What is behavioral health?
Behavioral health refers to a range of allied health disciplines that engage in the comprehensive identification and treatment of behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that create significant impairment in functioning. This may be done through medication, therapy, education, behaviors plans or coaching with the ultimate goal of helping people live life to its fullest potential.
Why is behavioral health important?
- As our nation moves toward a more integrated care model studies have found continued correlation between physical and mental health
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722111 - Indicators of this progressive dialogue are legislative pieces such as the Mental Health Parity Act
dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-mhpaeaimplementation.html - Diagnostic practices such as the transition to IDC-9-CM codes in the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)
psych.org/practice/dsm - With a move towards patient-centered care, collaboration among healthcare providers is going to become increasingly important to ensure the most efficacious evidence-based practice.
Careers in behavioral health
Educational Programs
- Clinical psychology
- Social work
- Psychiatry
- Educational psychology
- Marriage and family therapy
- Counseling
Treatment Populations
- Children with developmental disabilities
- The homeless population with mental illness
- Adolescents with eating disorders
- Adult survivors of childhood trauma
- Substance abuse
- Veterans with PTSD
- Domestic violence and sexual assaults
- Couples counseling
- Adult mood an anxiety disorders
- Psychological factors in medical rehabilitation