Psychology is a very special field with complicated knowledge into the human psyche.  A true Psychologist knows how to balance being a caring and compassionate therapist with a thorough understanding of the latest science around human beings.  Consequently I have always been interested in psychological research.  I was awarded three research grants at Kaiser Permanente to study the effects of Therapy and medication with Panic Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.  Below is a list of the names of the studies followed by a brief description:

Long Term Effectiveness of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Panic Disorder, Medical Utilization, and Medication.

I was awarded the initial grant for 2006 and then another one for 2007.  The study focused on people with Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia who underwent a course of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in one of the programs I created.  This program really works!  We found highly significant reductions in panic severity following treatment even up to 4 years later!  We also investigated people who were in the program but also on medication before and after treatment.  Finally the study examined how many medical services were used before and after treatment to see if successful treatment lead to reductions in medical visits.

Medical Utilization Before and After Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

I was awarded this grant for 2007.  In this study we enlarged the previous study to investigate medical utilization rates before and after Cognitive Behavioral Therapy across many psychiatry clinics that treat Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  We will also examine medical utilization in a Medication/Group Cognitive Behavioral combined treatment, Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alone, and medication alone.