3 minute read In the late 1980s, neurologists Sterling and Eyer introduced the theory of allostasis, which describes how certain physiological processes such as heart rate and blood pressure shift rapidly in order to maintain the internal mileiu.1 In a healthy animal, such adaptations serve to maintain a homeostatic baseline. However, when internal or external […]
5 minute read “The key to working with behavioral health clients,” a clinical supervisor told me over 30 years ago, “is asking about the past losses they’ve suffered and exploring whether they mishandled them.” He was a loss zealot, a mourning maven. He walked clients through guided imagery exercises of standing beside their loved one’s […]
10 Minute read Our field has several pioneers and innovators in family-centered work, whether in clinical practice, education, training, research, or policy specialties. This edition of the Families and Health SIG newsletter wanted to highlight the voices of several well-known individuals in the field and share their words of wisdom to future students and professionals […]
3 minute read Efficient care and high productivity are essential elements for behavioral health consultants (BHC) practicing the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model. But there can be quite a bit of variability in how clinics measure quality and productivity. Metrics can include the number of patients seen, the relative value of each intervention provided, […]
3 minute read The emerging COVID-19 vaccine rollout is a potential knockout blow for a pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the wellbeing of individuals and families across the globe. A new article from the editors at Families, Systems, and Health reviews the challenges of vaccine dissemination and uptake and recommends the mobilization of interprofessional […]
4 minute read I can hear her soft voice, with its slight Long Island intonations, murmuring in the next room as she comforts her many struggling psychotherapy clients about the pandemic during their telehealth appointments with her. My office—once our adult son’s childhood bedroom with YA titles and high school notebooks still on the bookshelves—is […]
3 minute read Next month, I will turn 65: a point in life when one realizes that the rearview is longer than what lies ahead. The decision to enter Arizona State University’s DBH program after 30 years in journalism raised a few eyebrows among former colleagues. My own perspective is one of evolution, stemming from […]
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 […]
10 Minute Read Our conversations tell us a lot about who we are, so we thought it would be a good idea to review our top list serve conversations for 2020. Before those of you who are not members of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA) stop reading, let me convince you as to why […]
5 minute read Emerging research is bringing new meaning to this familiar adage. Although the study of eye movements is more than a century old, new technology has made eye tracking devices more comfortable for research subjects, and more portable for use in naturalistic settings.1 In general, eye movement studies are of two types. The […]
Five minute read Hearing a child or youth say that they want to die can be a scary experience for any behavioral health professional. When I was a newly minted BHC, I found myself in a complex juggling act of supporting my medical team, taking my patient’s suicidal ideation (SI) seriously while understanding variations in […]
5 minute read. Original post available here. Starting and sustaining a movement in healthcare is tough business, unless there is a plan and resources for dissemination. The movement to integrate behavioral health services into primary care began in diverse places, but now appears to have serious momentum. The challenges facing integration today are many and include […]
15 minute read If you’re looking for a break from election and pandemic news, you came to the right place. This post covers the best research in integrated behavioral healthcare over the past 4-6 months. First, check out the recent special issue on pediatrics and collaborative care in the Pediatrics Annal journal. You will find […]
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 Although we can’t predict what the post-pandemic world will look like, it is certain that it will bear little resemblance to the period preceding the current crisis. Mobile health and Internet technologies have been developing at breakneck pace, reflecting the recent focus on telehealth, as well as the omnipresence of cell phones. […]
5 Minute Read This is a first. To our knowledge no systematic effort to account for the number of practices providing integrated behavioral health services in the United States has been undertaken, other than efforts to identify colocated providers in a geographical space. To be sure the data collected has its limitations and this blog […]
5 minute read Greetings, CFHA! My name is Norma Balli-Borrero, and this is my very first post as a newly minted member of the CFHA Blog Writing Team. My posts will center around being a BHC and research assistant working in Pediatrics. Some of my posts will be based on my own personal experience, while […]
3 minute read As COVID-19 progresses into its ninth month, there is growing concern about long-term psychological consequences for frontline workers, and their inability to self-monitor. Shell shock was a term first used during World War I to describe psychological trauma among soldiers who had served on the front lines. Researchers observing symptoms such as […]
