Whole Person Care: Integrating Behavioral Health, Lifestyle Medicine, and Primary Care
At Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH), we work to advance a future where healthcare and communities support whole-person care, and we believe behavioral health is essential to achieving this vision.
When behavioral health is integrated into primary care, and mental health clinicians and psychologists trained in lifestyle medicine work together with primary care teams, patient whole health – physical, behavioral, spiritual, and socioeconomic well-being – is enabled.
What is behavioral health? As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), behavioral health is a key component of overall health and refers to a state of mental, emotional, and social well-being. Behavioral health also encompasses the support systems that promote well-being, prevent mental distress, and facilitate access to clinical treatments.
Resources to Get Started
Created by the Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) Collaborative, the BHI Compendium (PDF) is an implementation tool to support physicians and healthcare organizations in implementing and sustaining behavioral health integration to achieve optimal, equitable whole-person care. A free webinar series is also available.
The American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine's (AJLM) focus section, Lifestyle Medicine and Behavioral Health, offers valuable insights for lifestyle medicine practitioners and behavioral health professionals, for example:
Lifestyle Medicine and Behavioral Health: A Time for Deeper Integration
Steven Mauro, MBA, MS, LMFT, MaryEllen Eller, MD, and Ron Stout, MD, MPH
“The cornerstone of lifestyle medicine is sustained behavior change. Behavioral health and lifestyle medicine are, or at least should be, inseparable. The behavioral health clinical community, empowered by the principles of lifestyle medicine, will have the training, relational insight, and therapeutic depth to bridge the gap between knowing and doing. When integrated as a clinical imperative, lifestyle medicine expands the potential for healing and redefines the standard of care. Behavioral therapy is central to the system transformation needed for lifestyle medicine-infused whole-person care to flourish in the clinical setting. It is indeed time for a deeper integration of lifestyle medicine and behavioral health.”
Food for Thought: The Role of Nutrition in Behavioral Health
Madison J Barker, BS, and Monica Kazlausky Esquivel, PhD, RDN, CSSD
“Integrating nutrition screening, counseling, and food-as-medicine interventions into behavioral healthcare can strengthen treatment outcomes, especially when aligned with culturally informed practices and community needs. Systems-level approaches—including policies addressing food insecurity and produce prescription programs—demonstrate meaningful improvements in mental health. Overall, nutrition represents a powerful, accessible, and culturally resonant strategy to support emotional, cognitive, and behavioral well-being.”
Click here to access all articles in the AJLM behavioral health focus section.
Integrating behavioral health, primary care, and lifestyle medicine is essential to delivering person-centered whole-person care. To join us in driving this work forward, explore AIH grant opportunities.
Continue Exploring:
