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DBH Student Profile: Brandy K. Biglow LMHC, CCTP, QS

By February 5, 2024February 25th, 2025No Comments8 min read

Beyond Burnout: Brandy K. Biglow’s Vision for Behavioral Healthcare Transformation

Feb. 5, 2024

Meet Brandy K. Biglow, Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) candidate at Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies and the powerhouse behind Renovation Integrative Health, LLC. She’s not your typical CEO—she’s a licensed mental health counselor, a certified trauma expert, and soon-to-be Doctor of Behavioral Health. With an impressive career spanning over two decades, she has transitioned from a teacher of students with exceptionalities to a seasoned counselor, where she improve patient care outcomes by enhancing social-emotional education, providing family resources, and more. Today, she continues her work in this arena and has expanded her expertise to encompass to professional life and group coaching. Passionate about preventing burnout, Ms. Biglow uses humor and current research to positively impact the lives of those she engages with in every encounter. Join us in exploring Ms. Biglow’s professional educational journey through the interview below, characterized a nuanced understanding of integrated care, burnout mitigation, and a steadfast commitment to advancing equitable and quality healthcare.

How has the Doctor of Behavioral Health program influenced or enhanced your approach to addressing behavioral health challenges and making a difference in the field?

The Doctor of Behavioral Health program has been essential in providing me with the tools I need to engage with various stakeholders. The skills I have learned have altered how I interact with my patients, coaching clients, and licensure supervisees. It has provided a framework to address the whole individual more adequately versus only their mental or emotional concerns. As I continue to broaden my horizons, I am secure in the skillset I have acquired to discuss concepts such as health equity, social determinants of health, R.O.I. (monetary, tangible, and intangible), the Quintile/Quintuple Aim, Integrated Care, developing clinical pathways, and so much more. I can confidently consult with healthcare organizations seeking to bring integrated care to their establishments. I am not only a mental health counselor. As a result of the DBH program, I now consider myself a liaison and advocate to help patients and providers have a more positive experience in the healthcare process.

What are your primary professional and academic interests within the realm of behavioral health, and how do these align with your career goals?

In the next 1-3 years, I want to expand my practice to include consultation services aimed at educating healthcare organizations and providers on how to eliminate burnout at the macro (policies, procedures, senior leadership), mezzo (supervisors, managers, team leads), and micro levels (frontline members and support staff). I will also be developing a curriculum with similar objectives for individuals and groups/teams to engage with in person/remotely with me (or members of my team) in various formats: live, hybrid, or self-paced. In addition, I want to speak at conferences and become an authority on burnout. This aligns with my career goals of helping healthcare professionals and others be healthy and thriving as they seek to serve others.

In the next 5-15 years, I want to build an all-inclusive integrated health clinic. A one-stop-shop for primary, behavioral health, and some specialty care. I want the clinic to be a place where patients can come to receive equitable and quality care regardless of their education, socioeconomic status, race, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender, etc. I want it to also be a place where we teach other professionals about integrated care and develop the gold standard for the industry.

Are there any defining moments with your DBH program experience that has shaped your perspective on integrated care?

During my first class, there was a discussion about how integrated care happens. When I entered the program I thought I would open a behavioral health clinic and have PCP’s join me. I thought patients would come in because of their mental health issues. I quickly and definitively learned, it would not work that way. Patients come to their PCP’s about their physical and mental health concerns. The door to helping people improve their mental health is the PCP office. I was a little saddened by this but did understand it. Due to the stigma that still exists around mental health, people will not seek assistance but they will go to their PCP. It helped formulate the idea around the clinic I want to build. I want people to come for their PCP, women’s health, men’s health, diabetes treatment etc. and then I want to enlighten them to the benefits of having a behavioral health consultant assist them in improving their mental and emotional health as well. I am now a firm believer, there should be a BHC at every hospital, in every clinic, even in the emergency room. I believe it better serves the patients and it also allows for improved population health.

What drives and motivates you in your pursuit of advancing behavioral health, and how do you stay inspired?

What drives me is a heart for service. I was born to serve. It fuels my soul. Serving and helping is where my heart soars and my spirit is alive. I believe the integration of health is the key to whole body health. What we think, how we eat, how we move, how we sleep, who we socialize with, and more determine our health. As a behavioral health provider, it is my responsibility to serve and help people understand the connectedness of our minds and our bodies.

I stay inspired through acknowledging the wins my patients make in treatment, the progress DBH’s are making in the healthcare field, and the movement happening in healthcare. I recognize the road is long but we are indeed making progress, step by step.

If you could offer advice to your fellow professionals considering the DBH program, what would it be?

This program will change how you present to the world, not just as a professional but as an individual. Understand this is work but the work is worth it and the journey is undeniably transformative. If you are seeking a doctorate for the title, this is not the program for you. If you are seeking a doctorate to interrupt and disrupt the course of healthcare, then this is the program for you. You won’t find a more supportive program with professors who are dedicated to your success and your education. This program is not about the regurgitation of information. It is about the appropriate applied application of knowledge and information to push forward and become an advocate for equitable and quality care for all.

Ms. Biglow’s commitment to disrupting healthcare norms and fostering holistic well-being with a blend of humor and rigorous research, positions her as an indomitable force for change in the healthcare landscape. Her professional and educational journey, serves as a testament to the potential of the Doctor of Behavioral Health program at CGI—a program that not only imparts knowledge but cultivates advocates, disruptors and pioneers who will shape the future of integrated behavioral healthcare delivery and impact. Through her unwavering dedication to serve others, Ms. Biglow leaves an indelible mark, propelling healthcare towards a more equitable and compassionate future.

Connect with Brandy K. Biglow

Facebook: RenovationIntegrativeHealth
Instagram: RenovationIntegrativeHealth
LinkedIn: brandykbiglowlmhcdbh
Renovation Integrative Health, LLC: www.getrih.com

Check Out Brandy K. Biglow on the Disruptors at Work Podcast

Disruptors at Work: an Integrated Care Podcast, Season 3, Episode 1: The Implications of Occupational Burnout on Integrated Care with Brandy K. Biglow, LMHC, CCTP, QS

Learn more about the episode.

Testimonials

“As a member of the AAPI community, I’m very familiar with the barriers to mental health services and the need to break through the glass wall of cultural stigma that prevents many from receiving potentially life–saving treatment. I was the only Asian American person in my master’s cohort, the only Asian American person in many of my clinical work settings, the only Asian American person to walk into many of the professional settings that I pushed myself to show up to. In my current practice, I’m constantly reminded by my patients of how difficult it is to find an Asian American mental health provider, though this reminder constantly informs me that more needs to be done for my community. Day after day, I read stories of Asian American people who die by suicide as a consequence of our culture’s avoidance of mental health topics. As a DBH, my biggest goal is to use my expertise in whole–person care to amplify the conversation around mental health and help my community understand that mental healthcare is not a privilege that we are not entitled to, it is a crucial part of our healthcare that will manifest differently in us than what many Western psychology or psychiatry textbooks will describe, and that our unique experience of mental health issues are valid, important, and is time to be part of the larger conversation.”

Willam Chum, LMHCDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - September 16, 2022

“The Doctor in Behavioral Health (DBH) program has changed my understanding of the subject and career path. Before this academic journey, my knowledge of behavioral health was primarily theoretical, including essential ideas and methods. However, the DBH curriculum combined intense academic research with practical application, helping me understand behavioral health from multiple angles. Recognizing mental health as part of total health changed my perspective. The biopsychosocial model, which showed how biological, psychological, and social variables affect mental health, was stressed in the DBH curriculum. This comprehensive approach made me realize how complex human behavior is and how important it is to address mental health issues. Effective interventions must target the individual’s surroundings, relationships, and life experiences, not just symptoms. The curriculum also gave me enhanced evidence-based practice training to execute successful solutions. Studies methods and data analysis classes improved my critical thinking and allowed me to evaluate and apply behavioral health studies. This gave me the confidence to contribute to the field’s knowledge base through practice and research.”

