Integrated Behavioral Health is a term derived from the phrase, “behavioural healthcare”. Integrated Behavioral Health is defined by the American Psychological Association as a program, consisting of several components, which provides health care services to clients who require, or are at risk for, behavioral health problems. These include: cognitive-behavioural therapy, psychodynamic therapy, individual and family therapies, pharmacotherapy, and integrated community approaches. A comprehensive treatment plan involving all of these components can reduce the amount of time needed to treat the condition, and can improve the client’s overall mental and physical health.
The term, “integrated behavioural healthcare” has come to be used to refer to a variety of practices, services, and programs that fall under this category. These range from health programs like the Emotional Intelligence Therapy (EIT), and the Individualized Stress Reduction (ISR) that are designed to identify stressors, and work with them, to health programs such as Acupuncture/Moxibustion Therapy, and the Holistic Health Approach that help people live healthier and longer lives. Other types of behavioural healthcare also exist, including: alcohol and drug detoxification programs, and group therapy sessions. In addition to this list, it is important to note that more sophisticated, integrated treatments are emerging, and are becoming increasingly common. It should be noted that even though many practices in this field include a number of behavioural therapies, they often also incorporate a number of other techniques, to help treat the entire client.
A number of health professionals agree that integrating behavioural health is an essential part of effective and healthy behaviour change. According to Dr. David Pelham, a psychologist in New Hampshire and author of “Behavioural Change: The Path From Disorder to Optimality”, “Behavioural health is an important facet of the larger behavioral science movement, which seeks to understand the relationship between health and behaviour.” According to Dr. Pelham, the need for this type of care has increased over the last few decades, because the number of patients receiving treatment for psychiatric conditions has dramatically increased. While he acknowledges that traditional psychotherapy, and group therapy can make a significant difference, for some people “behavioralignment” is required to bring about real change.