NEW: Concentration in Child and Adolescent Integrated Behavioral Health Care

We’re excited to announce the launch of the Child & Adolescent Integrated Behavioral Health Care (CAIBHC) concentration within the MA in Mental Health Counseling & Behavioral Medicine (MHCBM) program—a 63-credit specialization designed to prepare graduates for high-demand careers providing counseling to children, adolescents, and young adults in primary care clinics, pediatric practices, and community-based settings. This optional concentration, available to matriculated students, extends beyond standard program requirements and is typically completed in two years, combining foundational coursework with immersive clinical training in integrated care settings that includes a summer Practicum (16-18 hours/week) and a year long Internship (Fall & Spring; 24-26 hours/week). Students will also receive weekly group supervision and will participate in a learning community, focused on behavioral health care from birth to young adulthood, led by clinical experts of the TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center. Graduates will be equipped with the specialized skills and hands-on experience needed to practice at the forefront of collaborative, team-based care—a rapidly growing model that brings behavioral health care services directly to young people where they are, reducing barriers to access and transforming the delivery of pediatric behavioral health care.

What Makes This Concentration Unique?

The MHCBM Program was the first (and presently only one of two) CACREP-accredited clinical mental health counseling program in the United States housed within a medical school. The CAIBHC concentration builds on this distinctive foundation to offer something no other graduate counseling program in the country provides: a structured, competency-based specialty track that prepares counselors to function as behavioral health care providers within pediatric integrated care teams. The concentration is the direct academic evolution of Project EDUCATE, a federally funded training initiative at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, developed in partnership with TEAM UP at Boston Medical Center—a nationally recognized model for integrating behavioral health care into pediatric primary care that has served more than 127,000 children annually across more than 20 health care facilities.

Students in this concentration enter a learning community of active care providers, ranging from recent graduates to veterans in the field. In this context, students experience a unique form of learning, through peer support, exposure to diverse clinical approaches, and equity-informed curricula. Students also gain access to individual consultation and mentorship with TEAM UP’s learning community faculty.

Concentration Snapshots

Program at a Glance

Curriculum: Required Concentration Coursework

In addition to the MHCBM Program’s standard required coursework, students in the CAIBHC concentration must complete three elective courses designed to build the specialized knowledge and clinical competencies essential for working with children, adolescents, and families in integrated care settings:

Elective Course 1: Theory & Practice of Child & Adolescent Counseling

This course provides an in-depth examination of theoretical frameworks, science-based approaches, and practical clinical skills for counseling children and adolescents. Students explore developmental considerations, culturally responsive assessment and intervention strategies, family systems perspectives, and ethical issues specific to working with young clients in diverse settings.

Elective Course 2: Psychological Trauma Across the Lifespan

This course examines the nature, prevalence, and impact of psychological trauma from early childhood through adulthood. Students gain knowledge of trauma-informed frameworks, science-based trauma treatment modalities, and the neurobiological and developmental sequelae of exposure to trauma and adversity.

Elective Course 3: Marriage & Family Counseling

This course introduces students to systemic and relational theories of human behavior and family functioning, with emphasis on major schools of family therapy and their clinical applications. Students develop skills in assessing and intervening with families across the life cycle.

Clinical Training

After completing the requisite first-year courses, students complete a 12-month, clinical training experience comprising:

• Practicum (Summer semester): One semester of supervised clinical training in an integrated care setting (approximately 16–18 hours/week on-site)
• Internship (Fall and Spring semesters): Two semesters of advanced supervised clinical training (approximately 24–26 hours/week on-site)
• Weekly Group Supervision: Three hours of group supervision per week throughout the clinical training year led by MHCBM faculty
• Integrated Behavioral Health Care Learning Community: Ongoing participation in a community dedicated to pediatric integrated behavioral health care, facilitated by TEAM UP

Clinical training placements are located in pediatric primary care practices, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and other community-based integrated care settings across Greater Boston.

Child & Adolescent Concentration FAQ’s

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying to the MHCBM Program with the Concentration in Child & Adolescent Integrated Behavioral Health Care, you can do so through our online application portal.

For more information on our application process, and necessary materials, please reference the information on our Admissions page.

If you have any additional questions that are not answered on this page, please email us at mhcbm@bu.edu

Carryl P. Navalta, PhD (Concentration Director) and Sonia Erlich, LMHC, MFA, MA (TEAM UP Director of Workforce Development & Training and MHCBM Program Alumna) presenting Project EDUCATE at the American Mental  Health Counselors Association        Annual Conference in 2025