The Minor in Integrated Behavioral Healthcare, offered through the Counseling and Educational Psychology (CEP) department, is open to graduate students enrolled in CEP’s Counseling, School Psychology, and Counseling Psychology programs, and to graduate students who are enrolled in Social Work, Public Health, Nursing, and Marriage and Family Therapy programs. It is established in the interest of meeting the needs of graduate students in the health professions who are receiving, or seeking training in, interdisciplinary or interprofessional collaborations with other healthcare disciplines. The provision of integrated behavioral health services fits within the university’s broader goal of meeting the needs of the citizens of New Mexico and the department’s commitment to graduating competent service providers who can be effective members of a healthcare team. Through the courses in this minor students develop knowledge and skills in the following areas:
- Apply the Bio psycho-social model of health and illness with primary care patients
- Apply knowledge regarding the mind-body connection to address such issues as stress management, emotion regulation, & sleep medicine
- Apply culturally responsive behavioral assessment/interventions
- Demonstrate behavioral health consultation skills with other health care providers
- Develop inter-professional collaboration skills that include understanding the roles of all healthcare professionals and learning how to communicate effectively in order to engage in service delivery as a team
Prerequisites
In order to begin the Minor courses, students must currently be enrolled in a Behavioral Health program as described above. There are no other prerequisites.
Program of Study
Students will successfully complete 9 credits of work from the courses listed below in order to obtain a Minor in Integrated Behavioral Health Care.
The Art & Science of Mindfulness for the Helping Professions, CEP 520 (variable 1-3 credits). In this course, students learn about contemplative practices by learning about and participating in various mindfulness practices. This course engages students in a practice or experience that leads to reflection and, thus, acquired knowledge about themselves, others, and group functioning. The students learn how to increase well-being through mind-body integration, and they learn how to teach others mindfulness techniques. Students are required to explore the research on mindfulness for some medical condition or for its use with a specific population. This course has been taught in the spring semester, for five years, to CEP, MSW, MPH, and FCS students.
Primary Care Psychology Course, CEP 563 (3 credits). Didactic and experiential learning in primary care psychology issues. Through this course students will learn about the cultural necessity of the integration of mental and physical health issues and multidisciplinary collaboration. Activities include 1) guest speakers on American Indian Health, the Mexican Healthcare System, and Integrated Care in primary care settings; 2) visits to 2 interdisciplinary, integrative, border community health centers; 3) shadowing residents at the Family Medicine Center and observing the integration of psychological and medical aspects of the cases observed; and 4) exposure to the interventions of Motivational Interviewing and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. CEP, MSW, and MPH trainees have enrolled in this course, taught during the fall semester, over the last 11 years.
Special Topics: Fieldwork Experience in Integrated Behavioral Health, CEP 598/698 (variable 1-3 credits). This course will require students to spend a minimum of 6 hours per week at a primary care site, providing counseling, assessment, supervision, or psychoeducational services. The Minor coordinator must approve all placements. CEP students have enrolled in this course over the last 4 years. This course is available fall, spring and summer. During the summer, a special section of this course is subtitled, “Interprofessional Immersion” as CEP, DNP, and Family Medicine and PharmD residents learn interprofessional competencies related to providing geriatric care. This special section has been offered for two summers.
Behavioral Health Practicum CEP 670 (variable 1-6 credits). An intensive supervised experience in providing behavioral health services at an on or off campus interdisciplinary health setting. This course will provide students the opportunity to participate in a supervised service-learning experience within community-based, interdisciplinary, primary care settings that serve medically underserved and high-risk groups. Students write and present a case study utilizing the biopsychosocial model of health. MSW and CEP students are placed in community-based organizations with Family Medicine residents or other medical personnel in order to provide integrated care. This course has been offered in the spring semester for the last 11 years.
How to Apply
If you are interested in pursuing a minor in Integrated Behavioral Healthcare, you should complete the attached application and return it to the IBH Minor coordinator, Eve Adams (eadams@nmsu.edu). It is best to meet with the program coordinator before enrolling in relevant coursework, but it is possible to obtain the minor after taking one of the courses in the program of study. The application form allows the CEP department to keep track of potential minors in order to determine what courses need to be offered at any given time. To declare the Minor with the Graduate School, the student should list all relevant completed coursework on the Program of Study form that is submitted to the Graduate School prior to graduating. This form must be signed by Dr. Adams. A IBH Minor faculty member is also required to sit on the student’s graduate committees, including the comprehensive exam and the dissertation proposal and defense exams.
Application: Integrated Behavioral Healthcare Minor Form and Description