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Self-Study

Strategic Patient Diagnosis: Enhancing Therapeutic Alliances, Diagnostic Precision, and Inter-Professional Communication in Clinical Practice


Credit Available - See CEs/Contact Hours tab below.

Average Rating:
   92
Categories:
NYS OMH EBP Members |  Children and Adolescents |  Assessment |  Care & Counseling: Elective Courses |  Certificate Program: Online Trauma-Informed Clinical Foundation |  Certificate Program: Trauma-Informed Care & Counseling |  Client Engagement |  DSM-5
Trainer:
Iustinian Rusu, MD
Course Levels:
Beginning and Intermediate
Duration:
2 Hours 36 Minutes
Format:
Audio and Video
Original Recording Date:
Oct 28, 2024



Description

Course Format

Recorded webinar.


This workshop aims to equip clinicians with strategic approaches to diagnose patients effectively from the initial consultation. It focuses on fostering a therapeutic alliance and proficiently handling necessary documentation for charting purposes. The workshop will guide participants to form and back their diagnostic impressions, even in cases where patients present with unconfirmed external diagnoses or psychotropic medications. The workshop will also delve into refining initial non-specific diagnoses (like unspecified anxiety disorder), and progress towards more specific ones.

Another key aspect of the workshop includes engaging patients' families from the onset to aid in differential diagnosis, bolster treatment plans, and mitigate liability risks in case of adverse outcomes. Furthermore, the workshop will address effective communication strategies with medical prescribers, offering insights into common psychotropic medications, their uses, and potential side effects. This comprehensive workshop is designed to enhance diagnostic accuracy, patient engagement, and interprofessional communication.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Recall the key principles of effective patient diagnosis, including the importance of fostering a therapeutic alliance and documenting clinical observations accurately.
  2. Describe how to formulate diagnostic impressions, even when dealing with patients who have unconfirmed external diagnoses or are on psychotropic medications.  
  3. Determine how to refine initial non-specific diagnoses (like unspecified anxiety disorder) and progress towards more specific diagnoses.
  4. Analyze the role of the patient's family in the diagnostic process and how their involvement can aid in differential diagnosis, strengthen treatment plans, and help mitigate liability risks.
  5. Consider effective communication strategies with medical prescribers to ensure an efficient exchange of information about common psychotropic medications, their uses, and potential side effects.
  6. Create comprehensive treatment plans incorporating specific diagnoses, patient's medical history, family input, and potential medication side effects.

Research: DSM-5-TR® Handbook of Differential Diagnosis; McIntyre RS, Zimmerman M, Goldberg JF, First MB.

Differential Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder Versus Bipolar Disorder: Current Status and Best Clinical Practices. J Clin Psychiatry. 2019 May 14;80(3):ot18043ah2. doi: 10.4088/JCP.ot18043ah2. PMID: 31091027.Freidl EK, Stroeh OM, Elkins RM, Steinberg E, Albano AM, Rynn M.

Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety Among Children and Adolescents. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2017 Apr;15(2):144-156. doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20160047. Epub 2017 Apr 6. PMID: 31975847; PMCID: PMC6526964.

Target Audience: social workers, mental health practitioners, creative arts therapists, marriage and facility therapists, psychologists, addiction professionals, case managers, and other interested individuals.

Customer Service

We are happy to respond to any concerns or questions you may have. Please contact us at by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.

ADA Accommodations: If you require any support for your ADA needs in the United States, please contact us by email at least 3 weeks prior to the event by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.


CEs/Contact Hours


NYSED LMSW & LCSW CEs/Contact Hours

University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0001. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study


NYSED LMHC CEs/Contact Hours

University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0008. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study


NYSED LMFT CEs/Contact Hours

University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0007. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study


NYSED LCAT CEs/Contact Hours

University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists #CAT-0003. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study


NYSED PSY CEs/Contact Hours

University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0062. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study


ASWB ACE approved continuing education

University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education, #1773, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 02/23/2022 - 02/23/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 2.5 continuing education credits.


