Working in a mental Health Facility

Working as a mental health provider in a hospital setting can be a challenging and at times intimidating experience, especially for early career professionals and trainees. Medical professionals run the gambit from accepting and welcoming to unaccepting and unwelcoming of mental health services. As an example, I had one Attending Physician within the past year tell me “I just don’t believe in that mental stuff, ” as I prepared to consult him on a patient struggling with medication adherence.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are many physicians who not only welcome us as mental health service providers, but use our thoughts and evaluations to guide many of the medical choices they make for their patients.

And then, there is the majority who fall somewhere in the middle.

Point being: If you are on a mental health consult service in a hospital, you don’t know what kind of reaction your practice is going to evoke in the medical provider.

With that in mind, a few quick tips have helped me to navigate the hospital landscape over the past 5 years.

1. Be an active voice. Mental health is important and it is often the role of the mental health provider to advocate for mental health when no one else will. No matter the situation, advocate for a patient’s mental health and don’t back down from your thoughts. Mental health should have an equal seat at the table as any other service and many professionals will respect your opinion if spoken and backed up with facts and data. Moreover, negative opinions of mental health will not change until we are willing to stand up for our field.
2. Ask questions. As mental health providers we are often “left in the dark” about many of the medical problems our patients are facing. Terms and phrases in the chart or spoken in rounds may seem very foreign. Find a friendly face on the medical team and ask. Often something we don’t understand may be very important and our advice may make a medical problem better for the patient.
3. Educate! It is important that medical professionals know what we do and know that mental health is more than relaxation exercises and deep breathing. It is the responsibility of all of us to help other professionals know what we are capable of and how we can assist with the overall care of the patient. In fact, giving others this knowledge will also help in the future, as medical professionals will know what to expect and how the mental health team can assist the patient.
4. Remember who you are serving. At the end of the day, we are all there to help the patient. Keeping this in mind will keep you grounded and give you the courage to speak up when necessary and also to reframe some of the reactions other professionals may have to you. Hospitals are stressful, fast paced settings where all providers work hard to provide solid care in a timely manner. So another professional being brusque or off-putting may simply be a matter of that individual thinking of the patient and treatment goals. Keeping that in mind will make your life easier.

These tips will hopefully help mental health providers understand and navigate the hospital setting. In summary, we know that mental health is crucial to patient care and that mental health services are a vital organ of any hospital. Through education and active advocating, mental health services in hospitals will continue to grow and in turn, help more patients feel better.

