The Behavioral Health Specialist in Primary Care

This book is designed to provide essential knowledge and skills in behavioral health for all members of the primary care health team. It begins with a short history of the development of evidence for the value of the biopsychosocial model in primary care and an overview of the role of the behavioral health specialist in the primary care team. In order to provide context for the practice of behavioral health care, the book reviews the theoretical basis for understanding health behavior and the development of brief counseling methods for influencing patients to engage in healthier behaviors. Current epidemiological trends of some of the most common presenting conditions in primary care set the stage for moving into chapters on specific conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, chronic pain, sleep disorders, geriatric conditions, cancer-related conditions, substance abuse, and obesity. Each of these chapters begins with a typical referral note from a primary care provider requesting a behavioral health assessment or intervention and concludes with a sample of how the behavioral health specialist might respond to the referral. These sample referrals and consultation notes are intended to provide a practical example of how the behavioral health specialist might function on a primary care team and how our patients might navigate an integrated health care system within the patient-centered medical home. The book concludes with a chapter on systems medicine, which will provide readers with a vision of the future of health care engaging the developing science of brain function and how the brain can be modified to improve our experience of health and wellness.