Precision Medicine: Epigenetics, Neuroplasticity and Brief Interventions for Mental Healthcare

Epigenetics is the study of how behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way genes work. In this session, concepts of neuroplasticity and epigenetics are defined and operationalized. An enriched understanding of current research findings regarding neuroplasticity informs multimodal interventions and improved outcomes for mental health. Specifically, these concepts inform an array of brief therapeutic interventions that can profoundly influence clients’ ability to cope and change. These constructs are applied to a variety of simple, brief approaches that are easily enacted – and easily adapted – to any patient encounter. The session concludes by examining complex somatic symptom disorders, conditions with no medical explanation and conditions where there is some underlying pathology but an exaggerated response. These concepts are operationalized to enhance the nurse practitioner’s skill in assessing, diagnosing and managing these challenging disorders in a variety of settings.