Rhode Island saw 27 total behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, contributing 0% of the national weekly total. This indicates a small volume of new entries for the week, typical for smaller states. This week, 7 providers were added, part of 12 new providers enrolled this year. Of these, 23 were individuals and 4 were organizations.
ABA Workforce Dynamics
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) sector, the data shows 1 BCBA credential and 2 RBT credentials. Notably, no individuals held both BCBA and RBT credentials. This 2:1 RBT to BCBA ratio suggests an extremely limited supervisory capacity for ABA services, which is critical for RBTs who require direct supervision from BCBAs. This imbalance could pose significant challenges for the availability and quality of ABA therapy in the state. Beyond ABA, other prominent behavioral health credentials include 4 LMHCs and 4 LICSWs, indicating a broader mental health professional base.
Provider Demographics
Of the 23 individual providers, the workforce exhibits a clear gender distribution: 18 (78%) are female and 5 (22%) are male. This demographic breakdown aligns with broader trends observed in the behavioral health field nationwide. The absence of specific organizations appearing multiple times in this week's data suggests a diverse, locally-focused provider landscape rather than dominance by a few large multi-state chains.
The limited number of BCBAs relative to RBTs points to a significant bottleneck in Rhode Island's ABA workforce, potentially impacting the accessibility and scalability of services for individuals needing behavioral health support.
