Maine saw 30 total behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, with 14 new additions this week. While this represents 0% of the national weekly total, it signifies ongoing, albeit modest, growth within the state's behavioral health sector.
ABA Workforce Composition
For applied behavior analysis (ABA) professionals, the data reveals a critical shortage: only 1 BCBA credential and 0 RBT credentials were reported. This absence of RBTs, who provide direct therapy under supervision, and the minimal BCBA presence, who are responsible for supervision and program development, indicates a significant gap in Maine's ABA workforce. Without a robust pool of RBTs and supervising BCBAs, expanding access to evidence-based ABA services across the state will be challenging. While the focus for our readers is ABA, it's worth noting the broader behavioral health landscape includes 6 LCSW and 3 LCPC credentials, suggesting a stronger presence of other mental health disciplines.
Provider Demographics and Organizational Footprint
Among the 20 individual providers, the workforce is predominantly female, with 17 (85%) identifying as female. 2 (10%) are male, and 1 (5%) identifies as nonbinary, reflecting common gender distributions in behavioral health fields. "UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF NORTHEASTERN MAINE" appeared 2 times in the organizational data, indicating its multi-site presence and role in delivering services within the state.
The current NPI data suggests that Maine faces substantial hurdles in building its ABA workforce, which will directly impact the availability of specialized behavioral interventions for residents.
