On this episode of The Scope With Dr. K, Dr. Kosinski kicks off a new, three-part series on wraparound care with gastrointestinal health psychologist Laurie Keefer, PhD, who discusses how behavioral health support can dramatically improve outcomes for patients with complex chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Episode Takeaways:

• The clear biological and psychological pathways in IBD, coupled with the need for lifestyle change, make it an ideal condition to apply behavioral intervention science.
• Patients who thrive with complex chronic conditions have often developed what Dr. Keefer calls the “Resilience Five” — acceptance, optimism, self-regulation, social support and self-confidence.
• Helping patients develop these skills at diagnosis is associated with a reduction in emergency room visits, hospitalizations and prescriptions for opioids and steroids.

A lifelong fascination with the mind-body connection prompted Dr. Keefer to begin studying how patients with complex chronic conditions manage to cope, and even thrive, despite adversity. She discovered that thrivers often shared five common characteristics — acceptance, optimism, self-regulation, social support and self-confidence. While these skills could be learned, sustaining long-term behavior change remained a challenge.

“No matter what we do, there’s no pill for getting somebody to actually make a change in their lifestyle,” Dr. Keefer said on The Scope With Dr. K.

To facilitate long-term behavioral change, Dr. Keefer developed a framework called the GRITT (Gaining Resilience Through Transitions) method. That method is now being delivered at scale to patients through Trellus Health, a platform that provides personalized, whole-person support for patients with complex chronic conditions like IBD. In this episode, Dr. Keefer talks about how wraparound behavioral health services like Trellus Health create value for both patients and providers.