Dr. Rhea Hill, DBH, LPCDBH Alumna, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - February 17, 2025

“This program will change how you present to the world, not just as a professional but as an individual. Understand this is work but the work is worth it and the journey is undeniably transformative. If you are seeking a doctorate for the title, this is not the program for you. If you are seeking a doctorate to interrupt and disrupt the course of healthcare, then this is the program for you. You won’t find a more supportive program with professors who are dedicated to your success and your education. This program is not about the regurgitation of information. It is about the appropriate applied application of knowledge and information to push forward and become an advocate for equitable and quality care for all.”

Brandy K. Biglow LMHC, CCTP, QSDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - February 5, 2024

“The Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) program has definitely transformed my understanding of behavioral health. Understanding the links between physical and mental health has taught how to make better treatment decisions. The DBH program has also given me insights that otherwise would not be possible and allows me to view individuals through a lens that I was previously ignorant of. This program has helped me grow into a more confident individual, provider, and parent.”

Cory H. Cannady, BCBA, LBADBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - March 13, 2024

“The DBH program has reinforced my vision of viewing behavioral health (BH) as an integrated component of the healthcare system rather than a siloed service. As a practitioner in the focused BH realm of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, I observe on a regular basis how identifying and serving SUD patients is often missed, ignored and stigmatized in primary healthcare, despite the fact that early intervention at these check-points often has the potential to intervene earlier and lessen the negative SUD outcomes frequently seen by the time a patient reaches specialty SUD services. Reinforcement received in my DBH program has motivated me to promote integration as a leader in my workplace and is a primary factor in considering the long-term trajectory of my individual career path.”

Kenneth L. Roberts, MPS, LPCC, LADCDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - November 5, 2024

“Graduating from the DBH program has influenced and enhanced my approach to addressing behavioral health challenges and making a difference in the field by preparing me to become a serious business owner. Through the DBH program, I understand now that becoming a business owner not only assists me in reaping the financial benefits of working for myself, but the program also offers me a sense of freedom to make a difference in an individual’s life.”

Dr. Rebecca K. Wright, DBH, LBA, BCBA, QBADBH Alumna, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - December 18, 2024

“I have always wanted to pursue a higher degree but never found a program that met my needs. When I investigated the DBH program, I can honestly say I was excited. It was a program that would expand my knowledge in behavioral health but also how it relates to physical health. The philosophy of treating the whole person was exactly what I was looking for.”

Elizabeth Nekoloff, M.Ed., LPCC-S, NCCDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - January 16, 2025

“Prior to obtaining my DBH, I practiced behavioral health within the boundaries of behavior analysis. The DBH degree has given me the ability to broaden my scope of competence allowing me to provide a higher quality of care to my clients through a person-centered approach, while still staying within my scope of practice. I was in the beginning stages of opening my business when I enrolled in the DBH program which set my trajectory towards being a stronger leader. The program equipped me with essential healthcare leadership and entrepreneurial skills, allowing me to ensure high-quality services for my clients and foster a supportive work environment for our staff. It has also given me the confidence to expand my business and pursue other healthcare ventures, reaching a broader range of patients in need.”

Dr. Pauline Tolentino Pablo, DBH, BCBA, IBADBH Alumna, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - January 21, 2025

“Although I have worked with many patients who have mental health diagnoses, or behaviors which make managing their medical diagnoses and day to day life difficult, the DBH program at CGI is broadening that knowledge and providing a deeper understanding of behavioral health and how best to help these individuals manage their health and improve their quality of life. This will allow me to provide and advocate for more meaningful and seamless integrated care, providing new tools for my intervention toolbox, and the confidence and skills to collaborate within and lead whole person focused interdisciplinary teams. I also anticipate building upon my knowledge as a nurse case manager and long time caregiver, as well as my personal passions and professional vision, learning about processes and operations, to be in position to start up and lead my own company one day, offering the services and care I know every person should have access to.”

Hollie Wilson, MSN, RN, CCMDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - February 11, 2025

“The DBH program will open opportunities for me to contribute to healthcare system innovation, particularly through trauma-informed care and integrated behavioral health settings. I will be better positioned to advocate for and implement holistic care models that improve health outcomes for underserved populations. Ultimately, this program will help me transition into higher-level roles, such as a director or consultant in behavioral health, where I can influence broader system changes and contribute to the future of healthcare delivery.”

DeKyn Rashad Peters, MPH-CHES,BSW/BA,APCDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - March 4, 2025

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