As part of our commitment to building pathways to quality jobs, Redefine Alliance is proud to announce the expansion of our Bridge to Behavioral Health Career Pathways program. This program is made possible through continued support from the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity’s High Road Training Partnership Fund.
Despite rising demand for nonclinical behavioral health workers across Los Angeles County, candidates can face significant barriers to entry, like credentialing delays and exclusionary hiring practices. This program responds to these challenges, offering industry-aligned training, direct connections to employers, and support for participants navigating barriers to employment. The benefit is twofold: helping Angelenos as they build economic power while strengthening the region’s behavioral health field with a workforce that is shaped by lived experience of employment barriers.
The expansion of the Bridge to Behavioral Health Career Pathways program builds on the certified peer support specialist pilot launched through the first round of the program in 2025. In this second year, the program will serve 75 Los Angeles County residents, including justice-involved individuals, through two connected pathways. Certified peer support specialist training will help people without previous behavioral health industry experience; a second pathway will offer upskilling toward becoming a substance use disorder registered counselor.
Together, these pathways create a structured route from entry-level roles to higher-wage opportunities in Los Angeles County’s behavioral health field. Starting wages for certified peer support specialists in the region sit at approximately $22 to $27 per hour; with experience, specialists can advance into roles paying approximately $28 to $30 per hour or more.
“This continued investment builds on the progress we’ve made through the first High Road Training Partnership award and reflects what’s possible through strong cross-sector partnerships,” said Maria Kim, President and CEO of Redefine Alliance. “We’re grateful to the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity for its leadership and continued investment, and to our employment social enterprise partners, behavioral health employers, and training providers for bringing this work to life. With their support, we create the biggest transformation of all: peers helping peers in the most human-centered of ways, creating a growing workforce in behavioral health while healing neighbors, strengthening families, and building economic mobility in the process.”
A Win-Win-Win Partnership for Workers, Employers, and Training Providers
Collaboration is an essential element of the High Road Training Partnership model. Redefine Alliance brings together employers, training providers, employment social enterprises, and peer workers to strengthen pathways into behavioral health careers.
Together, these partners bring employer insight, worker voice, training expertise, and direct support for participants navigating barriers to employment, helping ensure that training reflects both worker needs and the realities of the behavioral health workforce.
We are grateful to the partners helping bring Bridge to Behavioral Health: Career Pathways to life, including behavioral health employers Pacific Clinics, Didi Hirsch, Helpline Youth Counseling, and La Fuente Hollywood Treatment Center; training providers Painted Brain and Pacific Clinics Training Institute; employment social enterprise partners Chrysalis, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and the Center for Living and Learning; and the program’s Peer Worker Advisory Committee.
To learn more about upcoming cohorts, employer partnership opportunities, and how to participate, visit Certified Peer Support Specialist Opportunities. To read more about career advancement in behavioral health, check out Upskilling Opportunities. For employer partnership opportunities, please contact hrtp@redefinealliance.org.
