12. Therapy for Children: Collaborating with our Mental Health Colleagues

https://swiy.co/WhatAreYourThoughts

Physicians rely on our mental health colleagues to provide comprehensive behavioral health treatment, but we often speak different professional languages. Today’s guest leads us through the mental health alphabet soup of therapies and explains what we can expect when we make mental health referrals. Sheryl Lozowski-Sullivan, MPh, LP, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in evidence-based interventions and psychological assessments for adults and children.

Dr. Lozowski-Sullivan founded the Integrated Behavioral Health Psychological Services, which provides talk therapy, testing and assessment, feeding, toileting, and parenting support, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, hypnotherapy, occupational therapy, and intuitive art therapy.

Building collaborative relationships with our mental health colleagues benefits our patients and families and improves our skills as well. I am delighted to welcome Sheryl to the podcast and she has been a trusted colleague in the development of interprofessional partnerships.

[00:01 - 05:55] Opening Segment

• Introducing today's guest, Sheryl Lozowski-Sullivan, MPh, LP, PhD
• Expertise and work
• Sheryl gives some background on her story
• Personal battle against cancer
• External practicum program with me
• Integrated behavioral health
• Health interventions on pediatric conditions

[05:56 - 17:55] Why You Should Not Always Believe Your Thoughts

• Choosing a specific type of therapy
• Sheryl talks about mental health in the United States
• Clinical psychology and social work
• Mental health as a discipline
• Behavioral therapy
• Referral source rates
• Combination of behavioral therapy and medication
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy
• Automatic thoughts
• Counter thoughts
• Thought-restructuring
• Need for a coach

[17:56 - 33:50] 7 Things to Feel Better

• We talk about “selling” therapy to the child’s family
• Recognizing that whatever the child experiences is real
• Listening to the child
• Dealing with anxiety disorders
• Sheryl walks us through the Activation Therapy
• Experiential
• Determined by and dependent on the patient
• She talks about not needing to know the diagnosis always
• Changing behaviors in therapy
• We talk about how to feel better, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic

[33:51 - 43:01] Collaborating with our Mental Health Colleagues

• Sheryl shares how to increase visit rates to therapy
• Mind-body dichotomy is artificial, not real
• Educating parents and guardians about pediatric conditions
• The importance of a mental health professional near you
• Can we separate the mind from the body?

[43:02 - 49:38] Closing Segment

• I give my thoughts about the role of mental health professionals in therapy
• We need to address low patient referral rates
• Final Takeaways
• Types of therapy
• Areas of expertise of therapists
• Integrated behavioral health
• This should be advocated and funded
• Mental health has long been waited by psychologists

Tweetable Quotes:

"Don’t believe everything you think … Just because a thought pops in your head doesn’t mean you have to believe it.” - Dr. Sheryl Lozowski-Sullivan

"Make sure, if you’re suspecting anxiety of any sort, of which OCD is one, please make sure that you’re referring to someone who’s doing evidence-based practice. Talking about anxiety doesn’t fix anxiety.” -