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VA Mind Brain Program
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The vision of the VA Mind Brain Program is to provide healing, hope, and wellness for Veterans with neuropsychiatric conditions, including Functional Neurological Disorders, such as psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES).
Our primary focus is to educate and train multi-disciplinary clinicians in an evidence-based psychotherapy to deliver whole-person care for Veterans with these complex conditions.
Origin:
September 2021, VA Neurology Program Office
Adoptions:
12 successful, 4 in-progress
Partners:
Epilepsy Centers of Excellence, Neurology, Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, & Clinical Centers
Recent Updates
Overview
Problem
Solution
- Neuro-behavioral therapy information and TMS NBT training links VA Mind Brain Program Fact Sheet and NBT Training
Files
Results
Images
Seizure reduction with neurobehavioral therapy (NBT); PNES/FS reduction in green, Epilepsy reduction in blue. Epilepsia, 2024.
Links
- This study supports the use of NBT due to reductions in seizure frequency and improvements in clinical functioning. One-year follow-up of neurobehavioral therapy in functional seizures or epilepsy with traumatic brain injury: A nonrandomized controlled trial
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Multimedia
Videos
VA Epilepsy Center of Excellence video on psychogenic non-epileptic seizures or PNES.
Implementation
Timeline
-
1 month (start-up)
Clinician will receive supervisory approval, complete initial training (TMS courses, readings), contact referring providers for possible appropriate patients (with guidance from Mind Brain Program staff), and work with local administration to set up clinics if needed. -
8-12 months (training)
Local clinician will complete neuro-behavioral therapy training (NBT) and provide NBT to local patients with neuropsychiatric conditions.
Departments
- Social work
- Psychiatry
- Adaptive sports
- Psychology
- Pain management
- Polytrauma and traumatic brain injury
- Neurology
Core Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
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PEOPLE |
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PROCESSES |
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Links
- Therapist Guide offers therapists, physicians, and other healthcare professionals a comprehensive approach to improving seizure control and enhancing the quality of lives of their patients diagnosed with epileptic and nonepileptic seizures (NES). Treating Nonepileptic Seizures - Therapist Guide
- Offers a comprehensive approach to improving seizure control and enhancing quality of life. Taking Control of Your Seizures Workbook
Optional Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
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PEOPLE |
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TOOLS |
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Support Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
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PEOPLE |
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PROCESSES |
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TOOLS |
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Risks and mitigations
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Identifying clinicians who can allocate time for training and ongoing treatment of these patients. | Request from leadership to appoint "Mind Brain Program Champions" with appropriate FTE allocation for this work. |
Contact
Comment
Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.
Email Kristen.Mordecai@va.gov with questions about this innovation.
About
Origin story
Original team
W. Curt LaFrance, Jr., MD, MPH
Director, VA Mind Brain Program
Kristen Mordecai, Ph.D.
Neuropsychologist, VA Mind Brain Program
Anna Blanken, Ph.D.
Psychologist, VA Mind Brain Program
M. Raquel Lopez, MD
Epileptologist, VA Mind Brain Program
April Mizell
Administrative Officer
To call this Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is really quite insulting. This psychosomatic work has been around for over a hundred years in Psychoanalysis and more formalized with current neuroscience for over 20. https://npsa-association.org/
Thank you for your message, Dr. Kurtz. Neuro-behavioral therapy (NBT) is a multi-modal psychotherapy that builds on and includes aspects of various therapies, including CBT, MI, ACT, psychodynamic and others. While previous studies of the intervention refer to NBT as “cognitive behavioral-informed psychotherapy,” used for seizures and motor FND, “NBT” better captures the neurobehavioral approach of the multi-modal intervention. If you would like more information on the NBT outcomes and fMRI biomarker studies, we are happy to forward that to you or discuss further.