Behavioral Health
Our focus on behavioral health is unique and distinctive. The behavioral health program in our department serves to enhance patient care and is an integral part of our resident training curricula. The goal of the longitudinal behavioral health curriculum is the development of the personal and the professional with a focus on interpersonal and communication skills, the provision of family-centered care, the ability to identify and manage mental health issues, and enhancing reflexivity skills to challenge bias and promote equitable care.
Clinical Training
- 60% of residents' time is spent in outpatient practice, where they utilize skills learned in mental health diagnosis and treatment and are co-precepted by physician and behavioral health faculty.
- All residents complete a behavioral health rotation in their second year. This rotation combines a diverse set of clinical experiences to prepare residents for conducting biopsychosocial assessments and interventions for both medical and mental health conditions. This rotation includes training in motivational interviewing and health behavior change conversations, patient-centered communication, substance use disorder assessment and treatment, psychiatric care for adolescents and young adults, and mental health assessment and intervention in primary care. Additionally, this rotation includes exposure to primary care integrated behavioral health therapy, exposure to couples and family therapy, and reflective exercises related to residents’ ‘self-of-the-physician’ and professional development.
- Residents also complete a psychiatry rotation in their third year with the Parkland Consult-Liaison Psychiatry triage team at Parkland Hospital in order to develop additional expertise in the fundamentals of psychiatry consults and providing psychiatric care in the general hospital setting. Residents gain experience in treating presenting problems such as delirium, agitation, depression, and substance use disorders, and improve their understanding of psychiatric complications of medical/ surgical illnesses (e.g., grief, anxiety, family dynamics).
- All residents complete a geriatric rotation in their second year which includes facilitating outpatient visits with patients presenting with complex care needs as part of a Multidisciplinary Clinic, including training in cognitive screening, the impacts of caregiving on patients and families, and introprofessional team-based care.
- As part of a longitudinal curriculum targeting training in patient-centered care, high quality communication with patients, engaging family in care, collaborating on interprofessional teams, and improving clinic efficiency, the behavioral health faculty team regularly conducts live observations with each resident across all three academic years. These observations prioritize residents’ self-identified goals for professional development in these areas.
Integrated Care
- We partner with area mental health training programs and serve as training sites for their behavioral health interns, allowing us to provide no-cost behavioral health care for patients in the Department.
- Members of our behavioral health team are integrated into each of our outpatient clinics to collaborate in care, and provide an opportunity for our residents to connect patients to brief, solution-oriented behavioral consultations and psychotherapy.
- Joint visits can be conducted at each of our sites with residents, patients, and behavioral health – this team-based care supports residents' abilities to collaborate effectively with mental health clinicians.
Residents' Reflective Practice
- Residents participate in regularly scheduled, confidential Balint groups to present and discuss specific patients and further their understanding of the physician-patient relationship.
- Residents participate in confidential support groups as part of our resident wellness initiatives with the goal to debrief, promote stress management, and support resident growth and psychosocial awareness.
Family physicians are unique in their ability to provide patient-centered care – our behavioral health curriculum helps residents excel at patient communication, and supports them serving as first line mental health care for many.