Montana saw 27 behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, with 9 new registrations this week. This represents less than 1% of the national weekly total, signaling a smaller, but consistent, growth trajectory for the state's behavioral health workforce, typical for a less populous state.
ABA Workforce Landscape
Within the ABA sector, the data shows only 1 BCBA credential among the total providers and 0 RBT credentials. This significant absence of RBTs, who provide direct therapy under BCBA supervision, alongside a single BCBA, highlights a critical bottleneck for ABA service delivery in Montana. The lack of a foundational RBT workforce means that even with more BCBAs, scaling services would be challenging. In contrast, other behavioral health professions are more represented, with 5 LCPC credentials and 2 LCSW credentials, indicating a stronger presence of traditional mental health counseling and social work professionals.
Provider Demographics
Of the 19 individual providers, 15 are female, accounting for 79%, while 4 are male, making up 21%. This gender distribution aligns with broader trends in the behavioral health field. No organizations appeared multiple times in this update, suggesting a diverse landscape of smaller practices rather than dominant multi-state chains.
This data suggests that while Montana is seeing some growth in its general behavioral health sector, the ABA workforce remains extremely constrained, potentially limiting access to critical services for individuals requiring applied behavior analysis.
