Mind Matters: Discovering the Benefits of Psychiatric Services at Wedgwood

Beth Oman, a Physician Assistant in our Psychiatry Department and recently voted in the top 10 for “Best Mental Health Professionals for Kids” for GR Kids, sat down with us recently to chat about Wedgwood’s Psychiatric Services. Psychiatric Services handle mental health issues, but the staff are also trained as physician assistants in primary care. Because of this, they look at the whole person, and don’t only focus on mental health.

Beth walked us through how kids and families in West Michigan can get involved in Psychiatric Services at Wedgwood and three benefits of doing so.

1. Wedgwood’s staff takes the time to work with patients.

The physician assistants at Wedgwood take the time to go in-depth with patients. They listen to the patients and their concerns and then work together on the management of the patient’s care.

They will also work with patients to formulate a plan for medication treatment. The patient is given a few options, then encouraged to go home and research them. When the patient comes back to Wedgwood, they will decide together what’s best for the patient.

Beth loves to take that team approach. She doesn’t want to push medication on someone. Instead, she wants them to decide what’s best for them. She tells patients, “I want you to be on the least amount of medication to give you the most benefit.”

After the medication is prescribed, Beth and the patient meet again in about two weeks to see how the medication is working and if any changes need to be made. Often, medications will be taken away as therapy progresses.

There are anxieties and difficulties that surface in therapy. Sometimes these fears need to be addressed before a patient can move forward in their counseling. Psychiatric Services work to get patients “unstuck” and move past any barriers in their counseling.

2. Faith integration in therapy is different for everyone.

“I often tell patients that I’m on this journey with them,” Beth says. There are some people who don’t have much religious faith, and there are others who have a lot of religious faith. Beth works to figure out where patients are on their faith journey and join them at that point.

Beth works hard not to pass judgment. Because of past judgments against them, patients can often feel like they don’t belong. They feel abandoned by the faith that they were brought up in. Beth encourages them to seek out other forms of faith and not abandon faith altogether. She helps and guides them on that journey.

3. Wedgwood’s Psychiatric Services help entire families.

Everyone can benefit from therapy at some point in their lives. We have all suffered losses and feel isolated and alone. We might need someone to talk to or someone to help us get back into the swing of things. It can be overwhelming to start that process, but Wedgwood’s staff are here to help.

Wedgwood sees children as young as 6 years old. Wedgwood is here to help struggling kids. Beth says, “I hear in a lot of places that no one accepts kids. No one takes care of kids. Not true. We do. That’s what we’re here for.”

Wedgwood’s Psychiatric Services has immediate openings for the whole family. To get connected to Wedgwood’s Psychiatric Services, email psychiatry@wedgwood.org or call (616) 831-5641.

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