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Workforce Turnover in Community Behavioral Health Agencies in the USA: A Systematic Review with Recommendations

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Abstract

Rates of behavioral health workforce turnover are chronically high, with detrimental effects on the agency and remaining staff, as well as hypothesized negative impacts on client care and outcomes. Turnover also creates challenges for studies investigating the effectiveness and/or implementation of behavioral health interventions. Research examining factors that precede and predict behavioral health staff turnover has become increasingly important, as have studies that include recommendations for preventing and reducing turnover. The current paper systematically reviews the body of research on factors associated with behavioral health staff turnover, synthesizes recommendations made for combating turnover, and identifies gaps in this important area of research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, 1124 Life Sciences Building, P.O. Box 6040, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6040, USA

    Laurel A. Brabson

  2. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Jordan L. Harris

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Oliver Lindhiem

  4. Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, UPMC Insurance Services Division, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Amy D. Herschell

  5. University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Jordan L. Harris

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Correspondence to Laurel A. Brabson.

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Brabson, L.A., Harris, J.L., Lindhiem, O. et al. Workforce Turnover in Community Behavioral Health Agencies in the USA: A Systematic Review with Recommendations. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 23, 297–315 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-020-00313-5

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