San Diego's behavioral health sector saw 94 providers added in the latest CMS update, representing 2% of the national weekly total. This concentration signals San Diego as a significant regional hub for behavioral health growth. The new additions comprise 92 individual practitioners and 2 organizations, indicating a mix of solo providers and clinical operations.
ABA Credential Breakdown
Of the 92 individual practitioners, 3 are BCBAs and 35 are RBTs. This indicates a significant direct-service workforce, but the ratio of approximately one BCBA for every 11 RBTs is considerably higher than the often-recommended 1:8 or 1:10 for optimal supervision, suggesting a potential bottleneck in supervisory capacity for ABA services. It is also important to note that 0 providers hold dual BCBA and RBT credentials, which typically signals career progression within the field. Beyond ABA, the update also includes a substantial number of Speech-Language Pathologists, Clinical Social Workers, and Addiction Counselors, reflecting a broader behavioral health landscape in the city.
Workforce Demographics
The individual workforce shows a diverse gender breakdown, with 64 female providers (70%), 7 male providers (8%), and 21 nonbinary providers (23%). No single organization was listed multiple times in this week's update, suggesting a distributed growth across various practices rather than concentrated hiring by a few large entities. This data highlights a growing and diverse behavioral health workforce in San Diego, though the ABA sector may benefit from an increased number of supervising BCBAs to ensure optimal service delivery.
