Across Illinois, the need for behavioral health care continues to grow while many communities are still building the workforce capacity to provide residents with timely, comprehensive care.
People seeking care may encounter long wait times or limited provider availability, especially when seeking care that reflects the cultural context shaping their experience.
Graduate psychology programs are an essential part of the response. By preparing future practitioners with clinical knowledge and cultural awareness, these programs can help strengthen the behavioral health workforce while expanding access to care in high-need communities.
Jessica Rosenfeld, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist and faculty member at The Chicago School’s Los Angeles campus, describes access as one of the most pressing behavioral health needs facing communities today: “It’s important to make sure that individuals who need help can get help—when they need it and how they need it.”
That focus on access is key to graduate psychology training at The Chicago School, where students are prepared to connect classroom learning with real-world needs.
What Is Driving Illinois’ Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage?
The Illinois behavioral health crisis reflects rising demand for care and an ongoing need to build the state’s behavioral health workforce. HRSA’s Health Workforce Shortage Areas dashboard tracks communities designated as having shortages of mental health providers, helping show where access gaps are most visible.
The Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center also notes that demand for mental health and substance use services continues to grow. At the same time, Illinois faces ongoing shortages, especially in rural and underserved communities.
Current workforce priorities include:
- Growing service demand: Mental health and substance use needs continue to rise across Illinois.
- Rural and underserved shortages: Workforce gaps remain especially apparent in communities with fewer local provider options.
- Workforce capacity: The goal is to build a behavioral health workforce with the capacity and skills to meet residents’ needs.
- Clinical training: One of the center’s primary goals is to strengthen behavioral health curriculum and clinical training experiences.
These gaps affect whether people can receive care when they need it. They also shape whether communities have access to professionals trained to respond with ethical judgment and practical clinical skill.
How Do Graduate Psychology Programs Help Address Behavioral Health Needs?
Psychology graduate programs help shape the next generation of behavioral health professionals. Students learn how to assess client needs and understand the systems that influence mental health.
“They train the next generation of mental health practitioners,” Dr. Rosenfeld says.
That preparation is essential as people enter care with different levels of need. Some may benefit from counseling, while others may need more intensive crisis support or a referral to a specialist. Graduate training helps students understand how to respond when a single model of support doesn’t meet the full range of client needs.
“When we think about mental health, we’re trying to meet the needs of the population by using one level of care,” says Dr. Rosenfeld.
That insight is especially relevant in Illinois, where many communities need practitioners who can recognize barriers to care and help people find the right level of support.
What Skills Do Psychology Graduate Students Learn?
Graduate psychology training begins with the foundations of human behavior and clinical practice. Students build the knowledge needed to understand client concerns while learning how to practice with care.
“You need to learn the foundations,” says Dr. Rosenfeld.
Strong foundations help students develop skills such as:
- Active listening
- Ethical decision-making
- Clinical assessment
- Referral awareness
- Supervised practice
Those skills become especially important when graduates serve communities facing behavioral health workforce shortages. They also help future professionals approach care with confidence and respect for each client’s lived experience.
How Do Psychology Programs Prepare Culturally Responsive Clinicians?
The Chicago School offers psychology graduate programs that prepare students to meet the growing need for behavioral health care.
Through real-world, evidence-based training and guidance from practitioner-scholar faculty, The Chicago School’s psychology programs prepare students to support individuals and communities.
What Is Culturally Responsive Behavioral Health Care?
Culturally responsive care asks future clinicians to understand more than a client’s presenting concern. It asks them to consider the experiences and community contexts that shape how a person understands distress or healing.
“Within the treatment space, it’s so important to me as a faculty member to help our students see the person in front of them as the multidimensional person that they are,” Dr. Rosenfeld says.
This training matters in Illinois communities where barriers often stem from geography or provider availability. It also reflects The Chicago School’s mission to prepare equity-driven, culturally responsive specialists for Illinois communities.
Why Is Clinical Training Important in Graduate Psychology Programs?
Applied training helps students connect classroom learning with the lived realities of student care, giving them opportunities to practice clinical skills in a supervised setting while deepening their understanding of community needs.
The Chicago School’s Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, and Applied Clinical Psychology programs include practicum and internship experiences that provide students with field experience beyond the classroom. The Clinical Psychology doctoral program also features supervised practicum opportunities and extensive clinical training.
Applied training is a key way that The Chicago School prepares its students for their future careers. “It’s interwoven in the ethos of the institution,” says Dr. Rosenfeld. “We do this very intentionally.”
Practical experience helps students build confidence as they receive support from faculty and supervisors. It also helps students learn how care changes depending on the needs of each person they serve.
What Clinical Skills Help Psychologists Build Trust With Clients?
Dr. Rosenfeld points to listening as one of the most meaningful skills graduate students can develop.
“Listen carefully,” she says, describing a deeper kind of attention. “We talk about it as listening with your third ear.”
Listening closely helps future clinicians understand what a client may be communicating beyond the words themselves. It also creates room for validation, which can be especially meaningful when clients have felt unseen in previous care experiences.
How Can Behavioral Health Care Access Be Expanded in Illinois?
Expanding access to behavioral health care means preparing more professionals to enter the field with confidence. It also means preparing them to serve with humility and practical skill.
The Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center’s annual report states that its purpose is to strengthen Illinois’ behavioral health system by expanding access to effective services through coordinated recruitment and education efforts. The report also highlights the need to increase workforce diversity and support provider capacity in accessible community-based settings.
Dr. Rosenfeld connects equity with the ability to reach the right provider when support is needed.
“I think equity would mean that people have access to the professionals that they need,” she says.
That perspective is especially relevant in a state where access to behavioral health care can vary by region and community. Graduate psychology programs can help by preparing students to understand barriers to care and to develop the skills to serve across differences.
Culturally responsive care may include:
- Thoughtful questions
- Awareness of community strengths
- Respect for lived experience
- Attention to patient goals
- Ongoing professional learning
Dr. Rosenfeld also sees education as part of equity in behavioral health.
“I believe that education and knowledge can be therapeutic in and of themselves,” she says.
When people better understand what they are experiencing, they may feel more prepared to seek support. Similarly, when clinicians understand the context around a person’s experience, care can become more aligned with what that person needs.
Why Is Demand for Behavioral Health Professionals Growing?
The need for behavioral health professionals continues to grow. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment of psychologists to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Illinois is also approaching behavioral health workforce development through a statewide strategy. The Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center describes the Fiscal Year 26-28 plan as a roadmap designed to strengthen a diverse, skilled, and resilient behavioral health workforce across the state.
“We have to make sure that we’re keeping up,” Dr. Rosenfeld says. “That forces us to be aware of the things that are changing.”
That responsibility matters as communities seek comprehensive, culturally humble care.
Ready to Make an Impact in Behavioral Health?
Behavioral health professionals play an important role in expanding access to care, supporting diverse communities, and helping individuals navigate life’s challenges. Graduate psychology education can provide the clinical knowledge, practical experience, and professional development needed to pursue that work.
If you’re interested in helping address behavioral health needs in Illinois and beyond, The Chicago School offers psychology graduate programs designed to prepare students for meaningful careers in the field.
Complete the brief form below to learn more about our psychology programs, connect with an admissions representative, and receive information about curriculum, application requirements, and next steps.