Integrative Psychology Services

The major life transition of moving into a nursing home or assisted living facility is often stressful and overwhelming for both the new resident and their family. It is a difficult and challenging time for everyone. Adjusting to a new environment while also coping with physical decline and memory impairment, creates added stress.

Here at Integrative Psychology Services, we provide the optimal, hands on care to the aging population. Simply put – it’s our mission.

Integrative Psychology Services provides a full range of psychological services at skilled nursing homes, assisted living, independent living, day programs, and home based psychotherapy services throughout New Jersey to help both the resident and their family during this transition.

Our integrated approach to treatment goes beyond the resident. It focuses not only on the resident, but their family, support system, and the facility. This is an important component of our approach and is key to our success working with this population. Our services include individual, couples, and group psychotherapy as well as consultation and supportive services to families. We also offer comprehensive neuropsychological testing.

We provide a full range of psychological services at skilled nursing homes, assisted living, independent living and home based services, and day programs throughout the state of New Jersey. Adjusting to a new environment while also coping with physical decline and memory impairment, can be stressful for both residents and their families. This requires an integrated approach that focuses on the resident, the family, and the facility. We offer a wide range of services which include individual, couples, and group psychotherapy

All services are provided on-site where our devoted staff assists your staff in monitoring the mental health and well-being of your residents. Our staff utilizes empirically validated techniques with the goal of reducing the use of psychotropic, decreasing the rate of inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, and improving compliance with rehabilitation and medical procedures. Our programs are delivered at no extra cost to the facility because our services are covered by Medicare and private pay insurance. This allows us to provide much needed counseling for your residents at no extra out of pocket cost to you. The program will be based on an understanding of New Jersey State regulations for skilled nursing facilities with respect to documentation, communication, and utilization review.

Therapists utilize cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques to teach residents how to examine and understand how negative thought patterns contribute to emotional distress and behavioral disturbances. When beliefs are more reasonable and nurturing, healthy feelings and actions tend to follow. Behavior Therapy identifies and reduces unhelpful patterns of functioning. Residents learn techniques that enable to rid themselves of unwanted habits and establish healthier ways of living. Behavior modification techniques are also designed to eliminate the persistent behavioral problems that have proved intractable (i.e., not responding to staff intervention or psychotropic medications). These behaviors can be significantly reduced through effective behavior management planning and intervention, creating a more positive and safe environment for residents, staff, and visitors.

Because just focusing on the resident is simply not enough.

Group Psychotherapy addresses a variety of psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, coping with a disability, or cognitive impairment.

Behavior Plans help staff work with residents who present behavioral challenges. This could include resistance to care, aggression, poor appetite, wandering and other behaviors associated with dementia and problematic adjustment to a facility. Behavior modification techniques are also designed to eliminate the persistent behavioral problems that have proved intractable (i.e., not responding to staff intervention or psychotropic medications). These behaviors can be significantly reduced through effective behavior management planning and intervention, creating a more positive and safe environment for residents, staff, and visitors.

Neuropsychological Testing

We administer a battery of neuropsychological tests tailored for residents in long-term care settings. Each battery is intended to supplement clinical information that cannot be readily assessed with a clinical interview. The results of various tests within the battery help the psychologist make recommendations regarding appropriate treatment goals and interventions.

A greater understanding of a resident’s cognitive functioning can greatly reduce worries and concerns of family members and caregivers, as well as the older adult. It also allows for effective planning of present and future care of the older adult to ensure his or her safety.

Cognitive Assessment is used to assist in differential diagnosis, ruling in or out a mental illness, rehabilitation planning and identifying cognitive functioning that impact memory, attention and problem solving to improve overall cognitive functioning.

Development of Cognitive Skills Assessment identifies a residents strengths and deficits. A resident can learn strategies to improve attention and executive functioning. Learning these new strategies helps a resident manage their environment more effectively.