Post-Licensure Behavioral Consultation in Primary Care: Building the Workforce

The goal of this project was to examine the impact of the Behavioral Health Consultant Continuing Education course on training licensed behavioral health professionals to provide clinical services utilizing the primary care behavioral health (PCBH) model for behavioral health integration. Three cohorts of learners participated in a 10-month long course concentrated on competency development within the PCBH model over a 3-year period. This course focused on preparing licensed behavioral health professionals to function as behavioral health consultants (BHCs) in primary care settings in rural and urban areas. The course was held in person and virtually. Learners completed pre- and post-BHC competency development surveys. Post-course surveys were completed to evaluate satisfaction with the content and impact of the course on PCBH skill development. The results indicate that the program yielded improvements over time, with benefits evident across modules and cohorts. While localized differences existed, they were relatively small and did not significantly impact the overall pattern of learning gains. These findings strongly support the program's effectiveness in enhancing knowledge and skills among participants. Overall, this demonstrates an approach to building and evaluating continuing education content for behavioral health professionals within the PCBH model. Virtual and in-person courses developed using adult learning frameworks for busy behavioral health professionals show promise as an approach that institutions of higher education and health care organizations can adopt to improve the clinical practice of BHCs in primary care settings.