Comprehensive Care in
a Compassionate Environment

Sage Neuroscience Center

A Mental Health Clinic in Albuquerque, NM

Continuing Education Presentation with Dr. Whiteside – June 10th

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Dr. Ursula Whiteside, PhD is a suicide prevention researcher, developer and CEO of NowMattersNow.org.

What: 6 CEU Educational Presentation by Dr. Ursula Whiteside
When: June 10, 2017 8:30 – 4:30
Where: Sage Neuroscience Center
Tuition: $125.00 +grt for professionals $60.00 +grt for students
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Sage Neuroscience Center will be bringing a very exciting 6 CEU educational and professional opportunity with a presentation by Dr. Ursula Whiteside, a licensed clinical psychologist, CEO of NowMattersNow.org and Clinical Faculty at the University of Washington, on Saturday, June 10, 2017.

This training provides a practical approach to supporting suicidal patients within health and behavioral health systems using a evidence based intervention from Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Suicidal patients are also often impacted by substance abuse, chronic pain, internal judgment, and losses in their lives and can use additional skills to manage these experiences.

Dr. Whiteside will present on information of how to effectively assess and stabilize clients with suicidal ideation using a DBT informed approach. Additionally, she will present on the most contemporary approaches to standards of care, effective assessment of emotion dysregulation, suicide risk assessment and interventions, and appropriate treatment planning with assessment information.

Dr. Ursula Whiteside, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, CEO of NowMattersNow.org, and Clinical Faculty at the University of Washington. As a researcher, she has been awarded grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and also treats high-risk suicidal clients in her private practice using DBT and caring contacts. As a person with lived experience, she strives to decrease the gap between us and them and to ensure that the peer voice is represented in all relevant conversations: nothing about us without us.

How to Attend

Step One: Register using Paypal below. Once you register with paypal, you will be directed back to SageClinic.org for Step Two. Please make sure to complete the form so we can verify your purchase on paypal.


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Upcoming Benefit for NAMI – Suicide Awareness & Prevention

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Suicide has touched many of us…whether it is a personal struggle or someone we have known and lost.  This upcoming Albuquerque Event will help NAMI increase awareness and education about suicide here in New Mexico.

Artist Brandon Lynn Crotty passed away June 27, 2006. He was 36. At the time of his death, his studio overflowed with oils on canvas—experiments in abstraction, still life, and flowers—as he found his own personal rhythm in color and tone. A savant and perfectionist, Brandon felt no piece was ever “good enough,” indeed few completed canvases were even signed by the artist. He never sold a painting in his lifetime, or held an exhibition. On Saturday April 15, from 2-4 p.m., that changes. Brandon’s final 14 pieces not in personal collections will find homes via silent auction (no reserve) at his inaugural opening. Please join us and be moved by his life’s work in person. Proceeds from the silent auction (cash or checks only) will benefit: New Mexico Philharmonic, NAMI Albuquerque, and NM Dog.

Rachel Jarvis Featured on Good Day New Mexico

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Rachel Jarvis, Psychotherapist, and Infant Mental Health Specialist, at Sage Neuroscience Center, talks to Casey on KOB 4 Good Day New Mexico.

For more information on Rachel Jarvis, please visit her provider page.  For more information on the amazing work she does, you can read two blog post for more information

Infant-Parent Psychotherapy (IPP)

Demystifying Play and Filial Therapy with Kids and Teens (with Rachel Jarvis)

Prescriber Options in Behavioral Health

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When deciding that you need extra help other than your primary care physician dealing with your mental health disorder you may wonder if you need to see a psychologist, prescribing psychologist, psychiatrist, or even a Certified Nurse Practitioner / Certified Nurse Specialist (CNP/CNS) . All are trained in therapy, but there are some differences that in knowing about can assist you in making an informed decision on who is the correct fit for your goal.

What is a Certified Nurse Practitioner / Certified Nurse Specialist (CNP/CNS)?
Certified Nurse Practitioner / Certified Nurse Specialist (CNP/CNS), who have a focus in behavioral health. They have an advanced nursing degree equal to a doctorate that allows them to prescribe and manage medication associated with mental health issues. If you are trying to decide which is best for you, you need to know that they are also an option. CNPs/CNSs have an independent license but may chose to work with a psychiatrist on mental health cases.

