Behavioral Health Expert

Behavioral health is the field that looks at the psychological, social, and behavioral factors that contribute to physical health. Changing our health habits for the better can have a positive effect on various medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and even depression. And if you have a serious medical condition, you need to be able to cope with it emotionally. Think of the last time a friend or family member became ill with a serious medical condition — it probably took a pretty large toll on the emotional well-being not only of that person but of the people who care about him or her. Behavioral health professionals such as myself look at the whole person from many angles, making sure they have the personal resources and support systems to give them the strength to improve their health.

In helping people with weight loss, one of the first things we do is identify potential barriers to lifestyle changes. Removing those barriers may be as simple as helping people set up their environment in a way that makes it easier to make healthy choices. For example, if we identify a trigger like having a lot of tempting junk foods around the house, the first step may be getting rid of those junk foods. If the whole family loves to have candy around, this may be easier said than done. So we help you work on effectively communicating your needs to your family and helping them help you. People and situations can also be triggers that need to be addressed.

Let's not forget that triggers can be internal as well. Sometimes people use food to cope with emotions or to reduce stress. Behavioral health professionals can help you identify the "true needs" that you are trying to fulfill with food and suggest healthier ways to fulfill them. Maybe you need to learn relaxation techniques, build a better support network, or become more accepting of yourself — behavioral health professionals can help with all of this. Overeating does not always have some deep emotional cause (though for some people it does, and behavioral health professionals can help with that).

One strategy that's important for just about all the clients we see at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center is to reorganize some aspects of their life to allow time to care for themselves. Once we have helped them find the time, the question becomes how to get and stay motivated to make changes. As hard a question as that seems, the answer is sometimes quite simple. Set realistic and achievable goals and have a plan — with each success, your motivation grows!

Another very common issue is stress, which can be chronic in this busy, fast-paced society -- it's one of the major contributors to poor physical health. If you don't do something to relieve ongoing stress, it can make you sick, and possibly more likely to overeat. Sometimes the key to reducing stress is to look at things realistically. People can't give up all their commitments immediately. I ask clients how they can rearrange their commitments now to give themselves more time to take care of themselves and shake off stress. The idea is to look first for the little stressors that can be easily dealt with, then work toward tackling the bigger ones.

Many people have been on diets. They've been given good, solid exercise and eating plans, but they have so much difficulty continuing with them, or even getting started. The behavioral health component of the Duke Diet & Fitness program helps people stay on track with their goals.

Forget about the idea that you have to have the perfect plan — instead, incorporate fluidity and flexibility, with the goal of adapting to the moment-by-moment changes in life.