Welcome to the Program for the Integrated Training of Counselors in Behavioral Healthcare.
The Departments of Counseling and Social Work at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and UT Health Science Center San Antonio are collaborating under HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education & Training (BHWET) to offer specialized training and clinical placements in integrated school, primary care, and community settings.
In 2017, the Department of Counseling was awarded BHWET funding to establish the Program for the Integrated Training of Counselors in Behavioral Healthcare (PITCH). PEP+ expands these efforts through the inclusion of behavioral health trainees from three additional disciplines, diversified clinical sites, and extensive interprofessional education.
In 2021, the Department of Counseling was awarded an additional $1.6 million to continue expanding efforts to train counselors, social workers, school counselors, and psychologists for an additional 4 years.
PITCH at UTSA recently awarded HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Grant
The four-year interdisciplinary project is funded by a $1.6 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. This partnership will guide close to 100 students from additional disciplines to provide real-time services in the local region.
Training Program
PITCH Expanded Providers Plus (PEP+) includes behavioral health trainees from four disciplines: clinical mental health counseling (CMHC), school counseling (SC), social work (SW), and clinical psychology (PSY). All trainees complete didactic and clinical training focused on serving adults, children, adolescents, and transition-aged youth. Additionally, all PEP+ trainees participate in ongoing interprofessional education workshops.
Additional training details by track are provided below:
Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC)
Twelve CMHC PEP+ trainees are selected through a competitive recruitment process each year. PEP+ CMHC trainees complete two consecutive clinical rotation semesters in integrated primary care or community-based settings. Stipend support of $5,000/semester is dispersed following completion of all PEP+ requirements. PEP+ CMHC trainees also complete two elective courses (IBH-1 and IBH-2) and are eligible to earn a 12-hour graduate certificate in integrated behavioral healthcare.
School Counseling (SC)
Six PEP+ SC trainees are selected through a competitive recruitment process each year. PEP+ SC trainees complete 12 hours of online learning modules focused on the role and functions of professional school counselors on integrated care teams. PEP+ SC trainees complete two consecutive clinical rotation semesters at their home schools. Stipend support of $5,000/semester is dispersed following completion of all PEP+ requirements.
Social Work (SW)
Four PEP+ SW trainees are selected through a competitive recruitment process each year. PEP+ SW trainees complete 12 hours of online learning modules focused on the role and functions of social workers on integrated care teams. PEP+ SC trainees complete two consecutive clinical rotation semesters at integrated community settings. Stipend support of $5,000/semester is dispersed following completion of all PEP+ requirements.
Clinical Psychology (PSY)
The two PEP+ PSY trainees will be part of the 1-year, 2000 hour, APA accredited Pre-Doctoral Clinical Psychology Internship (Primary Care track) within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Long School of Medicine at UT Health Science Center San Antonio. During the year-long internship, PEP+ trainees from the PSY discipline track will participate in one or two major rotations as well as several year-long clinical activities. Trainees will receive clinical training within the PCBH model across the lifespan.
The PEP+ Team is devoted to the interprofessional training of behavioral health professionals from four disciplines serving children, adolescents, and transition-aged youth in the San Antonio and surrounding areas.
PEP Team
Heather Trepal, Ph.D., LPC-S
Principal Investigator/Project Director – University of Texas at San Antonio
Primarily responsible for oversight of the UTSA BHWET PEP+ project. Meets with key staff to monitor the implementation of each of the components and works collaboratively with all parties to assure maximum accountability, reliability, and validity for this project.
Peggy L. Ceballos, Ph.D, LPC-A, NCC, CCPT-S
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Track Coordinator
Primarily responsible for oversight of the development and coordination of the Clinical Mental Health. Works collaboratively with the Project Director, PCBH Consultant, faculty, and site supervisors to coordinate site development and maintenance. Assumes primary responsibility for communication with the counseling faculty and supervisors, Project Director, and Evaluator.
Malvika Behl, Ph.D., LPC (TX), NCC, School Counselor (OH)
School Counseling Track Coordinator
Primarily responsible for oversight of the development and coordination of the School Counseling tracks. Works collaboratively with the Project Director, PCBH Consultant, faculty, and school districts to coordinate internships with school counseling trainees. Assumes primary responsibility for communication with the school counseling faculty and supervisors, Project Director, and Evaluator.
Stacy Ogbeide, PsyD, ABPP, CSOWM
Primary Care Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Consultant, Clinical Psychology Track/IPE Coordinator – UT Health Science Center San Antonio
Primarily responsible for oversight of the development and coordination of the Clinical Psychology (PSY) track and the Interprofessional Education Curriculum. Primarily responsible for providing consultation related to primary care behavioral health integration course development, trainee clinical training, site supervisor training, and primary care clinic team training for the UTSA BHWET PEP+ project, but works collaboratively with Project Director.
Ian Johnson, Ph.D., LCSW
Social Work Track Coordinator – University of Texas at San Antonio
Primarily responsible for oversight of the development and coordination of the Social Work (SW) track. Works collaboratively with Project Director, faculty, and site supervisors to coordinate training coursework and site development and maintenance. Assumes primary responsibility for communication with the SW faculty and supervisors, Project Director, and Evaluator.
Mercedes Ingram, Ph.D., LPC
Project Evaluator – University Health
Primarily responsible for providing evaluation oversight for the UTSA BHWET PEP+ project but works collaboratively with Project Director, faculty, and site supervisors to evaluate the project. Assumes primary responsibility for using data to help address health disparities and to inform the continuous quality improvement process.
