5 minute read “… I normally see patients for 3-6 visits.” “… we will focus on the symptoms that are getting in your way right now and help you to connect to something longer term if needed.” “… I can help with x, y, and z but if you need help with a, b, and […]
7 minute read I am writing this post on the tail-end of the CFHA 2020 conference. What an amazing time of coming together and re-orienting ourselves to this work! I have to admit to feeling fairly stressed during the conference as a clinician and behavioral health director. To some extent, this is often the case […]
5 minute read Like many of you, my work as a BHC moved abruptly to 100% phone and video work in mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Personally, there have been some downsides to this. I miss seeing patients in the privacy of an exam room or my office and that irreplaceable connection that […]
5 minute read BHC perspective, Portland, OR When our CFHA blog editor reached out to ask for posts on the rapid conversion to telemedicine due to COVID my first thought was, “oh yes, I would like to read those!”. Then I realized that as one of your bloggers it is my job to try to […]
This is the first in a series of posts showing different perspectives on important topics. Check back in the future for more! Hi everyone and happy 2020! As you can tell from the title of this post, today in the CFHA blog we are going to take on the age-old question “Which discipline creates the […]
3-4 Minute Read With a couple of notable exceptions, the 2019 CFHA conference in Denver was, as my 8 year old would say, epic. The creative plenary sessions were impressive; a surprise opportunity to co-facilitate the women’s health task force discussion group with Helen Coons left me star-struck; Stacy Ogbeide’s session on treating PTSD in […]
Ah, goals. We all set them for ourselves. Do I even need to tell you how many times I have vowed to get up 15 minutes early to meditate every morning or given up cookies? More often than not goals require too much additional energy and not enough failsafe measures to be sustainable. Human nature […]
“I can’t sleep when my baby sleeps, I’m too worried about every little thing. Why didn’t anyone tell me it would be like this? I thought I could do this but now I am not sure at all.” “I’m so angry and irritable that my family and friends are losing patience with me. They pushed […]
I think about elevator pitches a fair amount, maybe more than would be considered healthy. I can’t help it. Every time I think I have finally explained the role of the mental health provider on the health care team to anyone who could possibly care, another person says, “I guess I still don’t really understand […]
One of the first things I noticed when starting out as a BHC in an obstetrics/gynecology clinic was that every template or model for integrated care focused on primary care as the setting for behavioral health integration.
I vividly remember my first meeting with the OB-Gyn and maternal-fetal medicine providers in the early weeks of my role as a behavioral health consultant for a group of women’s health clinics. I wore my favorite shirt. I got up earlier than seemed reasonable (who knew how much doctors love 7 am meetings?). I brought […]
This post was inspired by a recent CFHA listserv discussion. If you are reading this and not a CFHA member, the listerv is one of the many amazing benefits of CFHA membership! It usually looks something like this: A face I know well pops into my office door—another staff member in the clinic where I […]
