Intervention Description
Mind Matters Counseling Assessment and Intervention Services
Identify and address the psychological, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal factors important for the assessment, treatment or management of medical problems. The focus is on short-term (medically-driven stress) and long-term (conditioned or trauma-based) factors interfering with best medical and psychological outcomes. Assessment includes:
Evaluation of patient response to disease, illness or injury
Identification of self-defeating coping strategies
Determination of level of motivation and adherence to medical treatment
The purpose of Mind Matters Counseling is the delivery of a comprehensive treatment plan of interventions to improve the patient's health and well-being by ameliorating specific injury or disease-related problems (e.g., maladaptive responses to limitations presented by illness/ disability/life events).
The interventions are based on neuroplastic, pain management, psychological and behavioral change protocols. These protocols help to restructure detrimental cognitive and emotional perceptions and responses to disease, injury, or pain (physical and psychological) that contribute to a worsening of, or failure to manage, the medical condition. Interventions emphasize active patient/family involvement.
Our protocols are based on clinical research and evidence. Clinical research has demonstrated that emotional ruminations, anxiety, depression and automated stress response behaviors increase the experience of pain, drive patient non-compliance with medical treatment, and exacerbate existing medical problems. Examples:
Poor eating behaviors and sleep hygiene drive inflammatory processes, exacerbate pain, worsen a variety of chronic diseases and prevent optimal recovery
Pain related anxiety and depression increase the perception of pain, interfere with treatment plan compliance, and reduce patient motivation
Family and work environment response to patient illness or injury exacerbate anxiety, depression and guilt, worsening the medical condition and leading to medical non-compliance
These experiences (and many other events) condition counter-productive emotional responses, behaviors and thoughts, aggravating underlying conditions such as auto-immune disease, potentially elevating BP and exacerbating diabetes and other chronic conditions.
All protocols have been demonstrated to be safe in both a home and hospital setting. In fact, these methods (except for EMDR) were utilized in an Alaskan hospital setting, pre-COVID, by Dr. Freeman and interns that she trained and supervised there.
Assessment Instruments Used Pre-Appointment
Intake Questionnaire
Pain Assessment Intake Form
GAD Form
PHQ-9
Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire
BBHI-2
COVID-19 pre-appointment screening questionnaire
Eat a Rainbow Evaluation
Forms of Therapy Supportive to Best Medical and Psychological Outcomes
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) or Motivational Interviewing (MI) will be utilized as the underlying component of patient therapy, based on patient need. Protocols and Instruments (see below) are also implemented to individualize treatment based on patient symptoms and physician recommendation.
Why Intervention Protocols Were Developed
Protocols were developed to assure consistency of treatment and that all points of an intervention are systematically arranged for review and ease of delivery. They are based on best evidence practices, as assessed by survey of current clinical research, certified trainings, and/or as demonstrated in Dr. Freeman's published clinical trials, academic textbooks, and medical manuals.
What is appropriate for the patient is selected and 'delivered' as part of the individual session. The protocol serves as a road map and reminder of each component and graphic available as part of the treatment plan. This results in consistent delivery of a treatment intervention and assures that all available approaches are easily recalled.