Building a Diverse Workforce from the Ground Up

Expanding workforce diversity is a critical strategy to support improved access to health and health care for communities of color. To support this work, the PS MHTTC created a self-assessment tool to help mental health organizations explore their implementation of workforce diversity strategies: Assessing Workforce Diversity: A Tool for Mental Health Organizations on the Path to Health Equity.

This workshop explores each of the tool's six key domains to build workforce diversity:

Leadership and Governance
Recruitment
Orientation, Onboarding, and Ongoing Training
Retention and Professional Development
Communication
Partnership and Community Goals

This workshop outlines the purpose of these areas in strengthening workforce diversity and explore the different issues that require attention.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Explore the importance of a diverse workforce in effectively addressing mental health disparities for the populations in your community.
Identify the critical components needed to assess the successes and challenges of your mental health organization in building a diverse workforce.
Identify areas in which your organization excels and also areas in which you may want to focus attention.
Identify action steps to address areas where your organization is more limited and incorporate these action steps into an existing organizational plan (e.g., strategic, cultural competency, or diversity plan).