Jessica Lloyd-Hazlett, Ph.D, LPC-S
Consultant
Monika Cantu, MBA
Graduate Research Assistant
The Graduate Research Assistant works closely with team members to play a supporting role in the PEP+ program.
Online Library
Publications
- Trepal, H., Knight, C., Strano-Burton, R., Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Ogbeide, S., & Weaver, S. (2024). Counselors-in-training as behavioral health consultants in primary care: A focus group study. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 18(3), 1-16.
- Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Ogbeide, S., Trepal, H., Ingram, M., & Weaver, S. (2024). Use of the Integrated Practice Assessment Tool (IPAT) to evaluate the clinical learning environment for counselors-in-training. Journal of Human Services Scholarship and Interprofessional Collaboration, 2(1), 1-16.
- Ogbeide, S. A., Ingram, M., & Lloyd‐Hazlett, J. (2023). Primary care supervision: A
community of practice. The Clinical Teacher, e13704. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13704. - Ogbeide, S. A., Trepal, H., Lloyd-Hazlett, J., & Ingram, M. (2022). Assessing counseling student self-reported competencies in primary care behavioral health. Families, Systems, & Health, 40(4), 508–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000744
- Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Knight, C., Ogbeide, S., Trepal, H., & Blessing, N. (2020). Strengthening the behavioral health workforce: Spotlight on PITCH. The Professional Counselor, 10(3), 306–317. https://doi.org/10.15241/jlh.10.3.306
- Trepal, H., Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Knight, C., & Strano-Burton, L. (2019). Training counselors in integrated behavioral healthcare. Chi Sigma Iota Exemplar, 34 (3), 27-30.
Presentations
- Ingram, M., Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Balli-Borrero, N., Marintez, S., Weaver, S., & Ogbeide, S. (2024). Getting started in integrated care: Trainee and supervisor experiences. Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, San Antonio, TX, United States.
- Weaver, S., Trepal, H., & Ingram, M. (2024). The use of virtual IPE workshops to promote team-based care. Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Dallas, TX, United States.
- Ingram, M., Ogbeide, S., Lloyd-Hazlett, J., & Trepal, H. (2024) Closing the Care Gap: Integrating Primary and Behavioral Healthcare in Rural Communities. 9th Annual Cultural Inclusion Institute, San Antonio, Texas, United States.
- Trepal, H., Weaver, S., Ingram, M., & Lloyd-Hazlett, J. (2024). Counselor training in integrated primary care settings: Evidence-based practice for supervision and clinical site development. Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Midwinter Conference, Georgetown, Texas, United States.
- Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Ogbeide, S., & Mclain, G. (2024). Training Professional School Counselors in Integrated Behavioral Health. Texas Counseling Association Professional School Counseling Conference, San Antonio, Texas, United States.
- Ogbeide, S., Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Ingram, M., & Weaver, S. (2023). The use of virtual IPE workshops to promote team-based care. Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
- Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Weaver, S., & Trepal, H. (2023). Counselor training in integrated primary care settings, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Denver, Colorado, United States.
- Trepal, H., & Lloyd-Hazlett, J. (2023). Training counselors in integrated care: A review of research. American Counseling Association Conference, Toronto, Canada.
- Lloyd-Hazlett, J., & Trepal, H. (2022). Preparing student counselors for work in integrated healthcare: A research review. Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
Awards
- 2021 University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education Judith Drews Innovation Award - Program for the Integrated Training of Counselors in Behavioral Healthcare (PITCH) – 2nd place
- 2019 University of Texas at San Antonio President’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Innovation and Impact – Program for the Integrated Training of Counselors in Behavioral Healthcare (PITCH)
The professional training page has been created for the general public interested in integrated behavioral health. The training listed on this website contains a variety of documents and videos used in the PITCH program.
TexCHIP Symposium 2022
Symposium 2022 Workshop Summary
Primary Care Behavioral Health Workshop Documents
Treating Underserved Populations within Integrated Primary Care Behavioral Health Settings
Presented by Dr. Nida Emko | June 30, 2018
ACES in Primary Care
Presented by Dr. Stephanie Chapman | June 30, 2018
Primary Care Behavioral Health: Past, Present, Future
Presented by Dr. Deepu George | June 30, 2018
Preparing the Workforce for Primary Behavioral Health: Training and Workforce Challenges
Presented by Dr. Lisa Kearney | June 30, 2018
Additional Trainings
Clinical Supervision in Integrated Care
Presented by Dr. Stacy Ogbeide | March 10, 2018
Primary Behavioral Health Model
Presented by Dr. Stacy Ogbeide, Zeke Sanders, & Beverly Bernal | December 02, 2017
Role of Behavioral Health Consultant
Presented by Dr. Stacy Ogbeide | December 16, 2017
2025 Summer Workshops
- The Neurobiology of Addiction in Adolescents and the Role of SBIRT (2025)
- Guest Speaker: Muhammad Ali Chaudhary, Md, UT Health San Antonio Assistant Professor, Be Well Institute
2023-2024 Summer Workshops
- Sex Trafficking: What Integrated HealthcareProfessionals Need to Know (2023)
- Guest Facilitators:
Dr. Claudia Interiano-Shiverdecker
Dr. Priscilla Prasath
Dr. Devon Romero
- Guest Facilitators:
- Psychotropic Medication Use In Pediatric Populations (2024)
- Guest Speaker: Brigitte Bailey, Md, UT Health San Antonio, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Community Partners
UTSA
UTHSCSA
HRSA
Contact Us
Please email the PITCH Expanded Providers Plus (PEP+) program with any questions you may have.
