Our focus on behavioral health is unique and distinctive. The behavioral health program in our department serves to enhance patient care and is an integral part of our resident training curricula. The goal of the longitudinal behavioral health curriculum is the development of the personal and the professional with a focus on interpersonal and communication skills, the provision of family-centered care, the ability to identify and manage mental health issues, and enhancing reflexivity skills to challenge bias and promote equitable care.  

Clinical Training

• 60% of residents' time is spent in outpatient practice, where they utilize skills learned in mental health diagnosis and treatment and are co-precepted by physician and behavioral health faculty.
• All residents complete a psychiatry rotation in their third year with the Parkland Consult-Liaison Psychiatry triage team at Parkland Hospital in order to develop additional expertise in the fundamentals of psychiatry consults and providing psychiatric care in the general hospital setting. Residents gain experience in treating presenting problems such as delirium, agitation, depression, and substance use disorders, and improve their understanding of psychiatric complications of medical/ surgical illnesses (e.g., grief, anxiety, family dynamics).
• Residents rotate with Parkland Consult-Liaison Psychiatry faculty integrated as a consult service into our Parkland Family Medicine Clinic for training in interviewing, diagnosing, and treating mental health issues in outpatient primary care.
• All residents complete a geriatric rotation in their second year which includes facilitating outpatient visits with patients presenting with complex care needs as part of a Multidisciplinary Clinic, including training in cognitive screening, the impacts of caregiving on patients and families, and introprofessional team-based care.
• Residents receive regular training specific to health behavior, and clinical skills to assess, motivate, and support patient efforts at behavior change.
• Residents are regularly live observed and coached by the behavioral health team to provide highest quality, patient-centered clinical care via rapport-building, collaboration with patients, and engaging family members in care.

Integrated Care

• We partner with area mental health training programs and serve as training sites for their behavioral health interns, allowing us to provide no-cost behavioral health care for patients in the Department.
• Members of our behavioral health team are integrated into each of our outpatient clinics to collaborate in care, and provide an opportunity for our residents to connect patients to brief, solution-oriented behavioral consultations and psychotherapy. 
• Members of our behavioral health team are also integrated into our inpatient services and provide behavioral health consultations as well as training specific to teamwork and leadership.
• Joint visits can be conducted at each of our sites with residents, patients, and behavioral health - this team-based care supports residents' abilities to collaborate effectively with mental health clinicians.

Residents' Reflective Practice

• Residents participate in regularly scheduled, confidential Balint groups to present and discuss specific patients and further their understanding of the physician-patient relationship.
• Residents participate in confidential support groups as part of our resident wellness initiatives with the goal to debrief, promote stress management, and support resident growth and psychosocial awareness.

Family physicians are unique in their ability to provide patient-centered care -- our behavioral health curriculum helps residents excel at patient communication, and supports them serving as first line mental health care for many.