Date Completed

Winter 3-1-2025

Document Type

Masters Capstone Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Department

Social Work

Abstract

The nonprofit Community Behavioral Health (CBH) sector is experiencing a critical workforce shortage that jeopardizes equitable mental health care for Medicaid populations. Low wages, chronic underfunding, and high levels of provider burnout fuel this crisis, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. Existing approaches have often focused on individual-level solutions, such as recruitment drives and training, without addressing underlying systemic barriers. Recent interventions emphasize organizational and multicomponent strategies—such as the Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity (ARC) intervention and participatory workplace programs—that target workload, team cohesion, and institutional culture to improve staff retention and well-being.

This paper proposes Community Care Circles, a structured peer-support intervention informed by the Compassion Satisfaction–Compassion Fatigue Model, Organizational Support Theory, and Maslach’s Theory of Burnout. The program comprises twelve monthly facilitated sessions where staff collaboratively address emotional exhaustion, secondary trauma, and systemic stressors. By prioritizing inclusivity and trauma-informed facilitation, Community Care Circles aim to build resilience, strengthen professional relationships, and enhance perceived organizational support.

Evaluation involves pre- and post-intervention assessments using validated measures of burnout, compassion fatigue, and team cohesion. Anticipated outcomes include reduced emotional exhaustion, improved workplace satisfaction, and greater retention of mental health professionals serving Medicaid populations. By centering marginalized perspectives and fostering a supportive agency culture, this intervention addresses an urgent need for sustainable solutions in CBH, ultimately ensuring that vulnerable clients receive the consistent, high-quality mental health care they deserve.

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