What is a psychologist?
A psychologist is a trained professional who has earned a doctorate in psychology (PhD) which takes about five years and has completed a year or two of supervised clinical hours. Their training is on specific forms of therapy.

What then is a Prescribing Psychologist?
A prescribing psychologist is a psychologist with prescriptive authority, that is, they can prescribe and manage medication. This is a license unique to a few states and New Mexico is one of them.

What training do they have?
A prescribing psychologist must complete a post-doctorate degree in psychopharmacology, and engage more supervision. Each state that recognizes prescribing psychologists has different requirements. In the state of NM, a minimum of 450 hours of classroom instruction (about four months) and 400 hours of supervised practicum. Prescribing psychologists then undergo 1500 hours of direct patient care supervised by a medical doctor. Supervision is often done by weekly case review. They must also pass a certified exam in psychopharmacology.

Who is the Psychiatrist?
The psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has finished four years of medical school (MD or DO) followed by four years of residency. Resident physicians work in hospital and clinical settings under direct supervision by licensed doctors. Once they complete a residency, they are considered board eligible and able to practice psychiatry. A psychiatrist must then take an exam managed by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology to become board certified.

A psychiatrist may also spend 1-2 years in a fellowship following residency to specialize in child and adolescents, geriatrics, addictions, consult liaison, sleep medicine and pain medicine.

Is Daylight Savings Wreaking Havoc on Your Health?

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woman sleeep in white sheets

Every year this time we are called to “spring” ahead one hour for Daylight Savings.
Many of us, I included, it is more of a stumble, or an all out faceplant because it completely throws off our sleep cycle.

We can blame Benjamin Franklin in the 1780’s for coming up with this idea.  He thought it would benefit the farmers and save candles; I think it was too much lightning to the brain.
Daylight Savings came to America in 1918 during the first world war as a way to save energy, and in the first Bush presidency, it became a law that Daylight Savings would happen the second Sunday in March and switch back to Standard Time the first Sunday of November.

Some argue that we can savor a little more light after work and this benefits our moods and emotions.  But, the lack of sleep causes disruption to people’s sleep pattern which in turn affects our moods, productivity (at work or home), workplace accidents rise after the change, as do car crashes.  A study links that sleep deprivation might have played a significant role in the Exxon Valdez, the Challenger, the Three Mile Island and the Chernobyl disasters.  Scientists are studying the effect changing time has on the increase of strokes and heart attacks.  The change of time wrecks havoc on diets and appetite, less sleep makes the body release the hormone ghrelin which makes you hungry.  Now, the financial world is even showing the trend of losses after we spring ahead.

The anxiety of the oncoming loss of an hour of sleep is immense in some. A study in 2007, concluded that for some of us, our circadian rhythms never adjust—until we set our clocks back until the Fall—meaning they never adjust.
We can’t revolt against the change, unless you decide to move to Arizona, Hawaii, or certain parts of Indiana; so what can you do to help yourself transition?

  • First, the week ahead of the change, start heading to bed at the “time” you always go to bed.
  • Reduce the amount of caffeine and alcohol you consume before bedtime.
  • Try not to exercise several hours before you go to bed (for some us that means there will be no workout, because when do you squeeze it in?).
  • Try not to depend on sleeping aids to get you through the transition; this could lead to future problems.
  • Naturally, expose yourself to light in the morning as soon as you can.  You can get a sunlight lamp if need be.  And during the night, if you have to get up, try not to turn on the light; just walk slowly, so you don’t hit anything.
  • Be careful and considerate of fellow travelers and co-workers; they are groggy too.

Yesterday, all of us did our best to “spring” ahead with one less hour of sleep, counting the days until November when we get to “fall” back into our beds for one extra hour. Ahhh…

Infant-Parent Psychotherapy (IPP)

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adult fingertips touching infant fingersImagine a baby crying with no response from the mother, father, or caregiver that is responsible for the infant.  The baby’s cries go unanswered until the infant stops trying and begins not to make eye contact, or have much response to the world. The idea of any person not wanting to, or unable to, because of trauma within themselves, respond to the cries or needs of an infant creates a despair in most people that could fill the Grand Canyon.

