Advancing Behavior Change Integration into Health & Human Care
We support the integration of behavior change expertise across health and human care systems to advance whole-person care, strengthen workforce capacity, and improve the quality and impact of services. Through standards development, research, implementation support, and the Clinical Health & Well-Being Coach credential, we help build the foundation for broader integration across care settings.
Behavior change is central to effective, person-centered care.
Across health and human care, organizations are working to improve outcomes, experience, prevention, continuity, and long-term support. Achieving these aims depends not only on access to services, but also on the ability to support meaningful and sustained behavior change.
The Institute for Behavior Change advances the science, practice, and integration of behavior change across health, wellness, and human care. We work from the belief that behavior change expertise should be more fully integrated into systems of care to strengthen whole-person support, expand interdisciplinary capacity, and improve the quality and impact of services.
When done well, this integration can help organizations:
strengthen whole-person, person-centered care
expand the capacity of interdisciplinary teams
improve support across prevention, chronic condition management, and long-term well-being
advance consistent standards for behavior change practice and workforce readiness
How Behavior Change Professionals Support Care Delivery
Behavior change professionals help individuals translate goals, recommendations, and care plans into meaningful and sustainable action. Their work complements clinical and service-based roles by focusing on the behavioral, relational, and contextual factors that influence outcomes over time.
This type of support is especially relevant in environments where engagement, self-management, and sustained change are critical to care effectiveness.
They may contribute by:
supporting individuals in clarifying goals and building sustainable change
reinforcing care plans between visits and across settings
strengthening engagement, activation, and follow-through
addressing barriers within real-life contexts
contributing behavior change expertise within interdisciplinary teams
extending support across clinical, community, and virtual environments
As organizations move toward implementation, the Institute for Behavior Change supports this work through standards, credentialing pathways, and approaches that help build and sustain behavior change capacity across care settings.
Learn how organizations can assess readiness, implement behavior change support, and partner with the Institute.
Assessing Readiness for Behavior Change Roles
As behavior change roles become more integrated into care delivery, organizations need clearer ways to assess preparation and readiness. Training alone does not always reflect applied competence or alignment with clinical and team-based environments.
Credentialing can provide a more consistent signal. Credentials such as the Clinical Health & Well-Being Coach certification reflect assessment against profession-aligned standards, including:
- applied competence in behavior change practice
- ethical practice expectations
- readiness for clinical and team-based environments
- alignment with evolving workforce standards
These considerations become especially important as organizations begin to design roles, hire professionals, and integrate behavior change support within care delivery models.
Clinical Implementation
For many organizations, implementation begins with identifying the populations, care contexts, or service lines where additional support could strengthen engagement, self-management, and follow-through.
Rather than requiring large-scale change at the outset, many organizations start within a defined population, service line, or care model, and expand based on learning and impact.
A thoughtful approach to implementation may include:
- identifying priority populations or care contexts
- clarifying the role within interdisciplinary teams
- aligning hiring and role expectations with defined standards
- integrating workflows, communication, and documentation
- establishing supervision, collaboration, and escalation processes
- evaluating impact across experience, engagement, and outcomes
Working with the Institute
Supporting integration through standards, research, and practice
The Institute for Behavior Change advances the integration of behavior change expertise across health and human care through standards, credentialing, research, and collaboration.
For organizations exploring or implementing this work, the Institute can serve as a resource for:
- understanding evolving standards for behavior change practice
- aligning workforce development and credentialing approaches
- strengthening role clarity and integration within care teams
- informing thoughtful approaches to implementation
Interested in advancing behavior change integration?
We welcome conversations with employers, health systems, and other organizations seeking to strengthen the integration of behavior change expertise across care delivery and support systems.