Primary Care Behavioral Health Certificate (Rehabilitation and Counseling)

Program Overview

The PCBH Certificate program is a workforce development pipeline to train next generations of mental health graduates of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) to deliver, high quality, evidence-based Integrated Behavioral Health services in the Rio Grande Valley. Aligned with UTRGV's strategic priority to "Promote a culture of health and well-being for UTRGV and surrounding communities that employs a holistic approach to wellness, health, medical education, training and research," students from four mental health disciplines Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, Psychology, and Social Work in basic and advanced theory and clinical skills in the evidenced-based Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model. The students will work alongside other health profession trainees and healthcare providers in their required clinical courses as Behavioral Health Consultants in Primary Care Clinics throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The Primary Care Behavioral Health certificate program focuses on the Behavioral Health Consultant Core Competencies which include the following domains: Clinical Practice Skills, Practice Management Skills, Consultation Skills, Documentation Skills, Team Performance Skills, and Administrative Skills. Academic training for PCBH focused courses and PCBH oriented advanced clinical supervision will be delivered through in-person classes, role-plays, and digitally enhanced training through Mixed-Reality Simulation and asynchronous distance learning through virtual platforms.

Program Admission Requirements

1. Students must be enrolled in one of the following programs: Counseling with a Specialization in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MED), Social Work (MSSW), Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling (MS), Clinical Psychology (MA), or Clinical Psychology (PhD) Program.
2. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 in an eligible master's program and a 3.25 in an eligible doctoral program.
3. Students must have successfully completed a course in psychopathology and a course in theories/techniques.
4. Students must be eligible to enroll in clinical courses during the immediate two semesters after admissions and be available to complete clinical courses during the Clinic site operating hours (8:00 am – 5:00 pm). 

Note: This certificate program is competitive and will have a capped enrollment capacity for each admitted cohort. 

Progression Requirement

Clinical courses may be taken concurrently with or after taking the two required non-clinical courses.

Program Requirements

Required Courses - 6 Hours

REHS 6386	Foundations of Integrated Behavioral Health	3
REHS 6387	Clinical Skills for the Behavioral Health Consultant	3

Electives - 6 Hours

Choose two from the following:

REHS 6390	Practicum in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling	3
REHS 7300	Internship in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling	3
REHS 7600	Internship in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling	6

Total Credit Hours: 12