigated staff and organizational predictors of turnover in a sample of individuals working in an urban public mental health system that has engaged in a system-level effort to implement evidence-based practices. Additionally, we interviewed staff to understand reasons for turnover. Greater staff burnout predicted increased turnover, more openness toward new practices predicted retention, and more professional recognition predicted increased turnover. Staff reported leaving their organizations because of personal, organizational, and financial reasons; just over half of staff that left their organization stayed in the public mental health sector. Implications include an imperative to focus on turnover, with a particular emphasis on ameliorating staff burnout.

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Acknowledgments

We are especially grateful for the support that the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services has provided for this project, and for the Evidence Based Practice and Innovation (EPIC) group. Funding for this research project was supported by the following grants from NIMH: (K23 MH099179, Beidas; F32 MH103955, Benjamin Wolk). Additionally, the preparation of this article was supported in part by the Implementation Research Institute (IRI), at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis; through an award from the National Institute of Mental Health (R25 MH080916) and Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), Department of Veterans Affairs Contract, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research & Development, Health Services Research & Development Service. Dr. Beidas was an IRI fellow from 2012 to 2014. We would like to thank for the following experts who provided their time and input on this project: Dr. Marc Atkins, Dr. Ross Brownson, Dr. David Chambers, Dr. Bruce Chorpita, Dr. Charles Glisson, Dr. Nicholas Ialongo, Dr. John Landsverk, Dr. Enola Proctor, Dr. Ronnie Rubin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3535 Market Street, 3015, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Rinad S. Beidas, Courtney Benjamin Wolk, Byron Powell, Arthur C. Evans, Matthew O. Hurford, Trevor Hadley, Danielle R. Adams, Lucia M. Walsh, Shaili Babbar & David S. Mandell

  2. School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Steven Marcus

  3. Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Steven Marcus

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Gregory A. Aarons

  5. Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Arthur C. Evans & Matthew O. Hurford

  6. Community Behavioral Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Matthew O. Hurford

  7. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Frances Barg

  8. Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1105C McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Campus Box 7411, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7411, USA

    Byron Powell

  9. Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Matthew O. Hurford

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  1. Rinad S. Beidas
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  2. Steven Marcus
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  3. Courtney Benjamin Wolk
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Correspondence to Rinad S. Beidas.

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Beidas, R.S., Marcus, S., Wolk, C.B. et al. A Prospective Examination of Clinician and Supervisor Turnover Within the Context of Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in a Publicly-Funded Mental Health System. Adm Policy Ment Health 43, 640–649 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0673-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0673-6

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