The Integrated Behavioral Healthcare Gerontology certificate focuses on assessment and treatment of mental and behavioral health concerns for older adults using an integrated care approach that includes the Biodyne model of behavioral intervention. This certificate will provide practical information needed by the behavioral health consultant in a medical setting including effective communication strategies; screening for mood, cognition and elder abuse; interventions for common problems that present in outpatient medical settings including depression, grief, memory impairment, alcohol and substance abuse; and coping with chronic medical conditions.
The Integrated Behavioral Healthcare (IBH) certificate program specializing in Gerontology is offered as a stackable credential exclusively to students currently enrolled in the Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) degree program at Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies.
Learn more about the certificate below.
Benefits of this certificate include:
- Enrich your understanding of major mental health conditions, substance use, and behavioral/lifestyle concerns facing older adults
- Gain assessment, intervention, and consultation skills
- Apply interventions and prevention programs for caregivers
- Serve as catalysts for healthcare reform and improvement for the aging population
- Learn from national experts in the field and network with peers
Integrated Behavioral Health Certificate Description
The Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) certificate will focus on use of evidence-based models of integrated behavioral health delivery for the clinical provider who is working in fast-paced primary care or specialty medical settings. Assessment tools appropriate for use in electronic health records for common chief mental health complaints and comorbid health conditions will be covered, and limitations of these assessment tools will be discussed. Special attention will be paid to the skill set needed to enter integrated care settings and market oneself effectively as a new Behavioral Health Consultant.able to perceive for themselves.
Five specialty areas are offered, each of which reflect the need for specific and advanced training in clinical practice with certain populations. Adult, Gerontology, Military Families & Veterans, and Women’s Health specialty tracks provide coursework to prepare the student to understand the epidemiology and prevalence of mental health disorders, chronic disease, and comorbidities specific to the population of focus, as well as evidence-based interventions that effectively address these issues to improve overall health and quality of life for these populations in medical settings and communities.
Students completing this certificate in any of the speciality areas will be better prepared as healthcare professionals to deliver integrated clinical care, consult with medical teams as a leader and integration expert, and to launch innovative practice models that offer unique value propositions to the healthcare marketplace.
Gerontology Certificate Description
This Integrated Behavioral Health, Gerontology specialty certificate will explore interventions specific to treating the adult population from an integrated behavioral and medical health perspective. The need for behavioral health consultants in all healthcare settings is pertinent in that adults are subject to death as early as 25 years younger than the rest of the US population due to serious mental illness which negatively impacts physical and developmental health overall. This certificate aims to provide participants with population health prevention strategies and treatment-focused interventions which can be implemented within any adult healthcare setting.
Integrated Behavioral Health – Gerontology Certificate Program Outcomes
- Consult effectively with the medical team as a behavioral health expert using knowledge of medical culture and acute, chronic, and comorbid conditions.
- Deliver evidence-based screening, assessment, and behavioral interventions appropriate for primary care and specialty medical settings.
- Design cost-effective population health approaches to treating chronic and comorbid conditions while addressing social determinants of health.
- Design and evaluate evidence-based practice for behavioral conditions in medical settings based on principles of quality improvement
Program Completion
Completion of this program results in a transcript designation of certificate completion for Integrated Behavioral Health – Gerontology in the student’s profession. This signals to prospective employers and professional organizations an advanced level of training.
This graduate certificate does not lead to state or federal licensure or other credentials in a clinical field.
Marketplace Demand
The US healthcare system is the most costly in the world, and providers are under great pressure to systematically approach changing care delivery. As the IBH model in healthcare continues to grow quickly, the opportunity for employment has outpaced the number of trained providers, creating a workforce gap. CGI non-degree certificate programs provide specific training in patient- and family-centered care, quality measurement and improvement including redesign of primary care services and structures, population health and disease management designs, cost savings and return on investment analyses, and innovative financing approaches. With this incredibly unique skill set, CGI Graduates are in high demand in the healthcare marketplace.
Cummings Graduate Institute cannot assure employment or job placement to graduates upon program/course completion or graduation from the institution.
Graduate Employment Opportunities
The Cummings Institute cannot assure employment or job placement upon graduation, however our graduates will be prepared to work as behavioral health consultants, providers, and/or managers in primary healthcare settings, including hospitals and emergency departments, Primary Care Medical Homes, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Accountable Care Organizations, managed behavioral healthcare organizations, specialty mental health and substance abuse treatment settings, preventative care and disease management programs, and/or new business start-ups.
Curriculum & Training
The Integrated Behavioral Health – Gerontology certificate program curriculum delivers training that will prepare providers to implement patient-centered care, achieve medical cost savings, and reduce the healthcare provider burnout that is often a result from practices that have adopted the Triple Aim as an operational framework. Certificate program students additionally learn to address the Fourth Aim keeping healthcare provider and staff morale and quality of life in mind as we seek to improve patient experience of care, population health outcomes, and reduce the cost of care.
Students who enroll in and complete non-degree certificate programs must meet the same admission eligibility requirements as the DBH program, and may transfer coursework to a degree-seeking program of study should they decide to continue with their studies.
