The rapid growth in perceived need for Integrated Behavorial Health (IBH) in primary care has created a behavioral health workforce crisis (Blount & Miller, 2009). Gaps in the national training landscape are especially evident in terms of experiential training in doctoral programs. In northern New England, the workforce challenges are especially acute-- as there has been . difficulty in drawing competent health professionals away from large urban areas and university communities into rural areas.

 

Antioch University New England is the first, and only, doctoral program in psychology in New England to have a Major Area of Study (MAS) committed to developing the IBH workforce for primary care. The goal of the MAS is to create IBH professionals by providing comprehensive, interprofessional practicum training in key IBH competencies and skills.

 

Through the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) program, we have been able to provide training and supervised inter-professional experience in the development and implementation of population based stepped care models in clinical psychology, and sustain and expand the number and types of IBH pre-practicum, practicum, and internship opportunities for clinical psychology trainees. The overarching goal of this project is to expand the size and quality of the integrated behavioral health workforce in underserved settings in northern New England in order to increase services to rural and underserved populations. This website is an illustration of our previous successes, current efforts, and future endeavors through the Graduate Psychology Education Program at Antioch University New England.