Frequently asked questions

Behavioral health encompasses a wide range of services, including mental health promotion and treatment, substance use disorder prevention and treatment, and recovery support. It is inclusive of mental health and substance use disorders.

Do you like helping people make positive changes in their life? Is your passion giving back to the community by organizing community-wide efforts? Do you have personal, lived experiences that could help others? Do you like working with youth? If you answered yes to any of these questions, a career in behavioral health might be right for you.

Explore which behavioral health careers may be the best for you here.

The specific skills will depend on your job, care setting, and level of experience. Certification and educational programs are designed to give you the skills you need to be successful in your career path, and often include hands-on, supervised training along the way.

There are many career tracks that do not require an advanced degree. Some jobs may require a license to provide direct or unsupervised patient care.

For those that require a degree, typical majors include psychology, sociology, behavioral health sciences, human development, early childhood education, public policy and administration, prevention science, public health, community health education, health and human services, social sciences, communications or social work.

It’s very common for behavioral health workers to come to this path as their second, or even third career. There are options depending on your past work or educational experience. However, even if you have never worked or studied in a related field, you can still get started on your career pathway to making a difference today. There are also many on-the-job training opportunities available too.

Financial assistance may be available for current and aspiring behavioral health workers. There are loan repayment options for certain career paths and care settings to help offset educational costs in exchange for your service. Undergraduate students may also be eligible for financial aid or scholarships.

Learn more about some of the financial resources available here.

This website is part of Washington Health Care Authority’s efforts to support the behavioral health workforce across Washington state, as there’s an increased need for these services. If you’re interested in learning more about in-demand careers in behavioral health, check out those career paths here.

If you’re interested in applying for a career at HCA, thank you for your interest. You can explore available opportunities at HCA and other state agencies here.