The Integrated Behavioral Healthcare - Military Families and Veterans certificate program aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the concepts and principles related to healthcare needs of military personnel and their dependents. This certificate program is designed to train civilian behavioral health and healthcare providers utilizing the Biodyne model and other evidence-informed techniques to deliver culturally-competent interventions to service men and women and their families.
The Integrated Behavioral Healthcare (IBH) certificate program specializing in Military Families and Veterans 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:
- Enhance your professional knowledge, skills, and career potential in field of integrated healthcare practices
- Fill an important unmet need in the community
- Serve as catalysts for healthcare reform and improvement for military populations
- 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.
IBH – Military Families and Veterans Certificate Description
This Integrated Behavioral Health, Military Families and Veterans specialty certificate will provide an in-depth understanding of the concepts and principles related to healthcare needs of military personnel and their dependents. This certificate will use the Biodyne model and other evidence-informed techniques to deliver culturally-competent interventions to service men and women and their families. Variables examined include the history of military healthcare, the journey for scientific methods, and understanding how this subculture views and approaches healthcare. In addition, operational strategies designed to assist with overcoming barriers to seeking treatment will be explored. This certificate will review tools and resources designed and implemented to assist civilian providers in integrated healthcare settings and will identify and develop new tools and resources for use in integrated settings of care.
Integrated Behavioral Health – Military Families and Veterans 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.
- Create a business case based on a population health approach to improving access to quality, integrated healthcare.
Program Completion
Completion of this program results in a transcript designation of certificate completion for Integrated Behavioral Health – Military Families and Veterans 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 – Military Families and Veterans 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:
- Provide culturally sensitive and clinically competent services to Veterans and their families
- 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
- Create a business case based on a population health approach to improving access to quality, integrated healthcare
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 – Military Families and Veterans certificate program
A total of twelve (12) credit hours will be required for graduation. Required courses will make up twelve (12) credit hours.
Maximum Timeframe
The Maximum Time frame to complete the certificate program is measured in calendar years for the Integrated Behavioral Health – Military Families and Veterans certificate program. Students must complete the program within two (2) years and are only permitted to attempt 16 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 – Military Families and Veterans certificate program. Students enrolling with no transfer credits must participate in the program for a minimum of one (1) year.
Integrated Behavioral Health – Military Families and Veterans 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 – 8 credit hours – required | ||||
| 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 9017 | Solving Medical Mysteries | 1 | The purpose of this course is to learn how to successfully diagnose and treat physical illness caused by various forms of psychosocial stress. Because patients are often unaware of the nature or degree of stresses that are responsible for their illness, emphasis will be placed on learning how to detect and use clues that the patient provides to develop a more complete understanding of the patient’s struggles than they are able to perceive for themselves. A major part of the course will be selecting, assessing and treating a patient known to you who has medically unexplained physical symptoms. | Pre-req.
DBH 1000, DBH 9901 |
| DBH 9020 | Military Families and Veterans | 1 | This course introduces behavioral health providers to the elementary concepts and principles related to healthcare needs of military personnel and their dependents. This course will use the Biodyne model and other evidence-informed techniques to deliver culturally-competent interventions to service men and women and their families. Variables examined include the history of military healthcare, the journey for scientific methods, and understanding how this subculture views and approach healthcare. In addition, operational strategies designed to assist with overcoming barriers to seeking treatment will be explored. This course will review tools and resources designed and implemented to assist civilian providers in integrated healthcare settings and will identify and develop new tools and resources for use in integrated settings of care. | Pre-req.
DBH 1000, DBH 9901 |
| DBH 9026 | Trauma-Informed Care | 3 | This course provides an in-depth exploration of the impact of trauma on health outcomes. Students will identify operational practices that may re-traumatize patients and lead to provider burnout, and develop realistic strategies for mitigating or resolving trauma history and compassion fatigue. Students will pitch ideas for healthcare systems who’ve set out to meet Triple Aim requirements as well as reduce provider burnout and compassion fatigue. | 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.
