The role of the behavior analyst on interprofessional mental health teams: opportunities for collaboration and enhancing patient care

ABSTRACT

Patients living with mental illness have needs that span a range of professional disciplines, settings, and service systems. These needs are best addressed through interprofessional collaboration. Behavior analysts can play a valuable role in enhancing patient care as part of the interprofessional mental health team. We provide information about the field of applied behavior analysis and its contribution to the assessment and treatment of patients living with mental health and substance use challenges. We outline how behavior analysts are trained and touch upon the practice of behavior analysis in North America and beyond. We describe collaborative relationships with other mental health professionals and, as an example, review the role of the behavior analyst on interprofessional teams in our mental health and addiction teaching hospital in Canada. We highlight some of the challenges faced by behavior analysts working in the mental health field and offer suggestions to increase their profile and opportunities for collaboration in clinical programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional collaboration
• applied behavior analysis
• mental health
• substance use

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Maurice Feldman, Ph.D., C.Psych, BCBA-D and Karola Dillenburger, ClinPsych, BCBA-D for their valuable input on a previous draft of this article.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jane Summers

Jane Summers, Ph.D, C.Psych, is a registered psychologist with the Autism Research Unit, Genetics and Genome Biology Program at the Hospital for Sick Children.  She is also an Assistant Professor (status only) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.  She was previously the Director of Interprofessional Practice for the Underserved Populations Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Louis Busch

Louis Busch, M.Ed., is a behavior analyst and community support specialist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Milena Kako

Milena Kako, MADS, BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with Launch Behavioural Health and Part-time Professor in the Centre for Health Sciences at George Brown College, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Catherine Lau

Catherine Lau, MADS, BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with the Forensic Assessment and Triage Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.