PRIVATE PRACTICE - AC23 - Physical Therapy in Mental Health: Opportunities for Innovation and Practice Expansion

This course was recorded on November 3, 2023 | Course Level: Intermediate

Physical health and mental health are inseparably interconnected. One in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness (51.5 million people). The COVID-19 pandemic caused substantial increases in self-reported behavioral health symptoms such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Currently, there is a significant shortage of mental health professionals. More than 150 million Americans live in federally designated mental health professional shortage areas. PTs are discovering new practice opportunities to meet the national shortage of health professionals necessary to improve mental wellbeing. It is within the scope of physical therapist practice to screen for and address behavioral and mental health conditions (HOD P06-20-40-10), and the World Health Organization recommends non-specialist mental healthcare providers as an effective strategy to increase provision and capacity. Surveys of physical therapists working in general practice report treating comorbid mental health problems daily (41%) and weekly (76%). This session will introduce the growing practice area of physical therapy in mental health. Scope of practice considerations, epidemiological trends, and areas of innovation will be discussed. By the end of the session, attendees will understand how PTs can use physical, integrative health, and/or low-intensity psychological interventions to promote mental wellbeing for individuals or groups with a range of physical health and/or mental health conditions.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to:
1. Define physical therapy in mental health.
2. Describe how exercise and physical activity improve mental well-being.
3. Identify new practice areas at the intersection of physical and mental health.
4. Describe complementary and integrative health interventions that improve mental well-being.
5. Describe low-intensity psychological interventions within the scope of PT practice that improve mental well-being.

Course Instructions

1. Click on the Contents tab to watch the course recording.
2. Click the Take Quiz button to complete the assessment. Learners will have 3 attempts to pass and must answer at least 70% of questions correctly.
3. Click Fill Out Survey under the Evaluation listing to provide valuable course feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
4. Click the View/Print Your Certificate button under the Certificate listing. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the APTA Learning Center and clicking the CEU Certificate/Transcript link on the left-hand side of the page. 

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