There has been exponential growth of behavioral health integration (BHI) in primary care within the United States over the past decade. While there has been growth and the development of recommendations for BHI in primary care, this approach to patient care is not yet the standard of care within primary care delivery models, as many practices either do not have behavioral health clinicians within their practice or have sub-optimal behavioral health clinician staffing ratios. The purpose of this presentation is to review the current research related to BHI in primary care and its impact on patient care, the primary care team, and primary care behavioral health workforce development. Additionally, participants will be presented with interventions to improve BHI in primary care within their clinics, teams, and training programs, as well as current and future interventions to address workforce shortages. Lastly, guidance will be provided for health care organizations and academic intuitions on how to provide ongoing support for community-based clinical training initiatives.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

  • Report on current research trends related to behavioral health integration in primary care.
  • Describe the current state of primary care and behavioral health workforce shortages in the United States impacting ongoing behavioral health integration efforts.
  • Explain at least one (1) evidence-informed approach to improve clinical training and workforce shortages.
  • Identify at least one (1), macrosystem approach to support clinical training in primary care within the community.

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