1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Socioeconomic Disadvantage: Implications for Mood, Behavior, Cognition, and Physical Health 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.

Socioeconomic disadvantage is a significant predictor of a wide range of health problems, including poor emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and physical health outcomes.  It is important to identify and understand the factors that contribute to socioeconomic disadvantage and then design effective interventions to address these disparities.

This program reviews the evidence linking socioeconomic disadvantage with a wide range of health outcomes and discusses some of the implications for screening and intervention options.

This program is designed for professionals interested in learning about the causes and consequences associated with socioeconomic disadvantage on human health and well-being. Implications for interviewing, screening, and intervention are explored through an integrated behavioral health lens.  Empirically based research findings are highlighted throughout this program. 

Relevant topics reviewed during this program include:

  1. Poverty and homelessness
  2. Food insecurity
  3. Malnutrition
  4. Family factors
  5. Health disparities
  6. Neighborhood dysfunction
  7. Community violence exposure

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe socioeconomic disadvantage and other related topics
  • 2 Describe the causes and consequences associated with socioeconomic disadvantages across the lifespan
  • 3 Describe interviewing, screening, and intervention options appropriate for clients who experience socioeconomic disadvantage
  • 4 Describe up-to-date research findings

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health professionals who are interested in understanding the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on health and well-being. It is relevant to a broad range of practitioners—including clinicians, counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other allied professionals—who aim to integrate behavioral health approaches when addressing the effects of socioeconomic disparities on emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and physical health outcomes.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental Health Professionals
    • Psychologists
    • Social Workers
    • Counselors
    • Clinicians in Behavioral Health
    • Allied Mental Health Professionals

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience with socioeconomic disadvantage and health disparities.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to the topic and seek foundational knowledge about the relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage and health outcomes, including basic concepts and terminology.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience or prior training in behavioral health or social determinants of health and are looking to deepen their understanding of evidence-based screening and intervention strategies for clients affected by socioeconomic disadvantage.

    • Advanced: Participants have extensive experience working with populations impacted by socioeconomic disadvantage and are interested in critically evaluating current research, integrating advanced intervention techniques, and contributing to program development or policy.

  • Practice Setting

    Practitioners work in multidisciplinary, person-centered environments that serve individuals and communities affected by socioeconomic disadvantage. Their work spans direct care, integrated care, and community-based services, using trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and evidence-based approaches across in-person and virtual modalities.


    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Community mental health clinics
    • Public health and nonprofit agencies
    • Hospital and outpatient behavioral health programs
    • Primary care and integrated behavioral health teams
    • School-based mental health services
    • Shelter- and housing-support programs
    • Mobile crisis and community outreach services
    • Telehealth and digital behavioral health platforms
    • Substance use treatment programs
    • Justice and correctional behavioral health settings

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:

  • Describe socioeconomic disadvantage and other related topics.

  • Describe the causes and consequences associated with socioeconomic disadvantages across the lifespan.

  • Describe interviewing, screening, and intervention options appropriate for clients who experience socioeconomic disadvantage.

  • Describe up-to-date research findings.

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.