The Behavioral Health Consultant: Roles and Responsibilities

Abstract

With the scarcity of mental health services, integration of behavioral health into pediatric primary care increases the accessibility and availability to mental health services to a broad range of patients and their families while bridging the gap of physical and mental health. Encouraging whole-person care, the role of the behavioral health consultant serves as a proactive and preventative means fostering early intervention and detection, as 50% of all lifetime mental health disorders begin by the age of 14 years.

Keywords: Behavioral health consultation; Integrated primary care; Pediatrics; Primary care behavioral health (PCBH) model.