A new series of free online videos from APA shows what psychologists can contribute to integrated health-care settings.
The "Psychologists in Integrated Health Care" series features interviews with psychologists and physicians working together in medical practices around the country.
So far, the series includes four five-minute videos: an introduction to integrated care plus videos featuring psychologists working in pediatric primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, and family medicine settings. A fifth video on how psychologists can help practices deal with "super-utilizers" — high-risk, high-cost patients with complicated medical, behavioral and social problems — is in the planning stages.
The videos are aimed at several audiences: psychologists, other health professionals, students and consumers.
"The videos tell the story of what integrated care is like," says psychologist W. Douglas Tynan, PhD, APA's director of integrated health care.
While the series features unscripted interviews, several themes have emerged, says Tynan. Among them is physicians' positive response to psychologists' involvement in integrated care. "They say things like, 'This has been a godsend' or 'This is one of the best things to ever happen in this clinic,'" says Tynan. "They all say having psychologists in their settings makes their work much more efficient because ... their time isn't tied up doing something someone else can do better."
The videos also show how integrating psychologists into health-care settings reduces the stigma often associated with seeking mental health services, says Tynan. "Patients are much more willing to come see a psychologist at the primary-care office where they've been coming for years because they trust that physician," he says.
— Rebecca A. Clay
