Behavioral Health Clinic
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Behavioral Health (AKA Behavioral Medicine) is a field of psychology that focuses on the relationship between behaviors, emotions, and physical health. Behavioral medicine/health services play a critical role in supporting individuals managing emotional challenges and medical conditions. PPA’s behavioral health specialists often work in collaboration with other health care professionals (primary care physicians/pediatricians, neurologists, etc.) to ensure our patients receive the highest quality, integrated, and comprehensive care.
Dealing with a medical issue on a daily basis can cause many disruptions to one’s daily life, activities, relationships, and mood. Learning skills to manage emotional responses to medical symptoms, unpleasant procedures and/or related limitations in functioning often leads to improvements in emotional and physical health, as well as quality of life.
The Behavioral Medicine Clinic at Pediatric Psychology Associates (PPA) provides psychological services addressing the management of chronic medical conditions and treatment of related psychological factors. These specialty services are provided through both our Child/Adolescent and Adult Services Divisions.
PPA’s behavioral health services combine evidence-based psychotherapy with specialized interventions to address mental health needs, promote healthy behavior change, support pain and stress management, and improve treatment adherence. These services include:
- Psychotherapy:
Psychotherapy involves discussions with a mental health professional to explore thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and their contribution to an individual’s presenting issues. Psychotherapy may also address adjustment difficulties secondary to medical issues, unpleasant procedures, and related disruptions to daily life. Treatment may involve a combination of traditional psychotherapy approaches (such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), as well as specialized modalities (including Biofeedback and Pain Reprocessing Therapy). - Health Behavior Change:
Behavioral health professionals help individuals adopt healthier lifestyles to manage and prevent physical health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This may include counseling on nutrition, exercise, and smoking cessation. - Pain Management:
For individuals experiencing chronic pain, behavioral health interventions can be used to improve pain management and reduce reliance on pain medication.
- Stress Management:
Chronic stress can exacerbate physical health conditions. Behavioral health treatment can teach stress-reduction techniques, such as relaxation exercises and mindfulness, to improve overall well-being.
- Compliance and Adherence:
For individuals with chronic illnesses, maintaining treatment plans, medication regimens, and lifestyle changes can be challenging. Behavioral health professionals help with adherence and compliance to improve health outcomes.
Behavioral medicine commonly addresses a range of disorders, including:
- Chronic headaches, including tension headaches, migraines, and cluster headaches.
- Chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, and neuroplastic pain.
- Endocrinological concerns, such as diabetes.
- Gastrointestinal issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Insomnia and sleep-related disorders.
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
PPA’s Behavioral Medicine Clinic
Behavioral medicine is a field of psychology that focuses on the relationship between behaviors, emotions, and physical health. It encompasses a wide range of therapeutic approaches and interventions, including:
- Psychotherapy:
Psychotherapy involves discussions with a mental health professional to explore thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and their contribution to an individual’s presenting issues. Psychotherapy may also address adjustment difficulties secondary to medical issues, unpleasant procedures, and related disruptions to daily life. Treatment may involve a combination of traditional psychotherapy approaches (such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), as well as specialized modalities (including biofeedback and Pain Reprocessing Therapy). - Health Behavior Change:
Behavioral health professionals help individuals adopt healtheir lifestyles to manage and prevent physical health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This may include counseling on nutrition, exercise, and smoking cessation. - Pain Management:
For individuals experiencing chronic pain, behavioral health interventions can be used to improve pain management and reduce reliance on pain medication. - Stress Management:
Chronic stress can exacerbate physical health conditions. Behavioral health treatment can teach stress-reduction techniques, such as relaxation exercises and mindfulness, to improve overall well-being. - Compliance and Adherence:
For individuals with chronic illnesses, maintaining treatment plans, medication regimens, and lifestyle changes can be challenging. Behavioral health professionals help with adherence and compliance to improve health outcomes.
PPA’s specialized clinicians
PPA’s specialized clinicians offer evidence-based psychological treatments, tailored to your specific needs, and aimed to optimize physical and psychological health. These include, but are not limited to, Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT) and Biofeedback, which research shows can positively affect health and well-being.
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Examples of positive changes typically observed in individuals suffering from debilitating medical conditions include:
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decreased pain intensity and frequency
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enhanced immune response
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increased functional capacity
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improved sleep and mood
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improved productivity at work and school
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improved quality of life
PPA’s Behavioral Medicine team
Get Started on Your Child's Healing Journey
PPA has partnered with South Florida Headache to provide behavioral health consultation and, if appropriate, treatment for headaches and other chronic pain conditions. This multidisciplinary collaboration, led by Drs. Alexandria Gonzalez (PPA’s lead Behavioral Medicine Psychologist) and Dr. Suzanne Hagler (Pediatric Neurologist at South Florida Headache MD), is provided out of our Hollywood location, while other Behavioral Medicine services may be available across other PPA locations and through telehealth. Please feel free to contact us at our office if you have any questions or to schedule an appointment.
