The Geropsychology Podcast is an educational resource on all things gero-related. Listen to experts in the field talk about issues related to mental health and aging, geropsychology education, careers in geropsychology, long-term care, hospice and palliative care, caregiving, and much more.

Careers in Geropsychology: Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)

In this episode, Dr. Michelle Mlinac gives an overview of home based primary care (HBPC) and the psychologist’s role on the interdisciplinary team.

Michelle Mlinac, PsyD, ABPP, is a staff psychologist at VA Boston Healthcare System and an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For the past ten years, Dr. Mlinac has worked in HBPC at VA Boston, providing clinical services to home-bound older adults and their families. She supervises graduate students, interns, and fellows in geropsychology practice. Dr. Mlinac is board-certified in clinical geropsychology and serves on the executive board of the American Board of Geropsychology. Her research has been in the areas of decision-making capacity, integrated care, and geropsychology training.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this episode, listeners will be able to:

1. Describe the purpose and goals of HBPC.

2. Describe the demographics of the population served in HBPC.

3. List the services offered and disciplines represented on the interdisciplinary care team.  

4. Summarize the role of the psychologist on the HBPC interdisciplinary team.

5. Identify factors unique to HBPC that a psychologist should consider or know when providing psychotherapy, assessment, and consultation services.

Resources and Information on HBPC:

-   Home Centered Care Institute: https://www.hccinstitute.org/

-   Karlin, B. E., & Karel, M. J. (2014). National integration of mental health providers in VA home-based primary care: An innovative model for mental health care delivery with older adults. The Gerontologist, 54(5), 868-879.

Careers in Geropsychology: Outpatient Geriatric Mental Health