Question: How many vacant mental health positions do we have in the City? How many mental health professionals have left the City's employ in the last two years? What is the average time a mental health position is posted before it is filled? How do salaries for mental health professionals employed by Alexandria compare to the salaries of their peers employed by our neighboring jurisdictions? (Councilman R. Kirk McPike)
Response:
The Mental Health positions in the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) Alexandria Community Services Board (ACSB) are in the Center for Adult Services and the Center for Children and Families. There are a total of 377 positions allocated to the CSB for services, of which 301 are direct client facing positions. Among these 301 positions, there are various classifications which make up the 64 current vacant mental health professional positions out of a total of 301. From calendar year 2022 until present, a 26-month period, 128 mental health professionals have left the City. The attrition for mental health professionals during this period is as follows: in 2022, 55 left the City; in 2023, 57 left the City; and thus far in 2024, 16 mental health professionals have left the City.
The average number of days that a mental health position is posted until the position is filled is 179 days, or roughly five and a half months. This compares to a Citywide turnaround time of 139 days in FY 2023 and 107 days year-to-date in FY 2024.
The ACSB’ direct client facing positions include several different employee classifications, including Senior Therapists. The City most recently reclassified Senior Therapists based on a benchmark analysis conducted in April 2022. The City has not reclassified these positions since; however, mental health positions would be included in a cyclical reclassification review that is planned for next year. Below are the current salary ranges for Senior Therapists in Alexandria and neighboring jurisdictions. In addition to salary ranges there are also variations in each jurisdiction related to hours, increases for licensure, and other factors.
Alexandria
$67,788.76 - $119,296.06
Arlington
$97,801.60 - $149,302.40
Fairfax
$76,117.81 - $126,862.32
Loudoun County
$67,283.00 - $117,746.00*
Prince William
$74,217.00 - $116,067.00**
* Loudoun County has a 37.5 work week, and their FY 2025 proposed budget recommends a 5% salary scale adjustment with 7% merits for the general county workforce.
**Prince William County has a 37.5 work week, and their FY 2025 proposed budget recommends a 2.5% salary scale adjustment with 3% merits for the general county workforce. Prince William County’s classification system uses a different method for compensating licensed staff compared to the City of Alexandria.