Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) National Mental Health Leadership Mentoring Program: A Pilot Evaluation

New mental health leaders must be given leadership development opportunities to support the expansion of critical skills often not conveyed within mental health graduate programs. To meet this need, the Veterans Health Administration piloted a structured national mental health leadership mentoring program focused upon the development of leadership skills in these areas: strategic planning, human resources, systems understanding, administrative operations and program evaluation, and professional and personal development. Thirty-one participants were recruited from among new mental health facility leaders or mental health discipline service chiefs. Statistically significant improvement was found across all 5 skill areas. External validation of the program's success was also shown, with improvement in local mental health providers' employee satisfaction and burnout. Implications for other organizational settings desiring to develop mental health leadership mentoring programs are discussed.