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 for professionals at any stage of their career who work with 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. Participants typically work in environments such as mental health clinics, hospitals, community health centers, and other healthcare or behavioral health settings where they provide assessment, intervention, and ongoing care for clients with complex physical and mental health needs.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

  • Practice Setting

    • Professionals who provide care or support to individuals with serious mental health conditions, including:
    • Behavioral health specialists
    • Clinical psychologists
    • Psychiatrists
    • Counselors
    • Integrated care providers

    • Mental health clinics
    • Hospitals
    • Community health centers
    • Integrated care settings
    • Other healthcare or behavioral health environments serving clients with complex needs

Presented By

Jerrod Brown, PhD

Jerrod Brown, PhD, is the Treatment Director for Pathways Counseling Center, Inc., the lead developer of an online Master of Arts degree in Human Services with an emphasis in Forensic Behavioral Health from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS), and the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST) and the Journal of Special Populations (JSP).

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.