Madyson Jones of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and Brittany Sulfridge of Williamsburg, Kentucky, work on project that won Interprofessional Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration Case Competition.
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (03/17/2026) Two Lindsey Wilson University counseling graduate students were part of a winning team that demonstrated the power of teamwork and an integrated approach to serving clients in rural areas.
Madyson Jones of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and Brittany Sulfridge of Williamsburg, Kentucky, were recognized for their work on a winning project in Interprofessional Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration Case Competition. The competition was held between graduate students at Lindsey Wilson, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Louisville.
But the win is more than an award, according to one of their professors.
“It signals readiness for complex, collaborative health-care environments where integrated care is not optional — it is essential,” said Patricia F. Stewart-Hopkins, who is a professor in Lindsey Wilson’s nationally accredited graduate program in counseling.
Jones and Sulfridge were part of a five-member team that was given a fictional case study of a man who had injured his back. The man — a single-income provider for his family who has been diagnosed with a behavioral health disorder — lived in rural Kentucky with limited access to social and medical services via the one vehicle his family owned.
To serve the fictional patient, the graduate students used the Primary Care Behavioral Health model — known as the PCBH model. The PCBH model is a team-based approach that integrates behavioral health consultants into primary health care settings.
The graduate students’ work was evaluated by faculty judges from the three schools.
The benefits of integrated care
“Winning the PCBH Case Competition was truly an honor,” said Sulfridge. “We were competing alongside some of the brightest students from three colleges and universities, so coming out on top means a lot. The experience itself was just as valuable as the win. Preparing for the competition helped strengthen my understanding of the PCBH model and how integrated care allows providers to address mental health, substance use and medical concerns in a more collaborative and effective way.”
Jones said the competition also helped her develop a deeper appreciation for integrative care, as has her internship this spring at Russell Family Medical Center in Russell Springs, Kentucky.
“I didn’t realize the benefits of integrated care and how impactful it can be, especially in places like rural Kentucky, where people often don’t have easy access to all of the services they need,” said Jones. “Integreated care is like a one-stop shop. Our clients can have their medical needs assessed, they can receive behavioral health sessions, and there is case management to help them with barriers they might face at home, such as paying bills or for groceries. It helps make sure that our clients do not slip through the cracks.”
Jones and Sulfridge said that working as members of a five-person team that was scattered among three schools reinforced the value of teamwork in serving clients.
“The process also reminded me how important teamwork and critical thinking are when developing a case conceptualization,” said Sulfridge. “It pushed me to think more holistically about patient care and how brief, focused interventions can still make a meaningful impact.”
Lindsey Wilson University counseling graduate student Madyson Jones of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was part of a team that won the Interprofessional Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration Case Competition between graduate students at Lindsey Wilson, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Louisville.
Lindsey Wilson University counseling graduate student Brittany Sulfridge of Williamsburg, Kentucky, was part of a team that won the Interprofessional Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration Case Competition between graduate students at Lindsey Wilson, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Louisville.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
View Online: http://lindseywilson.meritpages.com/news/lindsey-wilson-university-graduate-students-shine-in-team-competition/58176
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)