Description
611: Primary Care and Mental Health: Collaborative Care in a COVID-pandemic World
Lon Lynn, D.O.
Dr. Lynn Family Practice
4910 Northdale Blvd., Ste. 206
Tampa, FL 33625
David Clarke, Ph.D.
Dr. David E. Clarke – Marriage, Individual, Family Counseling
13304 Winding Oak Ct., Ste. A
Tampa, FL 33612
Summary
This workshop will explain how mental health practitioners can improve the care of their patients through coordination with medical healthcare providers. Knowing your limits and having good referral options are necessary for maximum patient/client care and meeting the requirements for any safety concerns. The literature shows a definite increase in anxiety and depression in both previously diagnosed and new patients associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As these numbers increase and impact the entire healthcare system, new and better tools are needed to aid this rising problem. The instructors will explain collaborative care between mental and medical health professionals, answering why, when, and how to collaborate effectively. Additionally, they will review some of the recent literature regarding the pandemic and mental health concerns and discuss the value of bringing God and His care into the conversation, as well as ways to avoid some of the problems often considered in medical encounters. Finally, the instructors will discuss the benefits of referring to Christian doctors.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
• Evaluate current research on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and how mental health issues are now being seen more by primary care physicians
• Develop a personal method of referring patients/clients to clinical mental health and medical professionals by understanding the why, when, and how of referrals
• Formulate treatment plans with the collaboration of medical doctors for psychologists and licensed mental health professionals that include Christianity with patients/clients suffering from the mental effects of the pandemic as compared to the world’s approach to mental health treatment
