Review of Connections in the clinic: Relational narratives from team-based primary care.

Reviews the book, Connections in the Clinic: Relational Narratives from Team-Based Primary Care edited by Randall Reitz, Laura E. Sudano, and Mark P. Knudson (2021). This book is an edited collection of poems and stories reflecting the personal nature of the mission, vision, and practice of integrated primary care. This collection reflects the biopsychosocial model, which has been growing steadily in research and practice over the last few decades. These stories from the frontlines illustrate the increased awareness of the strong mind-body-interpersonal and team connections that are a critical part of a successful primary care system. This book is intended to be inspirational for anyone working in a primary care clinic. The editors describe the central purpose of the book is to find meaning in the relationships that are created in team-based primary care. This is a book where these stories are collected to expand our recognition and appreciation of the full diversity of patterns in our personal and work lives. The collection of stories is intended to inspire readers to actively practice their own reflections and learnings and encourages sharing them with others. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Reflections on clinician barriers to sexual health conversations: The need for education and encouragement.

Comments on the original article by M. R. Canzona et al. (see record 2018-12809-003) on the topic of initiating sexual health conversations with breast cancer survivors. In this qualitative study, four themes that the authors describe as limiting the ability of clinicians to address issues of sexuality in breast cancer survivors emerge. This study demonstrates that barriers to initiating conversations about sexual health have a lot more to do with the assumptions, attitudes, and knowledge of the clinicians' and their view of what is best for patient care than with the patient herself. (PsycINFO Database Record

Primary care mental health: a new frontier for psychology.

The medical system in this country is divided into primary care and specialty care. Mental health is for the most part a specialty service dependent on referrals, often from primary care providers. The authors propose a new model where psychologists work in collaboration with primary care medical teams. This integrated, coordinated model enables psychologists to help patients they would not otherwise see in a mental health system. Examples of patients in this category are seniors, those with somatizing disorders, and those experiencing the challenges of dealing with a chronic illness. This model also enables psychologists to provide consultation to the medical teams. In this article, the authors discuss the world of the primary care medical team and present the rationale for integration or collaboration. They describe the barriers to collaborative practices and ways to overcome these barriers. Finally, they present practical strategies that psychologists can use on a regular basis to increase their collaboration with primary care. These strategies can be used by those who work in colocated practices as well as those who work in separate locations.