Montana saw 24 total behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry weekly update, with 8 new providers added this week. This represents 0% of the national weekly total, indicating a smaller, but still active, growth in the state's behavioral health workforce compared to more populous regions.
Workforce Composition and ABA Access
For the ABA industry specifically, this week's data shows no new BCBA or RBT credentials registered in Montana. This is a critical finding for clinics and families seeking ABA services, as it indicates that the recent growth in Montana's behavioral health sector is not currently expanding the state's ABA workforce. Instead, the credential mix among new individual providers includes LCPC, LCSW, LCSW-CANDIDATE, and ACLC professionals, focusing on mental health counseling and social work. The continued absence of new ABA-specific providers could pose challenges for increasing access to applied behavior analysis services for individuals with autism and other developmental needs.
Provider Demographics and Geographic Spread
Of the 14 individual providers registered, 100% are female, a demographic trend often observed across various behavioral health disciplines. The remaining 10 organizations also registered this week. No specific organizations appeared multiple times in this week's update. New providers are distributed across cities such as Butte, Bozeman, Kalispell, Missoula, and Helena, reflecting activity in both larger and smaller communities. This data suggests that while Montana's broader behavioral health workforce is seeing some growth, the current influx does not include ABA-specific professionals, which may constrain the expansion of applied behavior analysis services and supervision capacity within the state.
