Exploring integrated care: A guide for aspiring behavioral health providers

Integrated care is an evolving field that provides patients with comprehensive, coordinated support for their medical and mental health needs. It can take different forms across various organizational settings, ranging from minimal collaboration between medical and behavioral health (BH) providers to fully co-located, team-based care.

For those hoping to work in this field, preparing for an integrated care role requires careful thought and preparation. Below are some key questions to consider when exploring these roles.

What is integrated care?

Integrated care is a health care approach that unites different aspects of a patient’s health to provide well-rounded, personalized care. It involves professionals from multiple disciplines working together to address all aspects of a patient’s well-being—physical, mental and social. This team-based approach includes the patient, their family and the community as active partners in the process. The goal is to improve health outcomes in an efficient, affordable and rewarding way for both patients and providers.

Two prominent models of integrated care are commonly used in primary care settings:

Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH)

The PCBH model is designed to improve access to behavioral health services within primary care settings for all patients, regardless of their health concerns. In this approach, BH professionals collaborate directly with medical providers in real time to ensure seamless care. A key goal of the PCBH model is to enhance access to care while supporting the medical team’s interventions.

In this model, behavioral health providers are often called into exam rooms to work with patients through a process known as a “warm handoff,” in which the patient sees the physician first and then the BH provider. For follow-up visits, the patient may see one or both providers depending on their needs. BH providers address mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety and ADHD, as well as physical health issues such as diabetes management, hypertension and sleep disorders.

Collaborative Care Model (CoCM)

The CoCM model is designed to improve clinical outcomes for patients with mental and behavioral health needs. It typically involves psychiatric providers consulting with primary care providers (PCPs) on complex cases to ensure optimal treatment. CoCM often integrates substance use treatment and recovery, such as Suboxone, into primary care.

This model expands the care team by adding a consulting psychiatric provider—such as a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioner or psychiatric fellow—and a care manager. The care manager provides proactive follow-ups and tracks patient progress, while the consulting psychiatric provider offers treatment recommendations to the PCP. This team-based approach ensures that patients receive evidence-based treatments and ongoing support.

By implementing these models, integrated care breaks down traditional silos in health care, fostering a more cohesive and patient-centered approach to wellness.

What courses should I take to prepare for integrated care?

To best prepare for a role in integrated care, consider taking courses that focus on evidence-based, brief interventions, such as:

• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT): Learn strategies to help patients quickly identify goals and leverage their strengths to achieve desired outcomes.
• Motivational Interviewing (MI): Build skills to support positive behavioral change by exploring patients’ feelings, addressing uncertainty and strengthening motivation.
• Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Develop the ability to deliver short-term, targeted interventions that combine cognitive and behavioral techniques to help patients modify negative thought patterns and behaviors.

What commonalities exist between integrated care positions?

Assessing a wide range of positions in integrated care can be daunting, as different organizations may classify roles differently. Look for these common themes across positions:

• Collaboration: Whether formal or informal, working alongside medical providers is central to the role.
• Brief interventions: BH providers often deliver time-limited, solution-focused care.
• Diverse responsibilities: Roles may include aspects of education, consultation, therapy and crisis intervention.
• Patient-centered care: Treatment plans are typically aligned with patients’ goals and integrated into their overall health plans.

What questions should I prepare for in an interview setting?

Interviews for integrated care positions vary by organization, but you can expect questions such as:

• How do you approach working with a multidisciplinary team?
• Can you describe a time when you used a brief intervention to address a patient’s concern?
• What interventions have you found most effective in substance use treatment and recovery work?
• What experience do you have with electronic health records and documentation in a fast-paced setting?
• How do you balance addressing patients’ immediate needs with long-term care planning?
• How do you manage high caseloads and rapid patient turnover?

What questions should I ask during an interview for an integrated care position?

Asking questions in an interview can help clarify expectations and determine whether a role is a good fit. Consider asking:

• How does the organization define integrated care?
• What is the current level of integration within the team? Are BH and medical providers co-located?
• What aspects of the program will I be responsible for, and how is this determined?
• How often do team members from different disciplines collaborate?
• How many clients will I see in a day, and how is the schedule structured?
• What is the typical schedule structure, and how much flexibility exists in scheduling?
• What diagnoses or patient populations are a primary focus of the program?
• Who else is on the team, and what are their roles?
• How many medical providers would be referring to each BH provider on a given shift in this position?
• How long has the team been working together, and what successes or challenges have they faced in implementing integrated care?
• Are there specific programs targeting particular diagnoses, and what is the provider’s role within those programs?

Preparing for a career in integrated care can feel overwhelming, especially when navigating different roles and expectations. This guide offers a starting point to help you through the application, hiring and onboarding process as you pursue a role as a behavioral health provider in integrated care.