Buffalo Spine and Sports Introduces Mental Health Services

New services provide new perspective in clinical care for pain management

Williamsville, New York, January 6, 2014 – Buffalo Spine and Sports Medicine P.C. is a clinic that provides rehabilitation and therapy for acute injuries and is expanding its services to include mental health therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for patients and others in needs of these services in the community. 

Stacey Donahue, licensed clinical social worker, has joined the team at Buffalo Spine and Sports to offer the new mental health services within the clinic. 

 “We are pursuing a vision to treat patients through a holistic approach that utilizes the powerful mind-body connection to heal and manage pain,” states Dr. Leonard Kaplan, D. O., Medical Director.  “Stacey’s treatment plans will provide an enhanced individual approach to our overall care plan for patients.”

This new therapy enables all of the providers at the clinic to help patients cope with stress and pain, minimize anxiety, and identify mood disturbances.  The team creates a specific plan for the patient, with the patient.  Each clinician provides a detailed report for the team to continuously evaluate the patient’s progress and address their immediate needs through a variety of resources.

In the past, Buffalo Spine and Sports referred their patients to mental health care outside of the clinic, which sometimes resulted in gaps of communication and diminished the quality of care.  By bringing these services into the clinic, the care is more effective.

Buffalo Spine and Sports sees patients whose lives have often been disrupted by trauma.  The struggle for control, quality of life, and diminished pain does not always come with medication alone.  If patients were previously able-bodied and provided care to loved ones, the inability to continue in those roles can be devastating.

With the help of therapy, patients can begin to manage their pain and their expectations of what treatment and recovery will look like.  Often these adjustments take time and require tools that Stacey can give to patients during initial and follow-up sessions.

Stacey teaches patients the benefits of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques, which immediately enables patients to decrease stress and take control of their life and their pain.  The cognitive distortions that patients experience can greatly inhibit the healing process, so she teaches specific meditation and breathing exercises to bring a sense of well-being immediately to the patients in their time of stress.  These exercises give patients a sense of management and control over their situation.  MBSR is often used to help people to manage their pain more effectively without the use of traditional pain medication. 

“I love the surprised look that patients have on their faces after their first approach to true meditation and inner ability to take control,” says Stacey.  “Our bodies have untapped resources to control our situations and even reduce pain in the moment.  I teach these techniques for clients to take with them anywhere –as they are driving in the car, preparing dinner for their family, or falling asleep.  The results are amazing and immediate.”

Stacey also helps physicians better understand the context of the patients’ lives outside of the rehabilitation appointments –their hardships, the despair to which the pain has impacted them, and in extreme cases, suicidal tendencies.  She becomes the patients’ advocate by providing information that gives the physicians and other practitioners the insight to be more compassionate and empathic during their bedside treatment.

To learn more, visit www.buffspine.com or call (716) 626-0093.