Abstract
Many counties in California face a drastic shortage of mental health professionals. This shortage is exacerbated by the high rates of attrition among qualifying degree holders who pursue either a Clinical Social Worker (CSW) or Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) license. This study examines how an individual’s prospects of earning a license depend on demographics, geography, education, work experience, and personal life challenges. Data and Methodology Using data collected from a survey of 11,985 individuals (598 responded) who graduated from a qualifying degree program and subsequently began pursuit of a license as either a CSW or MFT, I conducted binomial logit regression analyses to identify how each broad causal factor affected the dependent variable – attainment of a license as a CSW or MFT. Conclusions and Implications Each of the broad causal factors has some relation to the dependent variable. Specifically, the likelihood of attaining a license increases with education satisfaction, Bay Area employment settings, county contracted mental health employment settings, and years since graduation. The likelihood decreases with African American and Latino ethnicities, out-of-state degrees, non-mental health focused work settings, difficulty in finding supervision, and percent time spent completing requirements while raising a child. While the majority of these factors lie outside of the sphere of influence for a public agency, several have policy implications. For example, licensing agencies may wish to consider modifying current licensing requirements and enhancing the career development opportunities available in certain employment settings. Such reforms could lead more graduates of mental health degree programs to continue on to earning a CSW or MFT license.