Andy Friedman

In cities across the country, behavioral health agencies are struggling to meet growing community needs. High turnover, staffing shortages, and limited professional pathways have strained an already overburdened system. For Andy Friedman, Founder and Executive Director of United We Heal, the solution required more than short-term fixes. It required rethinking the workforce pipeline itself.

United We Heal was created to build a stable, skilled behavioral health workforce that reflects the lived experiences of the individuals it serves. Registered Apprenticeship quickly became the centerpiece of that mission. By combining classroom learning with on-the-job training, Andy saw an opportunity to widen the doorway into behavioral health careers and create pathways that were accessible, equitable, and deeply rooted in community impact.

Why Registered Apprenticeship?

Before launching a Registered Apprenticeship Program, Andy spent years listening to employers, frontline staff, and people seeking careers in behavioral health. Their message was clear: traditional hiring pipelines were not working. Agencies were losing new hires within months, and capable individuals with lived experience were being shut out because they lacked formal credentials.

“It is the only workforce model I have seen that simultaneously meets the needs of employers, workers, and the community,” Andy explained. Apprenticeship gave individuals a supported entry point into the field while providing agencies with more reliable, better prepared staff.

In addition to operating apprenticeship standards for three separate behavioral health occupations, UWH has also developed a high school pre-apprenticeship program, and is developing shorter training programs for Recovery Specialist and Peer Support roles. United We Heal works closely with partnering agencies to identify skill needs, coordinate training, and provide wraparound support that helps apprentices stay and grow in their roles.

Building a Movement, Not Just a Program

For Andy, apprenticeship is not only a workforce strategy. It is a philosophy. It’s about empowering workers to have equal voice in training their colleagues. By engaging workers in designing the programs and mentoring their colleagues, you’re not just solving recruitment and entry-level training needs with programs that actually resonate with workers’ needs, you’re simultaneously solving retention issues – people stick around longer when they have advancement opportunities, but also, by giving workers a say in program design, they feel heard. By giving them opportunities to share their work-based knowledge with trainees, they’re becoming engaged workplace leaders. These are huge opportunities that employer-led training programs often miss. “We are not just developing workers,” Andy says, “We are using labor management training partnerships to build more sustainable workplaces where workers are seen and heard, have more ownership, and have more opportunities to advance their careers and give back to their communities.

Program Impact

The Registered Apprenticeship Program is already demonstrating significant promise. Employers report stronger retention, improved team culture, and enhanced quality of care. Apprentices describe increased confidence, stability, and a sense of belonging within the behavioral health field. Today, the program’s impact is measurable, with significant outcomes across apprentice participation, employer engagement, and advancement.

Strengthening Organizations and Communities

One of the strongest indicators of success is the number of apprentices who remain with their employer long after program completion. Behavioral health agencies that once struggled with constant turnover now report deeper staff commitment and greater internal mobility. Apprentices are advancing from entry-level roles into positions such as case managers, recovery coaches, and supervisors.

This stability matters. Continuity is essential to client progress, and apprenticeship provides a pathway for workers to grow while maintaining strong relationships with the people they support.

Looking Ahead

Andy sees the future of behavioral health apprenticeship as expansive and transformative. United We Heal plans to grow its network, bring apprenticeship into additional regions, and expand into new behavioral health specialties. Conversations are already underway with national partners to scale the model and help other communities replicate its success.

His vision is simple but powerful: a behavioral health workforce that is well trained, well supported, and reflective of the communities it serves.

“Apprenticeship works because it honors people’s lived experience and gives them a real path to grow,” Andy says. “When we invest in people, we invest in healthier, stronger communities.”

“We are not just helping people enter the workforce. We are helping them build meaningful careers that strengthen families, neighborhoods, and communities.”
— Andy Friedman