Training the behavioral health workforce for the patient-centered medical home

Abstract

The argument that behavioral health providers (BHPs) require specialized training to meet the unique demands of the primary care than what is usually provided in, for example, the standard clinical psychology or social work curricula has been a topic discussed by others. Recommendations about what basic competencies an integrated care BHP requires to be effective have also been provided by federal agencies, like SAMSHA. One of the functions of these basic competencies provided by SAMSHA is to act as a guideline for what content and skill domains should be emphasized in workforce development. To be fair, most of these prior discussions have been concerned with training for BHPs to function in integrated care settings rather than the personally controlled health management systems (PCHMs). Integrated care is an earlier innovation to come on the scene, and thus it has a longer history of scholars exploring training implications. However, it is fair to say that no clear consensus has been reached on training needs regarding integrated care and probably of more concern there has been little implementation of training programs that can produce providers to meet current and future demand. There are weekend certificate courses, consultants who provide training, workshops, some specialty tracks in doctoral training programs, and even new doctorate degree in integrated behavioral health (e.g., the Doctorate of Behavioral Health at Arizona State University).