This week Dr. Steve takes time to share answers to some of the questions he gets asked as a professional psychologist:
Q. What inspired you to go into psychology and then provide mental health services?
A. Even as a teenager, I was always helping other kids, mostly to learn skills in baseball and basketball. This continued through high school, college and graduate school.
Q. What was your main focus?
A. In addition to basketball, playing at a high level, I thought about coaching but psychology caught my interest and I focused on helping children and families.
Q. Where did you start your practice?
A. My first position was to run a non-profit agency in Helena, Montana. We treated families identified with child abuse or abusive kids. We were very successful.
Q. What are you most proud of professionally with regard to the services that you and Comprehensive Psychological Services provide?
A. Twenty-five years ago, my staff and I started one of the first Day Treatment Programs for children and teens with behavior and emotional problems. We rant it in the summer to help kids when there were very few structured opportunities for them.
It is now in its 21st year and we, on average, help 40 kids and their families during the summer months. We also provide after school treatment groups when summer is over.
Several of our programs gained demonstration project status which eventually absorbed into the state system of services.
Q. What brought you to Utah?
A. Searching for another challenge nationally, Primary Children’s Medical Center at the University of Utah school of Medicine recruited me to run their psychology training program and to grow that program to gain national recognition and accreditation from the American Psychological Association. After completing that task, I chose to start a private practice on my own and invited many over the years to continue our services with children, families and adults.
Q. Why is this “day treatment” type program helpful?
A. Children receiving therapy for emotional and behavioral problems need frequent and repeated practice of evidence-based interventions which are used to reduce depression, anxiety, aggression and social deficits.
Q. How do you help the parents?
A. Where in the summer type programs or in therapy, we help parents learn evidence-based interventions that they can use at home 24/7.
Q. Is this a common approach with children and teens?
A. Many years ago, my colleagues and I developed these procedures, researched them, and published the results. These methods are used in residential programs, ABA program for autistic children, Family Preservation Programs by the state social service programs, and more rarely found in private practice settings, like ours.
Q. If the techniques are known, then why is therapy or “day treatment” needed?
A. First, evidence-based interventions require repeated and frequent application. Second, even though parents may know the correct methods, they need support because often they “give up” too soon when results aren’t quick. They don’t realize how much more is needed to help their child. We do. This is based on our experience and research and our professional eye for the family dynamics, trauma, circumstances, etc.
Q. There are thousands of parenting books out there. Can these help?
A. Parenting books are good supplements to treatment. However, they don’t work to reduce serious symptoms or to build resiliency, while the therapy and “day treatment” does.
Q. Is treatment in the “day program” during the summer expensive?
A. Most insurance, once deductibles are met, cover most or all of the cost.
Dr. Steve Szykula is the Clinical Director of Comprehensive Psychological Services with programs in Davis County, Salt Lake, and West Jordan. Feel free to contact Dr. Steve through his clinic phone number.
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