3 Hours / 3 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Severe Mental Illness and Metabolic Dysfunction is presented by Jerrod Brown, PhD. 

This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards the Integrated Behavioral Health Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.

Individuals with serious mental health conditions typically experience metabolic dysfunction at higher rates than the general population. This program explores possible causes and contributing factors for metabolic dysfunction in this population, along with their associated consequences.

Implications for screening, interviewing, and intervention through an integrated behavioral health lens are highlighted throughout this program. Empirically based research findings are highlighted throughout this program.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe severe mental illness
  • 2 Describe metabolic dysfunction and other related constructs
  • 3 Describe the symptoms and red flag indicators of metabolic dysfunction among persons with severe mental illness
  • 4 Describe intervention techniques and approaches for persons with severe mental illness and metabolic dysfunction
  • 5 Describe relevant and up-to-date research findings

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for professionals who provide care or support to individuals with serious mental health conditions and are interested in understanding and addressing metabolic dysfunction. It is particularly relevant for those specializing in behavioral health, clinical psychology, psychiatry, counseling, and integrated care, as well as others who assess, intervene, and provide ongoing care for clients with complex physical and mental health needs.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental Health Professionals
    • Behavioral Health Specialists
    • Clinical Psychologists
    • Psychiatrists
    • Counselors
    • Integrated Care Providers

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience with metabolic dysfunction in individuals with serious mental health conditions.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to the topic and seek foundational knowledge about severe mental illness, metabolic dysfunction, and their interrelationship, including basic screening and intervention concepts.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience working with individuals with serious mental illness and are looking to deepen their understanding of metabolic dysfunction, its risk factors, and empirically supported intervention strategies within an integrated behavioral health framework.

    • Advanced: Participants have extensive experience in behavioral health and are interested in advanced, research-informed approaches to assessment, intervention, and interdisciplinary collaboration for addressing metabolic dysfunction in this population.

  • Practice Setting

    These professionals work in multidisciplinary, integrated behavioral health environments that address serious mental health conditions alongside co-occurring metabolic risks. Their practice emphasizes coordinated screening, interviewing, and intervention informed by current research, in close collaboration with medical providers to manage complex physical and mental health needs.


    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Community mental health centers
    • Hospital-based psychiatric services
    • Primary care and integrated care clinics (including FQHCs)
    • Outpatient and telehealth behavioral health practices
    • Residential and partial hospitalization programs
    • Substance use treatment programs
    • Academic medical centers and teaching clinics
    • Correctional and forensic mental health services

Presented By

Jerrod Brown, PhD Pathways Counseling Center, Inc.

Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S., is a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Jerrod has also provided consultation services to a number of caregivers, professionals, and organizations pertaining to topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), confabulation, suggestibility, trauma, and other life adversities, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth firesetting. Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Neuropsychology, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). Jerrod has also conducted over 200 workshops, webinars, and on-demand training for various organizations and professional and student audiences. In 2021, Jerrod completed a post-doctoral certificate in Leadership and Organizational Strategy from Walden University and a Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology from San Diego State University Global Campus. Currently, Jerrod is pursuing a graduate certificate in Neuroscience and Law from Michigan State University. Jerrod has published several articles and book chapters and recently co-edited the book Forensic Mental Health: A Source Guide for Professionals (Brown & Weinkauf, 2018) with Erv Weinkauf. Jerrod is also regularly featured on several national and international podcast programs.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Jerrod Brown, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Unhealthy lifestyle behavior, problematic coping strategies, and substance misuse

  • Trauma and psychological distress

  • Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction

  • Therapeutic lifestyle changes

  • Chronic low-grade inflammation

  • Somatic comorbidities

  • Health disparities

  • Socioeconomic factors

  • Sleep disturbances

  • Emotional dysregulatio, loneliness, and social isolation

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
View Certificates

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.