PA Mindset Matters

Mini Mindset: Opioid Use Disorder in the Fentanyl Era

Opioid use disorder looks different in the fentanyl era—and clinicians across healthcare need to understand what has changed. In this Mini Mindset episode of PA Mindset

Compassionate Care in Addiction Medicine: A Conversation with Karen Haessler PA-C

What does compassionate, stigma-free addiction care look like in clinical practice? In this episode of PA Mindset Matters, hosts Jessica Spissinger and Mercedes Dodge we

Mini Mindset: Alcohol Use Disorder—Screening, Withdrawal, Complications & Treatment Basics

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is common, complex, and often under recognized. In this Mini Mindset episode of PA Mindset Matters, hosts Jessica Spissinger and Mercedes Dodge

From Understanding to Action: Catie Hodson's Approach to Medicine and Addiction

In this episode of The PA Mindset Matters podcast, hosts PA Mercedes Dodge and PA Jessica Spissinger speak with Katie Hodson, PA, an outpatient psychiatry clinician in Wi

Mini Mindset: The Dual-Diagnosis Trap in Substance Use Disorders

When depression, anxiety, insomnia, inattention, or mood instability shows up alongside substance use, the clinical picture can get complicated fast. In this Mini Mindse

Addiction Medicine, Motivational Interviewing, and the Power of Connection with Kerith Hartmann, PA

Addiction medicine touches nearly every area of healthcare, yet many clinicians receive limited training in recognizing and treating substance use disorders. In this epi

Mini Mindset: Substance Use Disorder — Opening the Door to Better Care

You don’t have to work in addiction medicine to care for patients with substance use disorders. Substance use shows up across healthcare—from psychiatry and primary care

Bridging the Gap in Addiction Medicine with Arianna Campbell

What happens when we identify opioid use disorder—but the patient still can’t access treatment? In this episode of PA Mindset Matters, Mercedes Dodge and Jessica Spissin

Season 2 Reflection: Highlights from Psych PA Institute, Guest Stories, and What’s Next

Hosts Mercedes Dodge and Jessica Spissinger of PA Mindset Matters reflect on wrapping their second season, highlighting interviews largely recorded at the inaugural PA In

Caring Beyond Diagnosis: Humanity, Intellectual Disability, and the Heart of Psychiatry I Jo A. Hughes DMSc, PA-C, CAQ-Psychiatry

In medicine, it’s easy to focus on diagnoses, treatment plans, and checklists. But some of the most meaningful moments in care happen when we pause long enough to see th

Mini Mindset: Menopause & Mental Health—Recognizing Hormonal Drivers Behind Mood Symptoms

In this Mini Mindset episode, we explore the often-overlooked connection between menopause, perimenopause, and mental health. Many women present with symptoms that look

From Life to Lessons: Ava Smith's Path in Psychiatry

In this episode of The Mindset Matters, psychiatric PAs Mercedes Dodge and Jessica Spissinger interview Ava, a psych PA and clinical assistant professor at Texas A&M, abo

Embracing Summertime Mood Challenges: Reverse SAD Explained

In this episode of PA Mindset Matters Mini Mindset, hosts Jessica Spissinger and Mercedes Dodge review the third and final seasonal onset mood disorder discussing “revers

More Than the Patient: How Psychiatry PAs Impact Entire Families

In this episode of PA Mindset Matters, hosts Mercedes Dodge, PA-C and Jessica Spissinger, PA-C connect with psychiatric physician assistant Jasprina Ming, DMS, MPAS, PA-C

The Collaborative Shift: Breaking Down Healthcare Barriers | Mini Mindset Series

Mental health doesn’t live in one clinic—it shows up everywhere. In this Mini Mindset episode of PA Mindset Matters, Mercedes Dodge, PA-C and Jessica Spissinger, PA-C ta

From Military Service to Mental Health Advocacy: Edward Traverso's Story

In this episode of The PA Mindset Matters, hosts Mercedes Dodge and Jessica Spissinger interview Edward Traverso about how his military deployment shaped his commitment t

Mini-Mindset: Spring-Onset Mania--Understanding Seasonal Patterns in Bipolar Disorder

In this Mini Mindset episode of PA Mindset Matters, Jessica Spissinger and Mercedes Dodge discuss spring-onset mania as a seasonal pattern in bipolar disorder. Seasonal p

How One Psychiatric PA Combines AI, Psychiatry & Music to Help Patients

Psychiatric PA Serah Sulaiman, MPAS, PA-C joins PA Mindset Matters to discuss pediatric mental health, emotional dysregulation, and Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Inte

Mini Mindset: Prescribing Movement — Exercise as a Powerful Tool in Lifestyle Psychiatry

Exercise is not just a lifestyle recommendation. It’s neurobiology. In this Mini Mindset episode of PA Mindset Matters, we take a clinical deep dive into exercise as a p

Bridging Psychiatry and Integrative Medicine with Miriam Dineen

In this Mindset Matters podcast, we feature Miriam Dineen, PA-C, interviewed at the PA Institute in Orland. Dineen shares her path from infectious diseases and hospital m