The behavioral health care system in the United States faces challenges that affect both providers and patients. Many communities face shortages of health care providers serving rural and underserved populations due to low pay combined with student debt, high turnover rates due to demanding work, and barriers to practicing across state lines. The demand for behavioral health services is great despite the rising rates of overdose, suicide, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and domestic violence. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) projects critical workforce shortages across many key behavioral health professions by 2037, including addiction counselors, mental health counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, marriage and family therapists and school counselors. Even professions showing potential surpluses often face geographic maldistribution, leaving rural and underserved communities with inadequate access. HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) employs evidence-based strategies to connect skilled health care providers to areas with mental health profession shortages. Key BHW workforce strategies include: 1) Recruitment - Encouraging individuals to practice in underserved and rural areas. 2) Training -Providing early, sustained exposure to community-based and underserved settings to increase the likelihood of future service in those communities. 3) Financial Support - Offering scholarships, loan repayment, stipends, and tuition assistance to reduce financial barriers. 4) Integrated, Interprofessional Team-Based Care - Promoting collaborative models where patients actively participate in care and providers work to their full scope of practice. HRSA’s programs such as the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, the Graduate Psychology Education Program, and the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program require grantees to offer stipends to trainees, partner with underserved community-based organizations as training sites, and provide education on prevention, treatment, and recovery for opioid and other substance use disorders. These programs also emphasize integrating behavioral health into primary care, expanding training in tele-behavioral health services, increasing understanding of behavioral health disorders in children and adolescents, fostering interprofessional collaboration, and supporting job placement after graduation. Through these coordinated efforts, HRSA aims to build a sustainable and skilled behavioral health workforce that can meet the nation’s growing mental health and substance use needs.