The unifying voice of America’s mental health and substance use treatment organizations, serving more than 3,400 members across the country.Our Vision: To make mental wellbeing, including recovery from substance use challenges, a reality for everyone.

Core values

- They address critical societal needs such as access to quality mental health care, the rising rate of suicide, and the opioid crisis[1].
- They have significantly increased access to mental health and substance use care through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), serving an estimated 3 million people and providing faster access to care compared to national averages[2][4].
- CCBHCs have also created new behavioral health jobs, diverted people in crisis from hospitals and jails, and engaged in targeted outreach to historically underserved communities[2][4].
- The National Council promotes mental health education, trauma-informed practices, and resilience-oriented care in schools, which is crucial for the well-being of young people[1].
- Their work aligns with principles of harm reduction, promoting equity, rights, and reparative social justice, and addressing health disparities and social determinants of health[1][3].