About Our Primary Care Behavioral Health Psychology Training Programs

CHCW operates a robust Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) program throughout its clinics. Our PCBH team are fully integrated into the primary care clinics. PCBH work with patients across the lifespan (i.e., children/adolescents to geriatric populations, pre-natal care to end of life concerns). Additional PCBH services include running groups for a variety of health needs (e.g., chronic pain, pregnancy), developing pathways to systematically address specific concerns (e.g., smoking cessation), and preventive activities such as parenting education and stress management classes. In short, interns will be exposed to any and all problems that fall into the health/mental health spectrum, from the straightforward to the very complex. There is no better place than a community health center to gain experience with a wide variety of patient health and wellness concerns!

Due to CHCW’s emphasis on training, a major component of the internship will be providing evidence-based/influenced interventions. Interns will have access to tools (e.g., UpToDate) that will allow them to quickly identify research regarding specific concerns and interventions. CHCW’s PCBH department emphasizes contextual behavioral approaches due to the strong evidence for a variety of concerns, focus on functional improvement rather than symptom reduction, and flexibility in delivery format (e.g., brief visits). Orientations such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT), Mindfulness based stress reduction, behaviorism, Motivational Interviewing and Positive Psychology will be encouraged and emphasized throughout the internship year.

Interns will progress through formal curriculums throughout the year. Specifically, detailed curricula include UpToDate, Primary Care/PCBH, Functional Contextualism, a Single Session Mindset, JEDI, Supervision, and Self-Compassion. Curricula will include assigned readings and video review, as well as intentional discussions during weekly Experiential Learning (i.e., group supervision) and individual supervision.

To learn more about CHCW’s PCBH program, visit https://www.chcw.org/pcbh/