Poster 53 – Barriers and Facilitators to Integrating Behavioral Health in Primary Care Settings.

Summary

Few social work and mental health counseling researchers have utilized photovoice methodology in studies exploring barriers and facilitators to integrating behavioral health in primary care settings. The use of photovoice, an innovative participatory action research methodology, gives individuals the opportunity to explore and define for themselves, through photography and narration, the everyday reality of their lives and their perceptions about the world. Limited research exists in the literature that explores barriers and facilitators to integrating behavioral health in primary care settings. This paper helps to address this gap in the literature by exploring the perceived barriers and facilitators to integrating behavioral health in primary care settings through the lens of photovoice. Findings revealed that barriers to integrating behavioral health in primary care settings were associated with lack of financial resources, lack of basic needs, limited physical space for meetings, lack of transportation, lack of cultural competence, stigma, lack of education, and lack of collaboration. Facilitators to integrating behavioral health in primary care settings were associated with a collaborative inter-professional team, community resources, partnerships, physical space for meetings, and other resources. Practice implications are made for behavioral health providers in primary care settings.