Erica Checko

Rooted in my graduate training at the University of Rhode Island, I developed expertise in both general clinical and health psychology. I developed a programmatic line of research in health promotion (adoption and maintenance of multiple health behaviors including exercise, smoking cessation and nutritious eating) with a particular focus on exercise motivation as a gateway to adopting other health behaviors.

During my internship and postdoctoral training at VA Connecticut and VA Boston, respectively, my research evolved towards integrating health behavior change (e.g., exercise adoption and maintenance) with veterans suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain and PTSD. As I learned more about the biopsychosocial model of these medically and psychiatrically complex disorders, my ultimate goal became to help veterans better manage their pain and PTSD symptoms, utilizing health behavior change as a complementary component of their overall treatment program. With this approach, the ultimate goal was to help them improve their overall quality of life and well-being, long-term.

My patient oriented research experience, over the past thirteen years, directly informed my approach to my clinical work with individual patients. In fact, I worked for Newton-Wellesley Eating Disorders and Behavioral Medicine for the past fifteen years. As part of this work, I focused on helping individuals suffering from the full continuum of eating disorders (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder) to sustain their recovery long-term and achieve "recovery maintenance" through establishment and achievement of additional life goals and to move beyond their "eating disorder" identity to a "whole person" identity to create a more meaningful life post-recovery. Additionally, as part of this practice, I treated patients suffering from anxiety, PTSD, chronic musculoskeletal pain and depression as well as veterans from the community.

I take an evidenced based, time limited, approach to therapy with all of my patients. I do not believe patients need to stay in therapy indefinitely. I also use an integrative approach towards conceptualizing my patients presenting concerns and mental health conditions including elements from short term psychodynamic therapy, interpersonal therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy as well as motivational interviewing and self-determination theory. With many of my patients, I use a trauma lens and I do not adhere to an "illness model" of care. Rather, I utilize a "health promoting wellness model" to help facilitate, through evidenced based therapies, effective management of psychological and physical symptoms toward promotion of improved overall quality of life and well-being.

Patients can first expect a free consultation session in which they are informed of my policies and procedures of psychological assessment and psychotherapy. We will review intake forms together and the patient will have an opportunity to ask questions. Interested patients will complete paperwork that includes their demographic and insurance information as well as release of information forms that may be necessary for me to coordinate their care. Once all paperwork is complete, we will schedule for a first session.

As part of the first session, I will administer a semi-structured intake interview, using the biopsychosocial framework and team-based approach, mentioned above. As such, the patient and I will review a thorough history of the patient's presenting concerns and conditions, including past physical and psychological treatment history, problematic patterns of behavior associated with the presenting conditions (i.e., substance use and/or abuse), family/social history, etc. Additional self-report questionnaires related to the patient's presenting conditions will also be given to establish a baseline level of functioning as well as to help inform the overall treatment approach. Based on the results of these questionnaires, additional clinician administered assessments may be indicated prior to starting psychotherapy.

I view myself as one team member of a recovery team in which the patient is an integral team member and may also include the patient's other providers (i.e., pcp, psychiatrist, nutritionist, rehabilitative medicine doctor, etc). The provider team work alongside the patient, in a cohesive and interdisciplinary way, so the patient can successfully navigate towards achievement of their therapeutic goals. Most often, these goals are based on a SMART framework and are rooted in the patients values that are personally meaningful to them.