Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies

Founded in 2015, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies (CGI) is a private, nonprofit, DEAC accredited university offering online, post-graduate education in the field of integrated behavioral healthcare, including the Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) degree, continuing education, and certificate programs with specializations including trauma informed care, healthcare leadership, women’s health, gerontology, and military families and veterans. CGI credits its origins to the work of Nicholas Cummings, Ph.D, Sc.D (1924 -2020), an American psychologist, author, and former president of the American Psychology Association (1979).

Cummings Graduate Institute's post-graduate level academic programs are designed to meet the healthcare industry’s need for a highly-skilled workforce to support an integrated approach to addressing patients’ needs.

The Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) graduate degree program prepares students to deliver patient-centered care, work in interdisciplinary teams, employ evidence-based practice and quality improvement approaches, and utilize informatics. CGI's overarching objective in offering the DBH program is to respond to the need to prepare clinicians to address both shifts in the nation’s patient population and changing practice environments.

The Doctorate of Behavioral Health (DBH) Program Outcomes

1. Consult effectively with the medical team as a behavioral health expert using knowledge of medical culture and acute, chronic, and comorbid conditions.
2. Deliver evidence-based screening, assessment, and behavioral interventions appropriate for primary care and specialty medical settings.
3. Design cost-effective population health approaches to treating chronic and comorbid conditions while addressing social determinants of health.
4. Design and evaluate evidence based practice for behavioral conditions in medical settings based on principles of quality improvement.
5. Create a business case based on a population health approach to improving access to quality, integrated healthcare.

The Integrated Behavioral Healthcare (IBH) certificate focuses on use of evidence-based models of integrated behavioral health delivery for the clinical provider who is working in fast-paced primary care or specialty medical settings. Five specialty areas are offered, each of which reflect the need for specific and advanced training in clinical practice with key populations. 

• Adult
• Gerontology
• Military Families and Veterans
• Women’s Health
• Leadership

Adult, Gerontology, Military Families & Veterans, and Women’s Health specialty tracks provide coursework to prepare students to understand the epidemiology and prevalence of mental health disorders, chronic disease, and comorbidities specific to the population of focus, as well as evidence-based interventions that effectively address these issues to improve overall health and quality of life for these populations in medical settings and communities. The Leadership specialty prepares students to accept leadership roles in healthcare, including management and executive positions responsible for leading intrapreneurial improvement efforts as well as innovation and entrepreneurial challenges that address gaps in healthcare delivery settings. Students completing the IBH certificate in any of the speciality areas will be better prepared as healthcare professionals to deliver integrated clinical care, consult with medical teams as a leader and integration expert, and to launch innovative practice models that offer unique value propositions to the healthcare marketplace.

Integrated Behavioral Health Certificate Program Outcomes (applicable specialties indicated in parenthesis)

1. Consult effectively with the medical team as a behavioral health expert using knowledge of medical culture and acute, chronic, and comorbid conditions. (Adult, Gerontology, Leadership, Military, Women's Health)
2. Deliver evidence-based screening, assessment, and behavioral interventions appropriate for primary care and specialty medical settings. (Adult, Gerontology, Leadership, Military, Women's Health)
3. Design cost-effective population health approaches to treating chronic and comorbid conditions while addressing social determinants of health. (Adult, Gerontology, Leadership, Military, Women's Health)
4. Design and evaluate evidence-based practice for behavioral conditions in medical settings based on principles of quality improvement. (Adult, Gerontology, Leadership
5. Create a business case based on a population health approach to improving access to quality, integrated healthcare. (Adult, Leadership, Military, Women's Health)

The Trauma Informed Care (TIC) certificate provides an in-depth exploration of the impact of trauma on health outcomes. Students identify clinical and operational practices that may re-traumatize patients and lead to provider burnout, and develop realistic strategies for mitigating or resolving trauma history and compassion fatigue. Included in this certificate is EMDRIA-authorized coursework and supervision leading to the Basic Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Certificate.

Trauma Informed Care Certificate Program Outcomes

1. Consult effectively with the medical team as a behavioral health expert using knowledge of medical culture and acute, chronic, and comorbid conditions.
2. Deliver evidence-based screening, assessment, and behavioral interventions appropriate for primary care and specialty medical settings.
3. Design cost-effective population health approaches to treating chronic and comorbid conditions while addressing social determinants of health.