Why You’ll Love this Course:
As a therapist, your focus is on providing the most effective psychotherapy possible. However, some patients may still need additional interventions, specifically psychiatric ones. If you’ve ever struggled to understand why medication may be necessary, when to make a referral for a medication evaluation, or how to effectively collaborate with psychiatric providers, interdisciplinary mental health care may have seemed ambiguous, confusing, or frustrating. This course will provide you with the concrete tools you need to not only feel more confident in understanding why medication may be warranted, but also provide you with skills in how to more effectively work with psychiatric providers in ways that enhance your therapeutic work and improve patient outcomes.
Course Description:
This course provides practical training to therapists in how to create and implement a holistic mental health treatment plan across diverse populations by collaborating with psychiatric providers when needed. This course is appropriate for therapists utilizing any theoretical model, who are currently struggling with any of the following:
Limited knowledge, awareness or understanding of the role medication may play in a thorough mental health treatment plan
Belief that psychotherapy and psychiatry are at odds
Difficulty identifying when a medication evaluation may be helpful or even essential (e.g., referring too early, too late, or not at all)
Uncertainty about how to skillfully collaborate with psychiatric providers to ensure that medication supports therapeutic goals
Lacking tools to build a joint treatment plan with psychiatric providers, despite a desire to work as a collaborative team
Unsure where to find, and how to select, trustworthy and effective psychiatric clinicians
This course is rooted in evidence-based guidelines for standard of care mental health treatments, along with evidence-based behavioral principles to teach therapists how to create a holistic treatment plan.
Who is this for:
Therapists at all levels of training who are interested in increasing their interdisciplinary skills with psychiatric providers to improve treatment planning.
Instructional Level:
Beginner to Intermediate
Recommended Course Prerequisites:
None
Included:
Handouts:
Medication Changes Symptom Tracking
Questions to Ask a Psychiatric Provider
Educational Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
Name at least four components of psychoeducation that can be utilized in session about why medication may be an important part of mental health treatment.
Recognize and name at least four clinical situations where a medication evaluation referral may be warranted.
Identify at least two methods to support consultation and collaboration with psychiatric providers.
Common Clinical FAQs Answered:
How do I know if a therapy patient needs a medication evaluation?
What are the clinical indicators that psychotherapy alone isn't enough?
Can a therapist recommend medication without overstepping their scope of practice?
How do I explain the benefits of medication to a therapy-only patient without ruining the rapport?
How do I find a trustworthy psychiatrist to refer my therapy patients to?
Nikki Rubin, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Co-founder
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Nikki Rubin, Psy.D. is a co-founder and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MindScience Collective. She is a licensed clinical psychologist (CA PSY30047, NY 019595) who specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT). She has particular expertise in the treatment of OCD and anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, ADHD, perfectionism, and grief and loss.
Dr. Rubin is the owner of Nikki Rubin, Psy.D., A Psychological Corporation, providing evidence-based treatments for adults, along with supervision, consultation, and private practice coaching for clinicians. She is passionate about mentorship for mental health clinicians, and thus serves as an Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA, training doctoral students in ACT. She is also the creator of The Complete Private Practice Toolkit, an educational course designed to help clinicians start or enhance their private practices.
In addition to her clinical and academic work, Dr. Rubin serves as a Clinical Advisor at Psych Hub, where she lends her expertise to advancing the company’s mission of expanding access to evidence-based behavioral health education, resources, and pathways to care. Lastly, along with MindScience Collective co-founder Peter Economou, Ph.D., she co-hosts When East Meets West, a podcast exploring the intersection of eastern spiritual practices and western behavioral science, further reflecting her commitment to innovative and integrative approaches to mental health care.
Disclosure:
Dr. Rubin is a co-founder of MindScience Collective and will receive financial benefit from all course sales. She is also the instructor “Adult ADHD: Practical Tools to Improve Functioning, Organization, and Well-Being” and "Pure O" OCD: Treatment for Symptoms and Subtypes.”