Primary Care Behavioral Health

Curriculum

Workshop 5: Behavioral Medicine Interventions: Health Behavior Change and Relaxation Response Techniques

Faculty: Alexander Blount, EdD, Daniel Mullin, PsyD, and Ronald Adler, MD

Health Behavioral Change Strategies (2 hours)

• Building the doctor/patient relationship for better health
• Stages of Change model
• Motivational interviewing
• Matching approaches to stages of change
• Health behavior change interviewing practice for smoking and obesity

Goal: Able to conceptualize the stage of change of a patient in relation to a health behavior problem and to match motivational approaches to that stage.

Treating the Somatizing Patient (1 hour)

• Is the concept of somatization useful?
• Teamwork in providing care
• Language that engages the patient
• The use of uncertainty in uncertain situations

Goal: Able to discuss bodily symptoms that have no medical findings with patients in a way that promotes curiosity and coping in relation to the illness.

Behavioral Medicine Skills (3 hours)

• Role of relaxation response therapies
• Sleep promotion skills
• Progressing relaxation and autogenics
• Hypnotic methods without trance
• Biofeedback

Goal: Able to teach patients techniques to calm their bodies’ reactivity.