My teaching philosophy is that staff at any level can learn critical thinking skills in psychology. I address how to assess and handle concrete situations (such as emergencies), as well as how to think about and manage ongoing dynamics with patients.
The Whole Patient: Elements in the Response to Illness (1 hour)
This is a foundational course for understanding the psychological, medical, social, and environmental factors that interact to create a patient’s unique response to sudden or chronic illness. Participants will learn to use the Response to Illness EquationSM to think about and communicate more effectively with patients. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify and understand the components of the Response to Illness EquationSM
- Apply this knowledge to a patient case study of their choosing
Working with “Difficult” Patients (1 hour)
There are many reasons for patients to come across as “difficult” or unpleasant. The people we see in medical and long-term care settings are not functioning at their medical or emotional best. Illness can rob a person of functions and independence that were previously taken for granted. It can also challenge a patient’s typical coping skills and elicit unhelpful interpersonal patterns. In this training, participants will learn to:
- Identify possible reasons for “acting out” behavior in medical and long-term care populations
- Use the Response to Illness EquationSM to think through appropriate and effective responses to “acting out” behavior
Depression in Medical and Long-Term Care Patients (1 hour)
Depression affects about 7% of the U.S. population each year and can have serious effects on a medical patient’s recovery. It can predict some forms of heart disease and is associated with poorer survival rates among coronary patients. Up to 50% of post-stroke patients meet criteria for major depression. Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and other medical issues are also associated with higher depression rates. In fact, among hospitalized patients, depression is an independent risk factor for death.
Given these statistics, understanding depression is imperative for staff members in medical and long-term care settings. In this training, participants will learn to:
- Identify clinical depression in patients
- Identify other illnesses, such as dementia and Bipolar Disorder, that can be confused with clinical depression
- Assess for suicidality
Anxiety in Medical and Long-Term Care Patients (1 hour)
Anxiety appears in a variety of diagnoses. Illness and hospitalization can exacerbate anxiety symptoms and slow healing. Anxiety can also mimic cardiac symptoms and is associated with GI distress and chronic pain. This training will teach participants to:
- Identify panic attack symptoms in patients (and rule out cardiac distress)
- Identify Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms in patients
- Understand Agoraphobia symptoms in patients
- Identify substance/medication-induced anxiety disorder symptoms in patients
- Become familiar with the most common treatments for the anxiety disorders discussed
Introduction to Adult Psychological Trauma (1 hour)
Trauma is an incredibly common experience. Many patients come to long-term care and skilled nursing with hidden psychological trauma histories. Patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder have a greater risk of drug use, risky health behaviors, cardiovascular morbidities, depression, chronic pain, and cognitive issues. It is important to understand the neurological and psychological effects of trauma so that we can better care for – and avoid re-traumatizing – these patients. In this workshop, participants will learn to:
- Describe “simple” versus “complex” trauma
- Understand how trauma may affect a person’s feelings, experiences, thoughts and behavior
- Understand how hospitalization may impact a person with existing trauma history
- Better interact with patients that have a trauma history
Psychosis in Medical and Long-Term Care Settings (1 hour)
Caring for patients with psychosis can be uncomfortable and even frightening. Recent studies have shown that patients with severe mental illness (SMI) enter nursing homes at higher rates and at a younger age than patients without mental illness. However, due to both patient and facility factors, the quality of care that patients with SMI receive is of poorer quality. Participants in this training will learn to:
- Describe the five key features that define psychotic illness: Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, disorganized motor behavior, and “negative” symptoms
- Know which conditions might cause psychotic symptoms
- More confidently interact with a patient experiencing psychosis