UBSW - NYS OASAS

NYS OASAS Provider #0045: 3 hours for CPP & CPS Initial Hours in Section 1; CASAC, CPP & CPS Renewal Hours. CPP & CPS Initial Hours in Section 1; CASAC, CPP & CPS Renewal Hours.



Handouts

Trainer

Iustinian Rusu, MD's Profile

Iustinian Rusu, MD Related Seminars and Products


Dr. Iustinian Rusu, MD, is a psychiatrist with triple board certification in Adult, Pediatric, and Forensic Psychiatry. He currently practices in a rural county with significant poverty and drug addiction as a medical director within the area. Dr. Rusu's responsibilities extend beyond providing care to over 500 patients in both the clinic and local jail, as he also handles various patient crises within the clinic. Additionally, he is affiliated with the University of Rochester as a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Forensic Psychiatry Department, where he carries out teaching and supervisory duties.


Agenda

Introduction: (5 minutes)

  • Welcome and overview of workshop objectives
  • Importance of effective diagnosis from the initial consultation

Building Therapeutic Alliances: (15 minutes)

  • Strategies for establishing a therapeutic alliance with pediatric patients and their families
  • The role of therapeutic alliances in effective diagnoses
  • The therapeutic engagement of adolescents
  • Considerations for interviewing children under 12
  • Using motivational interviewing during the first sessions

Engaging Patients' Families: (11 minutes)

  • Importance of family involvement in differential diagnosis and treatment plans
  • Strategies for effective family engagement
  • Mitigating attendance non-compliance through family involvement

Documentation for Charting: (6 minutes)

  • Best practices for maintaining patient records
  • Importance of thorough documentation for charting and liability purposes

Inter-Professional Communication: (6 minutes)

  • Effective communication strategies with other professionals, including medical prescribers
  • Handling discrepancies in psychiatric diagnoses from outside providers

Forming Diagnostic Impressions: (12 minutes)

  • Comprehensive assessment techniques for forming accurate diagnostic impressions
  • Algorithm for ruling out mental health conditions in pediatric psychiatry

Refining Initial Diagnoses: (3 minutes)

  • Progressing from non-specific diagnoses to more specific ones

Specific diagnostic challenges in pediatric population

  • Identifying, refining diagnostic impressions, and samples of developmentally appropriate questions in:
  • Anxiety disorders (24 minutes)
  • OCD (3 minutes)
  • Disruptive disorders, (22 minutes)
  • Trauma and related disorders (20 minutes)
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders (20 minutes)
  • Psychotic disorders (17 minutes)

Conclusion: (2 minutes)

  • Recap of key workshop points
  • Q&A session (10 minutes)
  • Closing remarks and next steps

Completion Requirements

No partial credit is given for partial attendance.

Self-Study Completion Requirements 

In order to receive a certificate of completion for this course participants must complete the following.

Please note all requirements can be found in your UBCE21 portal

- Watch the video(s) in it's entirety. 

- After the training, take and pass the quiz with a score of 80% or higher. Participants have three chances to pass the quiz. You can access the quiz by clicking on the "Evaluation and Certificate" button for this course. 

- After the training, complete the evaluation by clicking on the "Evaluation and Certificate" button for this course.

The certificate of completion will be immediately generated in your account upon completion of all course requirements. Certificates may be downloaded, printed, or left in your account. 

Self-Study Equipment Requirements

Required Hardware
- A computer (desktop/laptop) or mobile device (smartphone/tablet).
- Speakers/headphones/earbuds

Internet Connection
- A stable Internet connection of 56K or greater is required. (However, please note that a 56K connection may degrade the quality of your experience.)

Any questions about these requirements or other technical questions can be directed to sw-ce@buffalo.edu.

Self-Study Course Access

Upon successful registration of the course, including receipt of payment, you will be able to access the course materials. 

How do I test my system / access the online training?

To access the program, please log into your account. Click on the Launch Viewer button next to your program title.

How do I access the course materials

To download course materials, log into your account. Under the seminar name click on the Handouts button.

Self-Study Cancellation Policy

Self-Study Courses: Participants have up to 72 hours from purchase to contact the Office of Continuing Education by email and request a refund.