Behavioral Health Care Manager Essentials: A Self-Guided Overview
The term "behavioral health care manager" is referring to a role that is fulfilled by many different job titles within various implementations, including care manager, behavioral health care manager, behavioral health provider, or a number of others.
This self-guided overview of the behavioral health care manager role in a collaborative care team introduces key concepts in measurement-based integrated care. This overview is not intended to provide foundational skills in behavioral health treatment and intervention.
For a comprehensive resource on the collaborative care team, we recommend “Integrated Care: Creating Effective Mental and Primary Health Care Teams [1].” This book is a good reference on diagnosis and treatment strategies as well as a deeper-dive into the roles and responsibilities of an integrated care team.
OVERVIEW INSTRUCTIONS
Each of the seven sections below include learning objectives, articles, videos, and other introductory information about the section topic. Click on any or all sections that you would like to learn more about.
PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO COLLABORATIVE CARE
Objective 1: Learn the foundational concepts of the collaborative care approach, including its evidence base and core principles
Watch Daniel's Story: An Introduction to Collaborative Care [2] to learn about Daniel's experience being treated by a collaborative care team
Watch an Introduction to Collaborative Care [3] (25 minutes)
Read about the core principles [4] that differentiate collaborative care from other behavioral health integration models
Explore the evidence base [5] for collaborative care
Objective 2: Learn the roles and responsibilities of the collaborative care team members
Behavioral Health Care Manager [6]
Patient [7]
Primary Care Provider [8]
Psychiatric Consultant [9]
Objective 3: Understand the main tasks of collaborative care
Watch the Care Team Training module [10]
Read about integrated care registry strategies [11]
PART 2: THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE MANAGER ROLE
Objective 1: Understand the core responsibilities of the care manager
Read the Care Manager Job Description [12]
Watch the Introduction to the Care Manager Role [13] video lecture (39 minutes)
Objective 2: Learn about the care manager’s role in clinical care
Watch this clinical demonstration series:
Part 1: Initial Visit [14] (9 minutes)
Part 2: Patient Education & Treatment Planning [15] (4 minutes)
Part 3: Treatment Monitoring [16] (5 minutes)
Part 4: Relapse Prevention [17] (6 minutes)
Objective 3: Learn about common screening and measurement tools
PHQ-9 Depression Scale [18]
An introduction to using the PHQ-9 [19] for all staff
GAD-7 Anxiety Disorder Sub-Scale [20]
GAD-7 background information [21]
PCL-5 for PTSD [22]
CIDI for Bipolar Disorder [23]
Objective 4: Explore some tools that can help you more effectively deliver integrated behavioral health care
Relapse prevention forms [24]
Discussing trauma during initial assessment [25]
Psychiatric emergency management resources [26]
The Columbia Protocol C-SSRS Scale [27]
PART 3: WORKING WITH PSYCHIATRIC CONSULTANTS
Objective 1: Understand why having a registry is critical to both providing measurement-based care and effectively communicating with your psychiatric consultant
Review a PowerPoint on registry functions [28]
Objective 2: Learn about ways to structure a regular psychiatric case review process
Consider how you will structure your case reviews with the psychiatric consultant [29]
PART 4: COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY WITH PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS
Objective: Understand how to best interface with your primary care team
Download and view this AIMS presentation on The Culture of Primary Care [30] with corresponding narration text
Consider structuring case reviews with your primary care provider [31]
PART 5: INTRODUCTION TO BRIEF BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS AND PROBLEM SOLVING TREATMENT
Objective 1: Learn about brief behavioral interventions proven to be effective in primary care
Review the types of evidence-based behavioral interventions in primary care [32]
Objective 2: Understand key PST fundamentals and evidence base
Read about the PST philosophy and values [33]
Read about the evidence base for PST [34]
Learn about the training components of PST [35]
PART 6: TALKING WITH PATIENTS ABOUT MEDICATIONS
Objective 1: Review the care manager’s role in supporting medication treatment
Review the commonly prescribed psychotropic medications [37] handout
Objective 2: Learn effective ways to discuss treatment options with patients, and monitor their response to treatment over time
Watch a patient education video about antidepressants [38] (4 minutes)
Listen to a webinar about supporting antidepressant medication therapy in primary care [39] (1:07:48)
PART 7: COLLABORATIVE CARE FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS
Objective: Understand the evidence base and other emerging research on the application of collaborative care principles to treat special populations in various health care settings
Patients with Cancer
Read about how collaborative care can be used to effectively treat cancer patients [40] diagnosed with depression
Learn more about training opportunities for implementing an integrated psychosocial oncology program [41] in your setting
Military Personnel and Veterans
Read about the STEPS-UP project [42], which evaluated the effectiveness of integrated care with military personnel diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression.
Learn about integrated care programs at the VA such as the Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) program [43] available at most larger VA primary care venues
Patients with comorbid medical conditions
Read about the Care of Mental, Physical and Substance Use Syndromes (COMPASS) project [44]
Peruse the intervention guide [45] used in the COMPASS intervention and published by the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement.
Adolescents and Children
Read the paper published by the Journal of the American Medical Association [46] detailing the effectiveness of collaborative care on depressed adolescents (aged 13-17)
Explore integrated care programs for children (aged 0-12) that are available in your area [47] through the Pediatric Integrated Care Resource Center’s program library
Pregnant and Parenting Women
Read about the Depression Attention for Women Now (DAWN) Program [48], which used collaborative care to effectively treat depressed pregnant women in OB-GYN clinics
Explore the Washington State’s Mental Health Integration Program for Moms (MHIP Moms) project [49]