Q. What is Yoga therapy?
A. Yoga therapy is an application of the ancient science of Yoga that focuses on multiple aspects of wellness — physical, psychological and spiritual health. Within the modern realm of health care, Yoga therapy is a form of complementary or alternative medicine.

Q. What is complementary and alternative medicine?
A. Complementary and alternative medicine encompasses a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not considered part of conventional medicine, but which often are used to supplement or enhance conventional treatment methods. Yoga is one such practice. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a unit of the National Institutes of Health, is the federal government’s lead agency for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine. It is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health. The mission of NCCAM is to explore complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, train complementary and alternative medicine researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals.

Q. What is evidence-based Yoga therapy?
A. Evidence-based Yoga is a discipline that is based on traditional Yoga practices, but which has undergone clinical testing and peer review by Yoga therapy experts and scholars who have deemed it effective in treating specified disorders. Qualified Yoga therapists obtain certification within areas of expertise.

Q. What is the difference between an evidence-based practice and one that is not?
An evidence-based practice is any therapeutic method that is based on clinical expertise backed by a solid body of scientific research and documentation. Meticulous observation, enumeration, repeatable findings by others and statistical analysis are all components of evidence-based practice methods. The scientific method is recognized as the best means by which to confirm the validity of practices as well as a way to protect the public from dangerous or fraudulent practices. All therapeutic methods we use at Healing Pathways Medical Clinic have documented efficacy and are evidence-based, valid and safe when used appropriately.

Q. What is the importance of offering Yoga therapy that is evidence-based only?
A. Although Yoga therapy is traditional in many Asian cultures, it is a relatively new approach in the West. As Yoga therapy emerges as a professional clinical intervention, requirements for certification, proof of efficacy and possible licensure and oversight are still evolving. Healing Pathways and other practitioners of evidence-based Yoga therapy insist that facts must be diligently and systematically separated from unsubstantiated anecdotes, false claims, opinions and folklore in order to cement the practice as a mainstream method. We therefore uphold and offer only those Yoga practices that meet this clinic’s high evidence-based standards.

Q. What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
A. A psychologist performs counseling and therapy, typically to help clients with depression disorders. Most psychologists have either a Ph.D. degree (doctor of philosophy) a Psy.D. (doctor of psychology) or an Ed.D. (doctor of education). Psychology is rooted in the academic study of animal and human perception and personality development. A psychiatrist, in contrast, is a licensed medical doctor who has undergone four or more years of additional residency training in diagnosis and treatment of mental, addictive and emotional disorders. Most psychiatrists in the United States undergo evaluation by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, which grants board certification that confirms and validates requisite knowledge. Dr. Paul Copeland, founder of Healing Pathways Medical Clinic, is a board-certified psychiatrist. A psychologist is likely to collaborate with a psychiatrist when the need for medical treatment is indicated.

Q. What is pharmacotherapy, and can it harm my child or adolescent?
A. Pharmacotherapy simply is the medical term for the use of medications to treat disease or illness. In the realm of psychotherapy, the term refers to the use of specialized (“psychotropic”) medications in combination with other therapeutic methods prescribed by a psychiatrist. Psychotropic medications, such as antidepressants, are prescribed to alleviate symptoms of a psychiatric disorder.

MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS

Q. What are anxiety disorders?
A. At one time or another, all of us experience anxiety, which is a normal human response to tension, stress or uncertainty. When anxiety becomes excessive or its basis is irrational, it can become a disabling disorder. Anxiety disorders can take various forms, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social phobia or generalized anxiety disorder.

Q. What is bipolar disorder?
A. Bipolar disorder is a complex brain disorder that can cause dramatic shifts in mood, energy and activity levels. It can cause risky behavior, damage relationships, interfere with job performance, and even prompt suicidal tendencies. It is characterized by extreme changes in mood (poles) — from mania (restless and impulsive behavior) to depression. Because symptoms are so varied, bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose.

Q. What is oppositional defiant disorder?
A. Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a behavior disorder that is characterized by disobedience, irritability, temper tantrums and deliberately annoying behaviors toward parents, peers, teachers and other authority figures. Children with ODD tend to be uncooperative, defiant and negativistic.

Q. What is reactive attachment disorder?
A. Reactive attachment disorder is a rare condition that prevents infants and young children from establishing healthy bonds with parents or caregivers. Children with the disorder appear withdrawn, sad or listless. The disorder most commonly afflicts children who are abused or separated from a primary caregiver before three years of age.

Q. What is schizophrenia?
A. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, disabling brain disorder. People with schizophrenia claim to hear voices that are inaudible to others, or may believe that other people are intercepting or controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. They may be fearful, withdrawn or agitated, and experience difficulty in developing relationships with other people.

HEALING PATHWAYS OFFICE PROCEDURES

Q. What determines when I should make an appointment at the clinic for myself or my child?
A. You should make an appointment for yourself or your child if you have been referred to see a psychiatrist or psychotherapist by your doctor or other therapist.

