Mind Meets Body: Developing a Psychology Internship in a Family Medicine Residency Program (Raymond Hornyak PhD)

Mind Meets Body: Creating a Primary Care Psychology Internship in a Family Medicine Residency Program Introduction: Multiple studies have identified the benefits of providing behavioral health services to primary care patients. Decreased length of stay, fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits, less frequent office visits, fewer prescriptions, and improvement in health outcomes have been associated with the availability of a behavioral health professional as part of an integrative primary care network. Family physicians have found behavioral health colleagues a valuable resource in which to refer their "difficult" patients, as well as those who could benefit from learning to decrease pain behavior, reduce stress, and motivating patients to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Behavioral Science is an integral component of the family medicine residency curriculum. Residents are exposed to psychological assessment of common mental disorders, lifestyle disorders, and treatment strategies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and Motivational Interviewing. The behavioral scientist serves as both consultant and recipient of numerous referrals to augment medical treatment. As a faculty member, the behavioral scientist who is a psychologist by training is well- positioned to introduce psychological methods to residents, faculty, and staff, and supervise doctoral-level psychology interns. Psychologists as a profession are uniquely qualified to fit int...
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