While workforce shortages in mental health care is not breaking news, the broad range of careers within mental health are often overlooked. Yes, Michigan’s community mental health agencies need more psychiatrists, psychologists, and master’s level social workers, but they also need bachelor’s level social workers, administrative staff, peer support specialists, accountants, and direct care workers — roles that require no college degree or degrees in areas not relating directly to mental health.

“The public mental health system originated with serving people with very serious mental illnesses back in the 60s and 70s with trying to return people to communities from state institutions — rehabilitation. That's still the core of what we do. But as the field of mental health has expanded, and there’s more coverage for mild and moderate conditions, there's been opportunities to help people with first-line experiences, depression, anxiety, and so forth,” says Mark Witte, CEO, OnPoint, the community mental health agency serving Allegan County. “We have traditional folks — psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers —who join our system who really had no idea about the range of things that go on in the community mental health world.”

MI Mental Health spoke with Witte and OnPoint’s director of human resources Bonnie Sexton about the many career paths within mental health and why they are rewarding.

Deborah Kupres (left) and Kimberly Thomas are community-based clinicians at OnPoint.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. Why is a career in mental health a good choice for folks? Why are you happy in your work?

Witte: I've had a lot of different roles throughout the years from frontline work with families and children, inpatient hospitalization roles, administrative roles in children's services agencies to working in community mental health agencies with folks with substance use disorders. I've done educating, as well. Mental health is a very comprehensive system that requires a lot of moving parts.

There are roles for almost anybody to play in that system. If a person is IT oriented, well, guess what? Our work is done from the computer I’m working on right now and health information systems where we record data to the financial systems that we use to handle billing and track all of the dollars involved. Why is a career in mental health a good choice? There are such varied opportunities. It's a constantly evolving and growing field.  There are always opportunities for everybody.

Sexton: Even though I’m not on the front lines, I have an opportunity to create a culture, an environment, and the infrastructure to help staff be successful. How many of us can say we have a career that truly changes the trajectory of people's lives? It's not always easy work. But ultimately, you're improving the quality of life for people within your own community and that gives your day-to-day work meaning, knowing that you're making a difference.”

Q. What opportunities does community mental health create for advancing a mental health career?

Sexton: We do see a lot of progression within careers at OnPoint and in the mental health field in general. We have a team of case managers that work with individuals, coordinating services, employment, and all the different needs that they might have. Case management positions require a bachelor's degree in psychology or social work and one year of experience.

They'll often pursue their master's degree while they're doing case management work and progress into a clinician role. We've had a number of staff who have gone that route. Folks who come into the mental health field, they're looking to make a lifelong career. If you want to become a fully licensed social worker, you need to get 4,000 hours of supervised experience under your belt. OnPoint has professionals who are qualified to provide that supervision and help individuals to progress in their career.

Witte: We've added responsibilities for substance use disorders and prevention, too. So, we have people that are involved in trying to help people recover from substance use disorders and to prevent them in the first place.

Alison Schuyler, OnPoint Access Program supervisor, left, talks with Selena Walters, access coordinator.

Q. What kinds of administrative support staff help with your work? What do their roles require as far as experience and schooling?

Witte: We have the traditional administrative roles within the organization, such as finance and HR, but the administrative professionals at our front desk truly are the face of the organization when a client walks in. The front desk staff are so critical to creating a positive first experience for all of the people we serve. They also take all the phone calls, as well. They need to be pleasant, professional, and able to deal with crisis situations.

Q. How do you prepare them for those situations?

Sexton: All staff are required to take trainings in the mental health field. We want all of our staff to understand behavioral health. When I started as HR director, I had to take 14 different trainings even though I'm not front facing with our clients.

Q. How are peer support roles expanding? What kinds of experience or certification is required for these?

Sexton: OnPoint has a number of peer support specialists for youth, adults, in housing, and a couple of crisis peer support specialists. They have lived experience with mental illness and their own recovery story. That helps them to relate to somebody else who is going through similar struggles, helps them come alongside them on their journey to recovery. They're an important part of the mental health system. Beyond having their individual recovery story, they also go through a State of Michigan certification process.

A past member of our board who himself had been institutionalized with a mental illness came out of care, gained a lot of skills and strength, and was able to manage not only his own needs but be a great peer. Another, an attorney who became involved with substances, lost his license, and had to rebuild his life. He gained enough stability through his own life to embark on a second career serving as a peer.

OnPoint's Tara Poore, manager of Children's Services, left, and Megan Ford, manager of Autism and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities services.

Q. How about the people working with OnPoint’s autistic clients, the unhoused, and those with disabilities?

Witte: Michigan’s system is unique in that the mental health system provides services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, not rehabilitation but habilitation, learning skills for the first time.

We have case managers and folks that do direct care. We probably play the quarterback role more with autism because clients are served by agencies in the community with whom we contract. As far as the unhoused, no other CMH in the state is [its community’s] homeless assessment and response agency. The work that we do goes on year after year to help match the resources that are available to the client situations. A lot of satisfaction goes with those roles —  case management roles, supervisors, and folks who manage the programs.

For those with disabilities, we often will work with community agencies who are providing a living situation through an adult foster care home or residential treatment facility. Our staff does the case management, does the planning for services that individuals need, maintains the contracts with these agencies, and oversees their work to make sure that they're doing what should be done.

We need psychologists and social workers to do that work, as well, and it touches on complicated medical care, too, so, skilled nursing work is involved. We have people that specialize in long-term care and helping people live successfully in their homes in the community. 

Estelle Slootmaker spends most workdays as a journalist and book editor. You can contact her at Estelle.Slootmaker@gmail.com or www.constellations.biz. 

Photos by John Grap

The MI Mental Health series highlights the opportunities that Michigan's children, teens, and adults of all ages have to find the mental health help they need, when and where they need it. It is made possible with funding from the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, Center for Health and Research Transformation, LifeWays, Michigan Health and Hospital Association, Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority, OnPoint, Sanilac County Community Mental Health, Summit Pointe, and Washtenaw County Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage.