Curriculum Overview

After viewing each Lesson, participants will be able to:

Module 1: Mental Health and Primary Care in an Inequitable Society

• Current State of Mental Healthcare and the Role of Primary Care

• Social Context and Structures of Oppression

• Culturally Humble and Structurally Competent Care

• Trauma-Informed Care

Module 2: Mental Health & Substance Use Screening in Primary Care

• Screening for Unmet Behavioral Health Needs in Primary Care

• Communication Strategies Unique to Behavioral Health Screening

Module 3: Initial Principles of Mental Health Care & Patient Engagement

• The Role of Stigma and Structural Barriers to Mental Health Care

• Key Principles of Initial Mental Health Related Diagnosis & Assessment

• General Approach to Counseling Interventions

• General Principles of Psychopharmacology

• Major Classes of Psychotropic Medications

Module 4: Patient-Centered Conversations: The Skill of Engaging Patients in Behavioral Health Follow-Up

• Team-Based Care and Clarifying Roles

• Assessing Readiness to Meet with a Behavioral Health Provider

• Conducting Successful Initial Introductions

• Tailored Strategies to Engage Patients Reluctant to See a BH Provider

Module 5: Counseling Approaches Tailored for Primary Care Clinicians

• Core Therapeutic Elements of Clinician Responses to Mental Health Disclosures 

• Evidenced-Based Approaches for Behavior Change

• Cross-cutting, Evidence-Informed Counseling Approaches  

 Module 6: What Sets the Stage: Chronic Stress, Adversity, & Trauma

• Stress & Emotions: Vulnerability-Stress Model

• Human Nature: A Spectrum of Expected Emotional Distress

• Definition of Trauma, Prevalence of Trauma Exposures, and Nature of Complex Trauma

• Stress and Emotional Health Responses to Poverty, Oppression, Discrimination & Exclusion

• Chronic Stress as a Driver of Chronic Physical & Mental Health Conditions

Module 7: Trauma & Stressor Related Disorders

• Adjustment Disorders

• Assessment and Diagnosis of Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD

• Complex PTSD and Developmental Trauma Disorder 

• Evidence-Based Behavioral and Pharmacotherapy Treatments for PTSD

Module 8: Anxiety & Obsessive Compulsive Disorders

• Introduction to Anxiety Disorders

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Panic attacks and Panic Disorder 

• Other anxiety Disorders 

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Module 9: Care of Patients with Medically Unexplained Symptoms

• The Unexplained Symptoms and Diagnostic Humility

• Health Anxiety & Illness Anxiety Disorder

• Somatic and Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders

Module 10: Depressive Disorders

• Introduction to Depressive Disorders

• Major Depressive Disorder

• Depression Unresponsive to Currently Available Treatments and Psychotic Depression

• Persistent Depressive Disorder and Seasonal-Onset MDD

• Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Depressive Disorder Due to Other Medical Conditions

Module 11: Substance Use Disorders

• Substance Use Disorder Diagnosis and Patient Engagement

• Chronic Care Model and Substance Use Disorders

• Medication Treatments for Substance Use Disorders & Levels of Care

Module 12: Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder

• Primer on ADHD in Children and Adolescents

• Diagnosis of Adult ADHD & Management in Primary Care 

Module 13: Bipolar Disorders

• Introduction to Bipolar Disorders

• Hypomanic & Manic Episodes

• Depressive Episodes, Mixed States, & Cyclothymia

• Maintenance Treatment and Mood Stabilizer Side Effect Management

Module 14: Psychosis, Schizophrenia, & Other Related Disorders

• Introduction to Psychosis, Screening, & Assessment

• First-Episode Psychosis

• Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, & Delusional Disorder: Core Features & Treatment

• Metabolic Health, Antipsychotics Side Effect Management, & Maintenance Outside of Acute Episodes

• Responding to Medication Hesitancy

Module 15: Other Common Disorders

• Insomnia

• Eating Disorders