Why seek a Mental Health Clinician certified in Integrated Medicine?

by Barbara Kappus Ward, MSW, LISW, ERYT, CIMHP

Seeking therapy from a certified integrated mental health practitioner offers a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to mental health care. Here are the key benefits:

1. Holistic Treatment Approach

Integrated mental health practitioners combine different therapeutic modalities, such as cognitive-behavioral therapies (ACT, CBT) mindfulness, nutrition, lifestyle interventions, and even complementary therapies like yoga. This holistic view allows them to treat not just the symptoms of mental health issues but also the underlying causes, considering the mind, body, and emotional aspects of well-being.

2. Personalized Care

A certified integrated practitioner tailors treatment to your specific needs, considering your mental, emotional, physical, and even social health. They often collaborate with other healthcare providers, such as nutritionists or general practitioners, to create a comprehensive treatment plan.

3. Focus on Preventive Care

Besides addressing existing mental health challenges, integrated mental health practitioners focus on prevention. They may offer strategies to maintain mental health, reduce stress, and prevent relapses, often through lifestyle changes, mindfulness practices, or nutritional adjustments.

4. Comprehensive Treatment of Complex Conditions

For individuals dealing with complex conditions like trauma, anxiety, depression, or chronic stress, an integrated approach can be particularly effective. These practitioners can draw on multiple therapeutic modalities to address different aspects of the condition simultaneously.

5. Enhanced Coping Skills

Integrated mental health practitioners equip you with a broader set of coping tools, drawing from different therapeutic techniques. Whether it’s mindfulness, relaxation techniques, or cognitive restructuring, the variety of tools can enhance your ability to manage daily stressors and improve your overall resilience.

6. Mind-Body Connection

These practitioners often focus on the connection between mental and physical health. By addressing both, they can offer solutions that may improve issues like fatigue, digestive problems, or sleep disorders, which are often interconnected with mental health challenges.

7. Incorporation of Alternative and Complementary Therapies

If you're open to non-traditional methods, an integrated mental health practitioner might introduce alternative therapies like acupuncture, energy healing, or herbal supplements, alongside traditional therapies. These can be used as complementary treatments to enhance the effectiveness of the primary therapy.

8. Better Long-Term Outcomes

The integrated approach to mental health focuses on sustainable well-being, rather than just quick fixes. This can result in better long-term outcomes because the treatment is more likely to address the root causes of mental health issues and equip individuals with lasting tools for well-being.

9. Emphasis on Self-Empowerment

Many integrated practitioners emphasize patient empowerment, teaching you how to take an active role in your healing process. This might involve lifestyle changes, self-care routines, or developing new ways of thinking about and managing your mental health.

Learn more about Complementary and Alternative Medicine: chawc.org/cam