Navigating Psychosocial Challenges in Primary Care with an Integrated Behavioral Health Model

Research has demonstrated that physical health outcomes are often related to behavioral health outcomes. Integrated behavioral health models, particularly in primary care settings, help bridge gaps in care by linking the treatment of physical and emotional problems together. Social workers are a key part of the primary care treatment team because they are trained to assess patients within the full context of their biopsychosocial and spiritual needs. The following article explores the ways in which social workers can engage in integrated behavioral health models as an adaptive healthcare practice, the common healthcare challenges social workers face, and suggested interventions in integrated settings. Implications for practice are discussed including the necessary skills and background social workers in these settings should have, the need to further expand the social work workforce in integrated healthcare, and the role of social workers in the continued development and evaluation of integrated models

Shaping the Future of Social Work Practice in Healthcare: Addressing COVID-19 Needs through Integrated Primary Care.

COVID-19 has illustrated the urgency of promoting integrated healthcare as the model of the future, with social workers not only supporting the physical and mental health of providers and patients, but also leading efforts to transform systems, policies, and social work education. Primary care, where the role of social workers is continuing to grow, is a central location for integrating the treatment of medical, social, and behavioral problems. In these settings, social workers can take the lead to meet community needs, assist in public health efforts, and bolster the frontline medical workforce. The following article reflects upon what we as social workers have learned a year into the global pandemic and how we can apply this knowledge to shaping the future of social work in primary care. Authors consider how the multiple medical and psychosocial needs of patients affected by COVID-19 are addressed in primary care through three core functions of social work: providing behavioral healthcare, coordinating care, and undertaking population health-based interventions. Article ends with a discussion about how social work can respond to the urgent task of transforming health within the context of social work practice, policy, and education for the next generation of healthcare social workers