Now imagine a therapist trained in Infant-Parent Psychotherapy (IPP), having to sit there and watch the caregiver not respond, and the baby’s needs go unanswered.  Sitting there is an incredibly difficult task and requires unmeasurable strength and trust in one’s training.  To pick up the baby would undermine the goal of getting the mother to respond, to repair that rupture in that bond.

IPP is a dyadic, relationship-based treatment, for parents and infants, that is designed to repair and improve the parent–child relationship in the wake of incidences of domestic violence and trauma, including maltreatment and neglect of the child. IPP provide nurturing, consistent, predictable care through culturally sensitive, relationship-based, and developmentally informed psychotherapy.

The goal is to create a positive bond at an early age (0-3 years of age).  The strength and health of that attachment are crucial to how the child will develop emotionally and socially, ensuring good infant mental health and aids in preventing and treating mental health problems of the very young and their families.

The therapist obtains this goal by observing the infant and mother at home over the course of a year; the treatment can be shorter or longer than a year, depending on the needs of the family. Observation is supportive, non-judgemental of the mother’s distorted perception, due to her upbringing.  The therapist shows respect and empathy and helps parents create a coherent narrative regarding the care they received as a child, and how that influences the care they give to their child.  The parent can then see the differences in the past and the present, make better decisions, and create a more positive bond with the infant.

Ruptures in bonds can be healed with IPP by utilizing a parallel process where the supervisor, the therapist, the caregiver and the infant all work together in interchangeable pairings to repair the relationship; attuning to the needs of both the caregiver and the infant.

Observation and interpretation of behaviors and emotions, regulating the caregiver/parent so, in turn, they can provide care for the infant is all part of IPP.  It supports the caregiver in self and co-regulation, healing past wounds, and provides psychoeducation on the needs of the infant.

When the infant-parent attachment is repaired and strong, the infant grows up secure in the bond.  The more secure children are, the more they enjoy happiness with their parent, have less fear of anger, turn to their parents for help, but also they learn to solve problems on their own. Children with secure positive parental attachment get along better with peers and have lasting friendships; they work through differences, relationships with siblings in stronger, and they have higher self-esteem.  They also trust that the is usually an answer to most problems, they trust in better times, they trust loved ones, and they know how to be compassionate to people around them.

 

For more information or resources on IPP, http://www.circleofsecurity.net/, http://circleofsecuritynetwork.org/, and https://www.zerotothree.org/ are excellent sites to further your education.

Sage is fortunate to have one the best infant-parents psychotherapist, Rachel Jarvis.

The Depression Trap

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person in maze of hallways “Can’t you just try to do something?”  “It isn’t going to help just to sit there.”  Too often words intended to support turn into poisonous darts.  If we are paralyzed in our depression, don’t these thoughts already go through our mind.  Thanks for stating the obvious, and thanks for reinforcing my self-deprecating thoughts.  Guilt and negativity are potent symptoms of depression.  It seems in the midst of dysfunctional neurophysiology we retain self-awareness of the impairment.  We end up turning on ourselves. The physiology of the disease drives behavioral changes.  Withdrawal and isolation become normative behaviors.  This does not seem to be the case in any other physical illness.  Impaired by infection, heart disease, thyroid problems or other similar ailments, we rarely chastise ourselves for the disability they cause.  Why, then, with depression?

Depression is really a syndrome of multiple pathways leading to the manifestation of depressed mood.  Guilt feelings are an oddly reinforcing part of this.  It’s the fine line between pleasure and pain.  Guilt and negativity feed reward systems in the brain in similar ways positive reinforcement does.  As positive reinforcing systems are impaired, the negative takes its place.  It is often the toxicity of this which leads to thoughts of death and suicide.  Physiology and behavior still have an impact here.

