Facing mental health problems is a challenge that no one should face alone. Indeed, most patients recover best with a comprehensive support system, which includes not only family and friends, but also a full team of specialized professionals. This mental health team includes medical professionals who can address a patient’s mental, emotional, physical, and social needs.

Who’s on a Mental Health Team?

Each patient’s team is designed to provide comprehensive care that addresses the individual patient’s physical, mental, emotional, and social needs. Along with specialized nurses and doctors, the team may include the following members:

• Psychologists
• Group or family therapists
• Recreation therapists
• Addiction professionals
• Psychiatrists
• Social workers

These team members work closely with one another to tailor a treatment plan that fits each patient. They may also work with the patient’s other doctors to ensure that any medical treatments are appropriate to the patient’s medical history and physical condition.

Benefits of a Team Approach

For many patients, a team approach may seem like “too much” care for one person. But each team member specializes in a specific aspect of mental health and recovery. This strategy means that patients get help in different areas of their lives, from managing relationships and conflict resolution, to ensuring proper prescription dosages.

At University Medical Center’s behavioral health center, The Pavilion, we use a team approach for multiple reasons:

• Coordinated care: By working together, the patient’s mental health team can address all of a patient’s mental health needs, rather than one particular aspect. Meanwhile, including the primary care doctor in the treatment process has a significant advantage: patients can see how their mental health improvements impact their overall health. For instance, the recreational therapist may craft an exercise plan for a patient, which lowers the patient’s cholesterol or assists in diabetes management. Patients can track these physical improvements as they recover from their mental health conditions.
• Comprehensive treatment: For most patients, a complete recovery requires multiple therapeutic approaches. Depression, for example, may be treated not only through individual and group therapy sessions with a psychologist, but also with medication prescribed by a psychiatrist. Patients with any mental health concern often benefit from education in stress management, coping skills, communication strategies, or recreation therapy.
• Eased transition back into the daily routine: Mental health disorders can be disruptive to patients’ everyday lives. Children and adolescents may face difficulties at school, while adults may return to stressful family or work lives. A mental health team both treats the mental illness and arms the patient with vital life skills. The team may also include members of the community, like social workers or mentors, providing further support even after intensive treatment has ended.

For more information about mental health teams or our team approach, contact The Pavilion at University Medical Center. Visit us online or reach us by phone at 954-724-6502.