This program provides clinicians with the training and expertise needed to succeed in today’s integrated primary care environments. As a student, you’ll complete specialized coursework focused on evidence-based behavioral interventions.
The curriculum offers options for live and self-paced learning opportunities. You can both set your own schedule and collaborate with classmates and instructors in real time. During live sessions, you’ll engage in discussions, ask questions and explore applied case scenarios. The webinars are also recorded for those who can’t attend live, allowing for maximum flexibility as you prepare for the next steps in your clinical career.
What you’ll learn in this Doctor of Behavioral Health program
This applied, professional doctorate covers health care interventions and management strategies for integrated behavioral health programs. The core curriculum emphasizes three pillars of education, including:
- Medical literacy: Understanding the nuances of disease pathophysiology, progression and treatment.
- Integrated behavioral interventions: Learning how to coordinate the treatment of medical and behavioral conditions in primary care and other medical settings.
- Entrepreneurship: Leveraging your skill set to meet the demands of the 21st century health care market.
Additionally, you’ll learn how to create and implement population health management programs, as well as assess and improve the level of integrated care in primary settings. Other topics covered include using evidence-based strategies to identify patients at risk for health issues and engaging them in their care.
Who’s a good candidate for this clinical DBH?
This program is intended for professionals who are licensed (or license eligible) as behavioral, medical or allied health professionals. It’s ideal if candidates have a current position or would like to work in a hospital or primary care clinic. Experience working on an interprofessional team in a medical setting can also provide helpful context for those entering the program.
Successful candidates seek to enhance their clinical work and develop management skills to specialize in integrated behavioral and primary health care. Different from programs that focus only on mental or physical health, this clinical DBH emphasizes incorporating behavioral interventions and therapeutic lifestyle changes in addition to medical condition management.
Are you interested in creating and/or managing an integrated care program? ASU also offers a Doctor of Behavioral Health with a management concentration online. If you want to explore which concentration is right for you, review this article comparing the two.
Prepare for career advancement in the integrated health care field with a Doctor of Behavioral Health with a clinical concentration online from Arizona State University. This concentration is designed to elevate master’s-prepared clinicians by offering advanced learning opportunities in behavioral interventions, medical literacy and entrepreneurship. As a graduate, you’ll be equipped to meet the demands of doctorate-level leaders and clinicians in primary care.
This doctorate program combines evidence-based clinical practice, quality improvement and entrepreneurship courses and experiences. Your courses ensure that you gain both functional medical and behavioral health literacy to support your work in integrated health.
The College of Health Solutions faculty displays a high level of research expertise, focused on creating a better future for all. Our faculty are lifelong learners dedicated to improving health outcomes for the communities we serve. Some of their research focuses on:
- Discovering the impact of the environment and policy on food security and community health.
- Exploring mechanisms involved in the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Harnessing big data to improve patient outcomes.
- Incorporating advanced technology to monitor and promote healthy lifestyles.
- Using state-of-the-art cognitive, behavioral and neuroscience techniques to study the components of human communication.
In the College of Health Solutions, students learn and prepare to become the health workforce of the future. Faculty and students also collaborate to research solutions to pressing global health challenges. Partnerships with the medical community offer students access to professional resources and networking opportunities with Mayo Clinic, Banner Health, HonorHealth, Dignity Health and more.
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Applicants to the clinical DBH program must have a master’s degree (in any field) from a regionally accredited institution, and must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the College of Health Solutions. Additionally, candidates must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor’s degree program or in their applicable master's degree education.
Students with a master’s degree in counseling, family therapy, nursing, occupational health and social work are encouraged to apply, though other fields of study are also considered. The most competitive candidates are master's degree-level professionals who are either currently employed or aspire to work in a clinical capacity in an integrated health care organization.
To apply, you must submit the following:
- Graduate admission application and application fee.
- Official graduate and undergraduate transcripts.
- At least one professional letter of recommendation.
- Personal statement
- Internship essay
- Up-to-date curriculum vitae or resume.
Clinicians must possess an appropriate clinical license prior to admission to the program and are expected to work within the restrictions of their current license and professional scope of practice while completing all aspects of the DBH program, including clinical internship. Those not already licensed must be on a pathway to acquiring licensure within two years of being admitted (working on hours for the exam).
The terms “licensed” and “license eligible” refer to a license to practice, which are issued by state licensing boards like the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners and the Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners. Some examples include:
- Licensed or license-eligible behavioral health clinician with a master’s degree-level education.
- Master’s degree-level medical or ancillary health care providers, such as licensed nurses, dietitians and occupational therapists.
- An applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of current residency) must provide proof of English proficiency.
- The GRE, GMAT or other test scores are not required for admission.
No, Arizona State University’s diplomas don’t specify whether you earn your degree online or in person. All diplomas and transcripts simply say “Arizona State University.”