Behavioral Science

The Behavioral Health component of the Mountainside Medical Center Family Medicine Residency is a pragmatic, comprehensive and integrated program focused on teaching psychosocial assessment and intervention skills that are useful in the primary care arena.

Our curriculum covers:

• Common mental health issues such as depression and anxiety
• Health behavior change techniques
• Strategies to help patients cope with and manage chronic illnesses
• Methods to optimize challenging clinical encounters
• Integration of cognitive behavioral, brief psychodynamic treatment and family therapy skills into Family Medicine
• Appropriate prescribing of psychotropic medications

In addition, our program addresses the challenges associated with providing whole person care within the context of time challenges intrinsic in primary care medicine. Teaching occurs via lectures, clinical consultations, psychosocial precepting and individual tutorials with the faculty psychologist.