what does retro mean How to turn off imessage on iphone? How to reset android phone? How does the use of language tricks enhance this speech for you How to delete venmo account what does inseam mean in pants in what way does natural selection depend on the specific environment in which an organism lives? what does soliloquy mean How to magic/ card tricks How much money do yachties make other than tips? what does blue balls feel like How to get tips on twitter How to reset iphone x? How to do flip tricks with a water bottle How to update chrome? How to fix a relationship? How to make more money on the side How to prepare for war tips Girl ask what kind of tricks i got How to make a mirror? what does annoyed mean what does initiated mean How to be productive? How to dry land pratice snowboarding tricks. How to clean pyrography tips What does the jedi mind tricks symbol stand for what time does animal kingdom close How to do magicofrahat tricks Use bypass tricks (if you don't know what are you doing, please leave those unchecked what does embody mean what does the number 3 mean How to reinvent yourself? what does vixen mean Tricks when flying what time are the football games How does davis blane do his tricks How to get rid of dark circles under your eyes How to summon spirits elden ring? what does um mean what are the best wireless earbuds what does high hdl mean How to tell if a cantaloupe is ripe? Card games bids how many tricks oh hell other names crazy what does conversion mean How to tell when a pineapple is ripe D&d 5e bag of tricks when do animals disappear What is the purpose of tips what does utterly mean what does the red dot mean on my apple watch How many tips does a pizza hut delivery guy make what does it say When can dogs start learning tricks How to build a steel spiral staircase tips and techniques How to evolve eevee? what does portable mean Tips and tricks on how to fly a comanche uk 375 what does swarthy mean Where can you purchase a book some of harry houdini greatest tricks How to surrender a dog what does an invoice look like what does crest mean How to exfoliate face? Tips and tricks on how to use graphing calculator 83 on act what does los angeles mean Tips for teaching kids how to hit a baseball Tricks to knowing how to memorize the muscles of the spine How long does it take for a tesla to charge? How to stop worrying what does it mean if you have green poop what does the semicolon mean what time does the cowboys play Minecraft how to teach a wolf tricks what does eco friendly mean Tips to make skin swell when vacuum pumping what does circulation mean How to hack clash of clans How to replace bathroom faucet What are good tricks to show more defined abs what does quantity mean in math what time does westfield mall open what does hru mean in texting what does flank mean what does semper fi mean in the marines Tips for why yale essay New tricks on how to have free internet in android for smart or globe How to connect airpods to xbox one How long to charge apple watch Acnl how to get decorating tips from lottie How to find apple id password How to make your hair fluffy How to get a google phone number? What are q tips used for How to use different icing tips How to use cock rings what color are the houses in the classic version of monopoly? what does michael j fox have what does mlg mean How do magicians do magic tricks How to simplify exponents How to help neck pain The passenger and the snake who tricks How to calculate correlation coefficient? How to become an fbi agent? what does losing teeth in a dream mean How to draw a baby? How to screen record on chromebook? How to prevent split ends Card game where you win tricks How to tell if you have a sinus infection? what does it mean when you sneeze a lot How to brew a 1 gallon batch of beer tips and tricks How to install a dimmer switch what are shears what does cve stand for what does god look like in the bible what does ibid mean What piping tips to use to make flowers How to train cats tricks How to reset hp printer How to get rid of ingrown hair cyst? what does homo mean How to show magic tricks How to help constipation what does aarp do what does it mean if your hemoglobin is high How much money do you have to make file taxes The girl who did tricks on her bike Why should you pay tips How to block spam calls on iphone How the brain's perception of reality plays tricks on us. In 1969 mustang what models could have dual quad exhaust tips How to learn roller skating tricks How to transfer data from one phone to another what does novus ordo seclorum mean Winged sliver magic tricks learn how to do it Tips on how to make yourself sleep on shrooms what time does fedex stop delivering what does debut mean How to teach my australian shepard and blue heeler mix to do tricks with ball How to make weed butter? what does dh mean in baseball How to sign over a car title? what does spf mean on sunscreen How do you california here tips How to measure head for hat what time does macys close what does quadratic mean Why are the tips of my fingers so sensitive How to get rid of gnats outside How to increase credit score to 800 what are mutagens what time does trick-or-treating start 2020 Why did alum armstrong leave new tricks what does bae mean in text How to do gun tricks rdr2 online ps4 what does quintessential mean How to do back tab on keyboard programming tricks How to logout of amazon app? How to macrame what does pr mean in track what does navigate mean what are social problems How to group worksheets in excel How to tighten hey dude shoes How to change macbook name what side does a stamp go on How to dye your hair tips blue men How to avoid sleep paralysis what time does ggg fight what are the birds and the bees How to get famous? How old do you have to work at sonic How hard do you have to slap a chicken to cook it Few tips how you can certify your financial advisor How to talk to anyone: 92 little tricks for big shuccess in relationsips redit Tips on how to How to say thank you in french What color gray des linus tech tips use Why are the tips of my pineapple plant brown How to tell if someone is lying? what does fifa mean what does non profit mean How to clean acrylic nail brushes what are back taxes what does pragmatic mean How to make candied bacon? what does a will look like How to kool aid dye your hair tips what does tactics mean How to say thank you in chinese How to cut pineapple? what does government shutdown mean according to your reading about search and google, what are the two biggest trends in search? what language does brazil speak How to survive after breaking your leg tips what does mocha mean How to remove skin tags what does white roses mean Safety tips when cooking chicken How to concatenate in excel? How to separate text in excel what does a dental implant look like How to find bra size? Why do tips of fingernails turn upward what does tpn mean How to do tricks on a butterfly yoyo what does a mosquito look like How to make custard? What tricks can you use for effective proofreading what does black heart emoji mean what shapes are parallelograms what does frost do in elden ring what does sauna help with How to dye hair one.color and tips another color what does no mames mean in spanish How to take prednisone 20mg for 5 days? what does 90th percentile mean Tips on how to sell your home what does swaggy mean How long does it take to get to the moon? what does the h stand for in jesus h christ How to reduce fractions tricks How to get sweat stains out of shirts what level does makuhita evolve Tips on how to bring up oxygen levels Who tricks narcissus into falling in love with himself. what does moldy weed look like what does wyll mean what is hazing mean How to make a baked potato in the oven what does booba mean Tricks for when your 2 year old boy doesn't want to fish lon How do magic tricks work to get card on other side of glaa what are elephant tusks made of What are the 5 bumps on the tips of your nipples men what does 10 5 mean How to check my credit score without hurting it what does parallelism mean what does persistent means what are the common side effects of doxycycline? Who developed magic tricks How to build confidence? How to get a home equity loan what does agi mean How to get a sugar mommy? What front tips fit on parabolic 2 piece How to draw a bed How to change home screen on iphone? What are tips on tee How do small businesses get tips what does intubated mean what does do not pass sign mean What to press to see menue of key tricks Why do restaurants pool tips Brain stroke how to help tips How much does it cost to adopt a child what does you are being rate limited mean what are training bras How to lose weight in a week? Marker tips, which number has the finest point How to cook a spaghetti squash? How to change your airpods pro tips How to hide apps? How to draw a sun what time does family dollar close near me How to photoshop? what does a court clerk do How to remove mucus from lungs naturally?