What kind of conditions does the New Orleans Center for Mind-Body Health treat?
The Center offers psychiatric evaluation and treatment for depression, anxiety, bipolar spectrum disorders, personality disorders, relationship difficulties, addiction and psychiatric aspects of medical and surgical conditions.
What is the general treatment philosophy of the Center?
The Center offers treatment utilizing medications, and psychodynamic (insight-oriented) psychotherapy integrated with cognitive-behavioral and mind-body skills. In general, the psychiatrist evaluates patients and makes recommendations that usually include psychotherapy and mind-body skills, which enhance the patient’s capacity for self-observation and self-regulation. An important goal of the Center is to teach patients how their brain work and how to best manage stressful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
 What is Dr. Griffies’ background?
W. Scott Griffies MD, DFAPA graduated from LSU Medical School in 1982. After medical school, he initially did a residency in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, became board certified and practiced for several years. During his work with head and neck cancer patients, he became particularly interested in the psychological aspects of patients with cancer. This interest influenced a switch of careers to Psychiatry in 1990. He completed a residency in Psychiatry at LSU New Orleans and stayed on faculty where he initially became the Director of the Consult Liaison Service and Psychoncology Service, worked in the LSU Pain Clinic and began a psychiatric outpatient practice in the LSU Comprehensive Medicine Clinic. Also, during this time, he completed his psychoanalytic training at the New Orleans Psychoanalytic Institute. In addition, he is board certified in psychosomatic medicine.
In 2000, he became the LSU Director of Residency Training and continued his outpatient practice as well as founded and worked in the LSU Addiction Psychiatry Clinic at the Odyssey House, a residential treatment center. He was residency director during Hurricane Katrina and was displaced outside of New Orleans along with the rest of the LSU Department of Psychiatry. Once LSU funding was re-secured in New Orleans, he returned to the city to be the Director of Emergency Psychiatry at University Hospital and continued on as a LSU Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry.
In November 2008, he went into private practice in New Orleans. He established the New Orleans Center for Mind-Body Health at 536 Bienville Street where he practices general psychiatry, psychotherapy, and psychosomatic medicine. The center is integrated within a Wellness Center and he works with counselors and an integrative nutritionist to teach patients stress reductions skills in conjunction with psychopharmacologic and psychodynamic psychiatric treatment. In addition, he worked in the Touro Pain Clinic until its recent closure in August of 2009. He continues to work in partnership with many pain medicine physicians in the city treating the psychiatric and stress-related aspects of pain patients. He also worked as the continuity care psychiatrist treating addiction patients at the Townsend Clinic after they completed its intensive outpatient program (IOP). He continues to work with the outpatient  continuity care of patients with addiction who have completed an IOP and have engaged recovery.
Tell me more about the Mind-Body/Stress Reduction Skills Training
Stress reduction skills are introduced within group and individual programs. The group program is led by Dr. Griffies, runs 7-sessions with about 6-8 participants. In the first half of the group, Dr. Griffies presents information about stress and mind-body interaction and facilitates a discussion about how these concepts apply to group members. In the second half of a group session, Dr. Griffies teaches specific stress reduction/mind-body skills (See Programs).
The individual Stress Reduction/Mind-Body Skills Sessions are different than the group session in that they are focused on individual training in the specific stress reduction skills within a therapeutic context. Individual therapy integrated with the teaching of mind-body skills is performed by Dr. Griffies and/or the licensed practicing counselors.
What kind of therapy is Dr. Griffies performing in conjunction with the skills sessions?
In most cases, Dr. Griffies uses medication management with insight-oriented, psychodynamic psychotherapy to help patients develop a greater capacity for managing their brain and lives. During therapy, he helps patients gain insight and understanding of their brain/body reactions and then facilitates the use of mind-body skills to manage the automatic thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and stress reactions.
How does NOCMBH work with outside referrals?
If referring physicians or mental health professionals would like their patients to participate in the Mind-Body Health (Group) Program, please have the patient call NOCMBH at 504-355-0509 and specify the referring physician’s name and that they desire the Mind-Body Health Program. For optimal Mind-Body Skills Training, we recommend that patients participate in both the group and individual training program. (See Programs). If the patient is referred to the Group Program, we will facilitate them getting additionally into individual training as well if they desire. If the patient does not have a mental health professional, if indicated and desired, we will make recommendations to the primary care physician. If the patient is in ongoing mental health treatment, we will collaborate with the therapist to teach the patient Mind-Body Skills in order to augment the work they are doing with their other clinician.
Does NOCMBH treat patients with pain and/or addictive disorders?
Over his career, Dr. Griffies has worked with the LSU Pain Program, LSU Physical Medicine and Rehabilitative Pain Program, and the Touro Pain Center. Although he has performed nerve blocks for pain while at the Touro Pain Clinic, he is not currently performing blocks at his office in the NOCMBH. He focuses primarily on the psychiatric aspects of chronic pain patients and works in collaboration with other pain doctors. He also promotes the use of Mind-Body Skills Training as a way of turning down the brain’s cognitive (thoughts) and affective (emotional) pain generators that often significantly influence chronic pain. He has also worked with many patients with fibromyalgia, both with medications and therapy.
Dr. Griffies has also worked for many years with patients who have addictive disorders. He is a certified Suboxone provider. If patients with an addictive disorder have been through detoxification and are stable, he will see them for consultation at NOCMBH. Most often, if the person has not yet completed an IOP or Residential Rehabilitation Program that intensively educates them in how to care for their addictive brain and behaviors in conjunction with medications, Dr. Griffies will refer them there first before engaging them in ongoing continuity care. |
