Arkansas recorded 97 total behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry weekly update, with 64 new registrations this week. This represents 1% of the national total, signaling a consistent but modest contribution to the overall growth of the behavioral health workforce.

ABA Workforce Composition

Focusing on the applied behavior analysis (ABA) sector, the data shows 2 BCBA credentials and 23 RBT credentials among individual providers. It is important to note that no individuals in this dataset hold both BCBA and RBT credentials. The resulting ratio of over 11 RBTs for every BCBA indicates a significant imbalance, suggesting a considerable need for more BCBA-level professionals to provide adequate supervision and expand direct ABA service capacity across the state. The state also registered 8 organizations this week, contributing to the provider landscape.

Provider Demographics

Of the 89 individual providers, the gender breakdown shows 80% are female (71 individuals), 13% are male (12 individuals), and 7% are nonbinary (6 individuals). This distribution is largely consistent with broader trends observed in the behavioral health field nationally. No specific organizations appeared multiple times in this week's new registrations. Additionally, 12 providers hold multiple taxonomies, indicating a diverse skill set among professionals.

The current RBT-to-BCBA ratio in Arkansas highlights a critical bottleneck in supervision, which could significantly limit the expansion of ABA services and access for clients in the state, despite a growing RBT workforce.