The Behavioral Health Consultant Certificate Course (BHC-CC) is a program designed to address the existing gaps in accessing behavioral health services in primary care. BHC-CC will provide new insights, skills, and technical abilities for behavioral health professionals. Licensed professionals will learn to operate as Behavioral Health Consultants in primary care. Behavioral Health Consultants (BHCs) are core primary care team members within the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model.

PCBH is an integrated behavioral health model that focuses on improving the primary care teams' ability to treat and manage mental, behavioral, and physical health conditions that are common in primary care. It is a prominent approach to integrating behavioral health services into primary care settings. This trained behavioral health workforce will also learn unique skills to address existing health disparities, improve health equity, and promote health in vulnerable and historically excluded populations.

This course, developed by Mental Health America of Greater Houston,  will include a series of synchronous online learning through pre-recorded videos, virtual bi-monthly office hours, an in-person behavioral health bootcamp, and two live trainings with standardized patients.

Eligibility Requirements
You must be licensed under the following titles to be eligible to apply for this course:

• Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
• Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC)
• Licensed Psychologists (LP)

The deadline to apply is January 20, 2023. The course begins on February 13, 2023.

Sections

Introduction to Primary Care, PCBH, Population Health and PCBH Bootcamp - Prerequisite

Dates: February 13, 2023 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Format: In person at Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Education
Instructors: Dr. Arissa Walberg, Dr. Yajaira Johnson-Esparza, Dr. Stacy Ogbeide

Take a deep dive into the world of Primary Care Behavioral Health!

This prerequisite session will:

• Describe the Levels of Behavioral Health Integration in Primary Care
• Describe the primary care specialties
• Describe the levels of prevention and population health approach
• Describe the models of Behavioral Health Integration in primary care
• Describe the basic tenets of the PCBH consultation model
• Designing Clinical Pathways 
• Understand medical terminology for primary care 

Module 1 – Introduction to the Behavioral Health Consultant Role and Competencies

Dates: March - April 2023
Format: Asynchronous and bi-weekly open office hours
Instructors:  Dr. Becky Scott,  Dr. Brittany Houston, Dr. Diane Dougherty, Dr. Meredith Williamson, Shandy Gonzalez, Dr. Yajaira-Esparza Johnson

Learn how a BHC operates in the primary care setting.

At the end of this session students will:

• Understand the role of BHC in primary care 
• Understand the competencies for a BHC
• Explain the pathophysiology of common physical health conditions 
• Identify components of an initial visit versus a follow-up visit
• Conducting a behavioral Change-focused interview for the context of primary care
• Identify and apply evidence-based, behavioral interventions common problems in primary care
• Billing and coding for behavioral health Integration in primary care

Module 2 – Teamwork in Primary Care

Dates: May - June 2023
Format: Asynchronous and bi-weekly open office hours
Instructors: Dr. Becky Scott, Dr. Diane Dougherty, Dr. Arissa Walberg

I’m part of a team in primary care. Now what?

At the end of this session students will:

• Understand the roles of the various primary care team members
• Identify and apply interventions to improve team science and team performance in primary care
• Identify and apply interventions to improve provider burnout in primary care

In-Person Training Lab: Standardized Patient Practice

Dates: May 6, 2023
Format: In person at University of Houston, College of Medicine
Instructors: Dr. Yajaira Johnson-Esparza, Dr. Diane Dougherty, Dr. Meredith Williamson, Dr. Brittany Houston, Shandy Gonzalez

At this session students will engage in:

• 8-hour period clinical learning lab
• Live trainings with standardized patients
• Supervised by PCBH Faculty experts 
• Co-learning with other program participants/learners.

Module 3 – Special Topics in Primary Care

Dates: July - August 2023
Format: Asynchronous and bi-weekly open office hours
Instructors: Dr. Arissa Walberg, Dr. Becky Scott, Dr. Diane Dougherty, Dr. Meredith Williamson

Primary care patients can be complex – how do you help patients with complex needs?

At the end of this session students will:

• Understand the impact of Adverse Childhood Experience, Trauma and PTSD in primary care
• Identify the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on primary care delivery 
• Screening, Brief Interventions, and Referrals to Treatment (SBIRT)
• Employ psychopharmacology 101 in primary care
• Understand the basics of quality improvement within the PCBH mode

Module 4 – Health Equity and Health Disparities in Primary Care

Dates: September - October 2023
Format: Asynchronous and bi-weekly open office hours
Instructors: Dr. Eboni Winford

Closing the health disparities gap in primary care – how can a BHC help with this? 

At the end of this session students will:

• Define Health Equity and Health Disparities
• Describe the differences between implicit and explicit bias 
• Explain the impact of systemic racism on health outcomes

Module 5 – Technology in Primary Care

Dates: November 2023
Format: Asynchronous and bi-weekly open office hours
Instructor Name: Dr. Meredith Williamson 

Primary care in the virtual world. At the end of this session students will:

• Identify telehealth strategies to facilitate behavioral change 
• Understand the use of technological devices in the context of primary care
• Understand legal/ethical implications of telehealth in primary care

In-Person Training Lab: Standardized Patient Practice

Dates: December 2, 2023
Format: In person at University of Houston, College of Medicine
Instructor Name: Dr. Yajaira Johnson-Esparza, Dr. Diane Dougherty, Dr. Meredith Williamson, Dr. Brittany Houston, Shandy Gonzalez

At this session students will engage in:

• 4-hour period clinical learning lab
• Live trainings with standardized patients
• Supervised by PCBH Faculty experts 
• Co-learning with other program participants/learners.

Meet the Team

Dr. Stacy A Ogbeide

Dr. Arissa Walberg

Dr. Becky Bell Scott

Dr. Brittany Houston

Dr. Diane Dougherty

Dr. Eboni Winford

Dr. Meredith Williamson

Shandy González

Dr. Yajaira Johnson-Esparza