The pathway of physiology driving behavior can also function in the opposite direction.  This is where behavioral activation and the statements at the beginning of this piece do carry some truth.  Behavioral activation involves healthy behaviors like walking, social engagement, even brushing teeth and making the bed.  The brain responds to the environment.  The neurophysiology of depression can respond to behavioral changes. During depression, the positive reinforcing systems are still there, only blunted and impaired.  Pleasurable activities, human contact, and positive thoughts can have restorative functions in brain chemistry and wiring.  This isn’t always enough, and we intervene with medications to affect that physiology.  We may also intervene with somatic treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).  TMS targets the electrical nature of the neurons directly.

Depression is toxic and self-reinforcing.  Those cycles become deeply entrenched.  Negative thoughts are common and reinforce pleasure centers in the brain.  Confronting this with behavioral activation can be difficult, but it is an important part of the puzzle.  Medications may be valuable to help drive physiology in healthy directions.  When these options aren’t enough, TMS may be a valuable modality to directly impact neurons.  Most critically, there is hope.  Options are there.  It just may take some patience to find the right ones.

Sage Neuroscience Center “Find You Courage” Commercial

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We worked hard and getting this done and we are proud of the statement, “Find Your Courage.”

Not a lot can be said in 30 seconds so we wanted to tell you all the other things we wanted to say:

  • It takes a great deal of courage and strength for us to recognize our weaknesses and reach out for help.  Chemical dependency is rife with shame, guilt, and isolation which are also some of the primary drivers to return to substance.  Sage Neuroscience Center wants to recognize the struggle each person brings and honor the courage it takes to reach out for help.
  • It takes a lot of courage for someone to show up to Sage and ask for help.  I admire every person’s fortitude to overcome so many obstacles that may be working against them.
  • There is so much beauty in a person that can be hidden away by the addiction.
  • So often the addiction may be too hard to break without medical support.  Physical withdrawal can push someone back into use over and over again.  It is rewarding to help someone find relief even within a few hours.
  • It takes that first call.  The courage is there, we simply have to foster it.

So, if you are here, reading this, and you know you or someone who needs assistant with drug or alcohol abuse, give us a call.

Click here for more information on your addictions services.

505 884 1114

Breaking the Habit: No More Stigma

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black and white photo of man holding head in hand

As one of the most common mental health disorders and a leading cause of disability, clinical depression affects almost 350 million people globally. While depression is a serious and debilitating disease that can lead to suicide, less than half of those who experience its effects seek treatment.
Let that sink in. Less than 50% of individuals with serious depression receive treatment. Millions of people have no help as they suffer.

One of the major barriers to treatment is the social stigma of depression. We often hear loved ones – despite meaning well – say things like “Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” or “You just have to get over it” without fully understanding the shame and judgment these words impose.

The stigma surrounding depression and mental illness is powerful and far-reaching. The negative perception of how an individual with depression looks and behaves is implemented at individual, institutional, and societal levels. People who experience mental health disorders not only have to live with their illness and find proper access to services, but they also have to handle the negative judgment about their condition.

How do we expect people with depression to improve if we offer them no hope? If we continue to label them, facilitate shame, guilt, and classify them as “other?”

Millions of people are ashamed of being depressed. They feel isolated and ostracized by their friends and families. They are judged in the workplace and are treated differently. They believe their issues are indicative of weakness and failure. They see no hope, no reason to ask for help.

As a result, stigma is a very real threat to recovery.

So how can you help reduce stigma?

  1. Education: 1 in 4 people live with a mental health disorder. Though people discriminate, mental illness does not. It can affect people of any age, ethnicity, religion, sex, or financial status. We are all touched in some way by its effects.Learn as much as you can to dispel many of the myths that surround mental health issues, especially depression.
  2. Exposure: If you or someone you know is living with depression, let your voice be heard. Contribute to a dialogue that sheds light on reality and casts stereotypes into the dark. Sharing your experience and knowledge is instrumental in allowing others to learn and feel comforted by the fact that they are not alone.
  3. Support: Respect the rights of people with depression. Do not discriminate against them and do not perpetuate negative stereotypes. Do your best to support by respecting the dignity of every person and contributing to the development of community resources.