Q. Does the doctor see my child or adolescent with or without me?
A. The doctor always sees a child or adolescent with the parent, but may also see him or her without the parent for awhile, depending on the situation.

Q. How should I obtain a referral to Healing Pathways Medical Clinic?
A. If you are depending on your health insurance for payment, you may need to first call your insurance company to learn about the procedure and how to qualify for an appointment that will be paid by your insurance. Referrals typically are made by a primary-care doctor or by a therapist. If you need assistance, call the Healing Pathways office manager, and we’ll help you find out how to obtain proper referral for an appointment. If you wish to pay privately, you may simply call our office yourself to schedule an appointment.

Q. How long will I have to wait for an appointment?
A. Usually not long. We ordinarily can schedule a first appointment within about a week to 10 days from your phone call.

Q. Will I need to wait long once I arrive at the office to see the doctor?
A. No. The wait time is usually no more 5 to 10 minutes from the scheduled appointment time.

Q. About how long is the initial appointment?
A. The first appointment usually takes about an hour, from the time you walk into the office to the time you leave.

Q. About how long is a follow-up appointment with the doctor?
A. A follow up appointment with the doctor is usually between 20 and 45 minutes. depending on the complexity.

Q. I heard that Healing Pathways uses e-prescribing technology. How does that work?
A. Healing Pathways uses an electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) system to enter medical prescriptions and transmit the data through a secure network that links to participating pharmacies. E-prescribing helps reduce errors because it eliminates the possibility of misinterpretation errors that can occur when prescriptions are handwritten illegibly.

HEALING PATHWAYS OFFICE PROCEDURES

Q. Will my confidentiality be protected when I come in?
A. Absolutely. The federal government enacted strong privacy and security laws under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to protect all of your information. Our procedures and personnel in our office strictly comply with these regulations. We have converted to electronic medical records as a means of improving efficiency and complying fully with the rigid patient confidentiality standards of HIPAA. All of our record keeping, including your appointment scheduling and notations, are highly encrypted and stored by means of sophisticated technology on a secure site to which only the doctor and office manager have access.

Q. Just how confidential is the information I share with the doctor?
A. The information shared with the doctor is more than just confidential — it is privileged, just as the information shared with your lawyer is privileged. That means it is not subject to disclosure — in a court of law, for example. The only situations that require breaching this privilege are those in which child abuse is suspected or a clear threat to harm another individual emerges during discussion. In such cases, the doctor is under mandate of law to file a report with law enforcement authorities or other jurisdictions.

Q. If I suspect that my child or adolescent has a drug problem, how will the Healing Pathways therapist approach it?
A. Mental health therapists routinely evaluate drug use potential for patients. If the patient is younger than 14 years of age, the information can be shared with the parent. The doctor needs the permission of patients 14 years of age or older, however, to inform parents about revelations of drug use. In most cases the doctor asks patients to inform their parents.

Q. If I decide I don’t want treatment or I simply don’t like the doctor, what should I do?About 10 percent of patients do not interact well with their doctor, perhaps due to personality clashes or other reasons. If you find that the doctor unsuitable, you can either tell the doctor yourself, or let the office manager know, and we will be happy to refer you to another qualified specialist with no hard feelings.

Q. What should I do if I think the doctor does not like me or my child?
A. If that’s your sense, we encourage you to bring it up and “clear the air.” The doctor is a trained professional with highly refined professional boundaries, and such a perception usually results from a simple misunderstanding about demeanor that can be resolved in a couple of minutes.

Q. How will the doctor explain medication recommendations for myself or my child?
A. Using plain, understandable language, the doctor will explain your child’s diagnosis, treatment options that are available, and the indications, risks and benefits of those treatments. We never apply pressure to “medicate” someone; we simply and carefully discuss treatment options, which remain your choice. You have the right to refuse medication suggestions, and we do not compel patients to continue treatment.

Q. Will my insurance cover the cost of the appointment?
A. Healing Pathways has state-of-the-art medical insurance systems in place to help you untangle and resolve any billing problems or complexities. We will make certain that you know before the appointment what, if any, copayments will be required and what, if any, portion of the bill will be your responsibility. Healing Pathways has adopted a strong patient protection policy that alleviates patients of responsibility for payment if an insurance billing dispute arises. The clinic continues to regard the insurance company as liable for payment; we will not bill the patient for any unpaid portion, but simply will “write off” any such unpaid debts.

Q. If I am already a patient of Dr. Copeland’s, how can I reach him after hours if I need to? A. The procedure will be explained to you at the time of your initial appointment. If you would like a response within a few hours you can send him a message through the Healing Pathways Medical Clinic e-mail server, which encrypts correspondence for privacy. When you become a patient we also will give you an emergency number to call when you think you need to reach Dr. Copeland immediately.

We can guide you on your path to greater self-confidence and stability, to attainment of personal growth enabling you to become the person you would like to be. We invite you to take a few moments to learn who we are and how we can help you.

Healing Pathways: Your road to contentment begins here.