9th Annual Conference

Social determinants of health impact our clinic populations in ways we have little opportunity to understand or impact in a brief one-on-one clinic appointment. In a group setting, it is possible for behavioral health and trauma informed resources to be effectively integrated into medical group visits at every visit through facilitative leadership.

Behavioral health screenings (PHQ9, GAD, ACEs and more) can be included in the group visit check-in and, within the safe environment established for the group members, personal stories can be shared and supported by others without fear of exposure outside the group setting. By encouraging group members to share their stories, without judgment, and with conscious cultural respect and humility, facilitators can support both their patients and their own growth. Understanding the nuances of a patient’s community, and the structural barriers that exist in our society, allows facilitators to maximize the effectiveness of their roles and to honor their patients in earnest.

Trauma and toxic stress can be discussed in this safe environment without judgement and with respect for differences in cultural values and norms. Strategies and resources for management of toxic stress can be shared by group members and care providers (medical and behavioral health) around resiliency, managing adversity and benefits of mindfulness on healing/self regulation, seeking safety grounding exercises and SMART goals to focus on importance of self management for self care outside the group setting. Additional behavioral health resources can be incorporated into the group visit, destigmatizing these important support components and enabling a warm handoff to further care.

The co-presenters are trained, highly-skilled facilitators with several decades of experience presenting at national conferences. This presentation format will be informative, engaging and not rely heavily on content-laden slides.

Group Visit, facilitative leadership, behavioral health integration, mindfulness, goal setting, self management, stress management, prenatal care, pediatrics, chronic conditions

Skill-based training or Experiential workshop: provide an opportunity to acquire and practice a new skill and to observe and refine teaching techniques for this skill

This session is appropriate for all audiences and skill levels