All Kinds of News for February 08, 2017

Skyland Trail, a nationally recognized nonprofit mental health treatment organization for adults with mental illness, welcomes psychiatrists Adam Meadows, MD, and Kimberly Venable, MD, to the clinical team at Skyland Trail. Dr. Meadows and Dr. Venable join Raymond J. Kotwicki, MD, MPH, chief medical officer, Stephen McDaniel, MD and Mary Burns, MD. The clinical team at Skyland Trail now includes five staff psychiatrists. 

Dr. Meadows now leads the specialized treatment team for dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) at Skyland Trail. He will also work with the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and social integration teams. He is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in mood disorders, adult ADHD, and mental health concerns affecting college and graduate students. Dr. Meadows earned his medical degree from the St. Louis School of Medicine at Washington University and completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, Dr. Meadows served as the medical director of psychiatry and behavioral health for WellStar Health System. He is also a member of the American Psychiatric Association and Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association. 

Dr. Venable now leads the specialized treatment teams for dual diagnosis and for young adults with psychosis at Skyland Trail. She received her medical degree at the International University of Health Sciences in St. Kitts, Nevis.  She completed her internship and general psychiatry residency training at Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Georgia.  In addition, she completed child and adolescent and addiction psychiatry fellowships at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Venable is a member of American Psychiatry Association, Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

“We have been able to recruit two of the finest psychiatrists in Georgia to join the Skyland Trail physician team,”  states chief medical officer Ray Kotwicki, MD MPH.  “Dr. Venable and Dr. Meadows are expert psychotherapists and psychopharmacologists, and bring the highest level of professionalism and compassion to our clinical teams.  We are thrilled to welcome them to Skyland Trail.”

Each of the five staff psychiatrists at Skyland Trail work directly with patients. Two psychiatrists - Dr. Burns and Dr. McDaniel - focus primarily on psychiatric assessment during the admission process. At admission, the psychiatrist conducts a one hour psychiatric diagnostic assessment. He or she gathers history, reviews medical records, assesses current symptoms and evaluates the current medication regimen. He or she synthesizes all the collateral data to formulate a working diagnosis, and then begins mapping out the treatment strategy for the client.

The psychiatric assessment helps match each client with an individualized, evidence-based treatment strategy (https://www.skylandtrail.org/Our-Expertise/How-We-Treat). Based on diagnosis, each client is paired with a specialized therapist and psychiatrist; clients meet one-on-one with a consistent therapist and psychiatrist at least once per week. Clients also are assigned to a specific peer community based on diagnosis, as well as a structured weekly schedule of therapeutic, psychoeducation, expressive, and skill-building groups.

After admission, in weekly one-on-one psychotherapy sessions, the psychiatrist conducts talk therapy and works with clients to develop an effective medication regime, making changes over the course of treatment as necessary to help clients feel better mentally and physically. The psychiatrist also follows essential lab tests and adjusts medication levels as necessary.