Navigating Interdisciplinary Mental Health Care
Written collaboratively by Jacquie Marshall MSW RSW & Stacey Ivits MSW RSW
A few people have asked us about how how “therapy” works and how the services at Navigate MHS are different than other counselling services. So we thought we would break it down.
At Navigate MHS we believe that mental health care is a collaborative process with you- the client- and your clinicians, working together to explore how events, emotions, behaviours, and physical symptoms impact your body and mind. At Navigate MHS we bring together professionals with different educational backgrounds and experiences to support both physical and mental well-being. For example: if you are living with Lupus, there is the disease impact on your body and necessary medical care. Then there are side-effects from medications that can be managed through thoughtful adjustments to your diet. Finally, there can be mental health impacts of the diagnosis, considering how this illness impacts you, your relationships, and your future. At Navigate MHS, we collaborate with you, your treatment providers, and each other to support you through it holistically.
In psychotherapy, we primarily focus on thoughts, emotions, sensations, beliefs and behaviours- the mental health side. However, we also discuss how physical needs and symptoms influence your mental health. Through this exploration, you can begin to understand how your mind and body impact each other and affect your ability to engage meaningfully in your life. For example, if fatigue is impacting your work, we discuss ways to improve sleep and manage energy through pacing and intentional rest, in order to improve how you manage the day-to-day.
In psychotherapy, we work with you to create the health promoting changes that matter to you. All registered clinicians have formal education, participate in ongoing professional training, and are a part of a regulatory college. As clinicians our role is to walk alongside you as you work toward holistic well-being. You decide what we focus on. Then we use evidence-informed approaches to support your goals- for example, if you start therapy because you are having panic attacks, we want to understand what is happening before you become overwhelmed, if there are thoughts or stories on a loop while you are in the worst of it, and what happens after. Then we work with you to design an effective intervention that you feel confident using when you are out in the world. By drawing on multiple evidence-based interventions, we can create a personalized plan- that works for you and your life.
How a Nurse Practitioner Can Support Your Healing
A Nurse Practitioner brings medical knowledge and whole body-mind perspective to your care. In Ontario they are able to provide both medical care (assessment, diagnosis, and treatment) and evidence-based mental health care like psychotherapy. They can help you by:
Assessing physical and mental health concerns using validated measures and laboratory testing
Diagnosing physical and mental health conditions that could be influencing each other and impacting you
Offering medical insight into symptoms such as fatigue, sleep issues, digestive problems, or hormonal changes
Providing education about how the body responds to stress and trauma
Prescribing evidence-based treatments including medications, supplements, and therapies (referral to physiotherapy, massage therapy, dietitian services, psychotherapy)
Supporting you in understanding medication options for your physical or mental health, if you choose to explore them
Providing psychotherapy or collaborating with your psychotherapist to ensure your care feels integrated and aligned
Their role is not to “fix” you, but to help you understand your body, your health, and your options so you can make informed and empowered decisions for your whole mind-body well-being.
How a Registered Dietician can help you with mental health
A Registered Dietitian is a vital team member in hospital-based health care teams. However, in the community this can be overlooked. Nutritional status impacts both physical and mental well-being in dramatic ways. A lack of nutrition can cause specific symptoms and responding to your nutritional needs can provide relief. For example, if you have ADHD and struggle to eat regularly, a Registered Dietitian can help you create easy, nutrient-dense meals and snacks, that help you manage your energy, emotions, and focus.
Since nutrition can play such an important role in your overall well-being, working with a Registered Dietitian can be the missing link if you have tried many other approaches and are still struggling. They can provide counselling related to nutrition, body image, and chronic illness. Food, nourishment, and the body are deeply connected to emotional health because many of the neurotransmitters are created in the gut or affected by your nutrition. A Registered Dietitian can help by:
Supporting a balanced and sustainable relationship with food
Learning about neuro-nutritional health and helping you get the nutrition - vitamins, minerals, energy- you need for healing
Helping you understand how nutrition affects mood and stress
Providing guidance for digestive concerns or appetite changes
Offering evidence-based treatment for disordered eating or Eating Disorders
Helping you reconnect with your body’s cues in a gentle and nonjudgmental way
Their work complements therapy by addressing the nutritional aspects of healing. They can work with you to create a personalized approach to nutrition that supports healthy aging, functioning, energy maintenance, and performance- especially when stress, trauma, or mental health challenges affect appetite, digestion, or stamina.
Together — psychotherapy, medical care, and nurtrition — create a more complete picture of healing.
At Navigate, we are an interdisciplinary team of social workers, a nurse practitioner, and registered dietitian that offer comprehensive support as you navigate improving your overall health. We collaborate with each other and with you!