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Trauma-Informed Integrated Behavioral Healthcare (TI-IBH) Subspecialty

Subspecialties are specialty areas not considered primary areas of advanced practice nursing. Students in all programs can add these subspecialties.

The Trauma-Informed Integrated Behavioral Healthcare post graduate certificate​ is an eight (8) credit hour subspecialty ​which ​offers didactic and clinical courses to prepare advanced practice nursing students to be trained and engaged in trauma-informed integrated behavioral healthcare practice across the lifespan in communities on a local, regional, and national level. 

The program provides didactic and clinical education in trauma-informed integrated behavioral healthcare science along with clinical skills, simulation, and practicum experiences. These educational practices are specific to healthcare using an innovative format designed to encourage further exploration in trauma-informed integrated behavioral healthcare topics including specialized practicum experiences for team-based integrated care, telehealth, mental health disorders, including substance use disorders, behavioral health treatment modalities focused on prevention, treatment, and recovery aspects. Successful achievement of the professional and academic components of the learning outcomes will result in students’ meeting the national educational competencies in trauma-informed integrated behavioral healthcare and who are prepared to improve outcomes related to the care of persons with mental health disorders across the lifespan in their respective communities.

Why should you become a trauma-informed healthcare provider?

An estimated 70% of the world's population will experience at least one potentially traumatic event in their lifetime, with most experiencing more than one event. Experiencing trauma is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, including not only depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, but also chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. 

The most vulnerable populations experiencing the negative impacts of trauma are minorities, who also experience racial/ethnicity-based stress and racial trauma, with those of 2 or more races being at greater risk. A trauma-informed approach to care is a beneficial model shown to positively influence health equity and health disparities often experienced by minorities. Didactic and clinical courses for the TIBHC subspecialty will prepare students to better screen patients for trauma exposure and to respond to disclosure in a trauma-informed manner while enhancing the patient-provider relationship and assisting patients to achieve positive health outcomes. This subspecialty emphasizes service to children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth. Students will participate in specialized practicum experiences for behavioral health treatment modalities in team-based, trauma-informed integrated care settings; telehealth settings; and interprofessional education. After graduation, students will be equipped to provide high-quality, state-of-the-art, evidence-based services.

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Contacts

For more information about this subspecialty, please contact Dr. Kimberly A. Williams, coordinator, at kwilliams@southalabama.edu. or Dr. Candice Selwyn, co-coordinator at cnselwyn@southalabama.edu.

This subspecialty is partially supported by the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling approximately $1.8 million with zero percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the U. S. Government.