William Keating, PhD in Leadership and Change alum, published his dissertation, A Case Study on Factors Influencing Retention of Mental Health Clinicians in a New Hampshire Community Mental Health Center.
The purpose of Keating’s study is to understand why master-level mental health providers continue working at community mental health centers. For the most part, prior research regarding job turnovers in such organizations has only focused on clinicians and leaders leaving their positions. Instead, this study focuses on factors related to their decision to stay at community mental health centers, more specifically, at one in an urban area of New Hampshire. A single case study method was implemented in order to focus on masters-level mental healthcare providers, with additional interviews conducted with leadership at the community mental health center to gain supplemental data.
Some of the overarching themes that surfaced from the collected data were around clinicians remaining in the community mental health center, their reasons for doing the work they do, the draw to community mental health centers, and why they might leave a community mental health center. Licensure contracts were also explored in his research, with clinicians and members of leadership providing their perspectives on licensure contracts and their implementation of them.
Findings from this study explore providers’ particular interests in community mental health centers as well as the importance of connections with colleagues and leadership and the intersection of why master-level providers stay at these centers. With a garnered understanding of clinician retention, the study was also able to provide recommendations for master-level providers, community mental health center leadership, and clinical mental health educators.
For Keating, this dissertation topic corresponds with the consultant work he does for Mental Health Treatment Providers and SUD Treatment Providers, with such consultations also focusing on clinical skills, administrative workflows, and retention of employees. He also has experience leading multiple clinical teams and providing care to patients needing different acuity levels of treatment.
Read more about Keating and his dissertation, A Case Study on Factors Influencing Retention of Mental Health Clinicians in a New Hampshire Community Mental Health Center, here.
