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Live Webinar

It's All Connected: Physical Health Considerations for Treating Behavioral Health Concerns in Primary Care

Brian Stran-Joy, PhD
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Date & Time

Description

This workshop equips behavioral health and medical clinicians with practical skills for identifying and addressing physical health factors that influence behavioral health presentations in primary care. Participants will explore suggested frameworks and key considerations for recognizing when physical conditions may be driving or complicating behavioral symptoms, including red flags warranting further medical evaluation. Through illustrative case examples, attendees will see these considerations applied to real-world clinical scenarios. The session also addresses practical strategies for cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication. Clinicians will leave with concrete, immediately applicable tools to strengthen whole-person care for their patients.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Construct a clinical approach for applying suggested frameworks to patient scenarios.

  • Describe at least two potential frameworks used in primary care settings to widen physical health considerations.

  • Identify three practical strategies for cross-disciplinary collaboration to support whole-person care.

Educational Goal

Attendees will gain familiarity with potential frameworks and key considerations for identifying when physical health factors may be influencing behavioral health presentations in a primary care setting. They will also explore strategies for cross-disciplinary collaboration to support more integrated, whole-person care for their patients.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Nurse
  • Physician
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Brian Stran-Joy, PhD
Brian Stran-Joy, PhD, is a counseling psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at UMass Chan Medical School. He provides integrated behavioral health services at Hahnemann Family Health Center, an urban family medicine residency practice in Worcester, MA, where his work spans direct patient care, clinical supervision, and faculty teaching within UMass Family Medicine Residency. Dr. Stran-Joy's clinical interests include evidence-based practice in primary care settings, lifespan development, and geriatric behavioral health. He supervises doctoral-level psychology practica and serves as a site supervisor for the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Fellowship, with a strong commitment to interdisciplinary training and workforce development in integrated care. He earned his doctorate in counseling psychology from Western Michigan University and his master's in clinical psychology from Washburn University. He completed his predoctoral internship at the Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship in primary care behavioral health with Swedish Medical Group.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Aetna Better Health of Louisiana
  • Humana Healthy Horizons in Louisiana
  • Louisiana Healthcare Connections