Graduates will be prepared to work as behavioral health consultants, providers, directors, and managers in primary healthcare settings, including hospitals, Primary Care Medical Homes, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and specialty medical settings.
Upon completion of the certificate program, graduates will:
- Possess a recognized skill set, crucial for effectively work with managed long-term care, Medicare and other payers
- Consult effectively with the medical team as a behavioral health expert using knowledge of medical culture and acute, chronic, and comorbid conditions
- Deliver evidence-based screening, assessment, and behavioral interventions appropriate for primary care and specialty medical settings
- Design cost-effective population health approaches to treating chronic and comorbid conditions while addressing social determinants of health
- Design and evaluate evidence-based practice for behavioral conditions in medical settings based on principles of quality improvement
Credit Hours
Student will earn one (1) unit for the Foundations course and one (1) to three (3) credits for each required course.
Number of clock and/or credit hours for the IBH – Gerontology certificate program
A total of thirteen (13) credit hours will be required for graduation. Required courses will make up thirteen (13) credit hours.
Maximum Timeframe
The Maximum Time frame to complete the certificate program is measured in calendar years for the Integrated Behavioral Health – Adult certificate program. Students must complete the program within two (2) years and are only permitted to attempt 13 credits before program termination. However, if exceptions are granted by the Director of the DBH Program, students may complete their certificate program within three (3) years of enrollment.
Minimum Timeframe
The Minimum Timeframe to complete the program is measured in calendar years for the Integrated Behavioral Health – Adult certificate program. Students enrolling with no transfer credits must participate in the program for a minimum of one (1) year.
Integrated Behavioral Health – Gerontology Certificate
| Foundations of Doctoral Study – 1 credit hour – required | ||||
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit Hours | Course Description | Pre- or Co- requisites |
| DBH 1000 | Foundations of the Biodyne Model | 1 | The focus of this course is on the Biodyne (Greek for “life change”) Model of brief, focused interventions across the lifespan developed by the renowned psychologist Dr. Nicholas A. Cummings and his daughter, psychologist Dr. Janet Cummings. Emphasis will be placed on the Biodyne assessment and intervention model rather than one-size-fits-all approaches to psychotherapy. This course will focus on use of the Biodyne Model of assessment and intervention for the DBH working in fast-paced primary care settings as well as other models of integrated healthcare delivery. Assessment tools for common chief mental health complaints and comorbid health conditions will be covered, and limitations of these assessment tools will be discussed. | Co-req:
DBH 9901 |
| Core Course – 3 credit hours – required | ||||
| DBH 9901 | Biodyne Model I: The Biodyne Model in Integrated Care Settings | 3 | This course is an orientation to the program and to the essential skills needed to pursue a Doctor of Behavioral Health degree. Doctoral level skills, such as academic integrity, time management, effective use of the library, comprehending complex scholarly texts and research articles, and APA form and style in professional communication are also introduced. Students will learn to formulate ideas, search for and appraise text and online resources, and critically analyze and thoughtfully synthesize research findings. The student will become familiar with various writing and communication formats, and practice those appropriate to their degree and career goals. Special attention will be paid to the skill set needed to enter integrated care settings, the use of the Biodyne Model in these environments, and how to market oneself effectively as a new Behavioral Health Consultant. | Co-Req:
DBH 1000 |
| Specialty Courses – 12 credit hours – required | ||||
| DBH 9904 | Biodyne Model IV: Assessment and Interventions for Geriatrics | 3 | This course will focus on a brief assessment and treatment of older adults using an integrated care approach that includes the Biodyne model of behavioral intervention. The course will provide practical information needed by the behavioral health consultant in a medical setting including effective communication strategies; screening for mood, cognition and elder abuse; interventions for common problems that present in outpatient medical settings including depression, grief, memory impairment, alcohol and substance abuse; coping with chronic medical conditions. The course will also highlight interventions and prevention programs for caregivers. | Pre-req.
DBH 1000, DBH 9901 |
| DBH 9010 | Psychopharmacology for the DBH | 3 | The course provides an overview of psychopharmacology, including basics of pharmacology sufficient to understand mechanisms of action, side effect profiles, interaction effects, and other issues related to the biology of psychotropic medications. The course emphasizes responsible psychotropic medication use, with a focus on which patients are likely to be medication responsive and which patients would be better treated with other (behavioral) interventions. | Pre-req.
DBH 1000, DBH 9901 |
| DBH 9011 | Neuropathophysiology for Behavioral Health Providers | 3 | This course explores the biological basis of human behavior with an emphasis on the anatomy and physiology of the neurological and endocrine systems. Functional neuroanatomy and experience-dependent brain plasticity are explored. Particular attention is given to psychoneuroimmunology, behavioral genetics, neuropsychological assessment and brain-imaging methods, and stress/trauma. | Pre-req.
DBH 1000 DBH 9901 |
* An enrollment exception may be granted to non-degree seeking students per the discretion of the Director. If granted, a non-degree seeking student may be advised to withdraw from a course per the discretion of the Director and/or course Faculty.
