PA Mindset Matters

Hosts Mercedes Dodge and Jessica Spissinger of PA Mindset Matters reflect on wrapping their second season, highlighting interviews largely recorded at the inaugural PA Institute collaboration between Psych Congress and AAPA and previewing its return in early December in Orlando. They discuss their mission to connect psychiatric PAs and share standout guest takeaways. They note psych PA presence at...

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 the person beyond them. In this episode of Mindset Matters, we sit down with a leader in psychiatry to explore what it truly means to care for patients with intellectual and developmental differences—and how these experiences reshape...

In this Mini Mindset episode, we explore the often-overlooked connection between menopause, perimenopause, and mental health. Many women present with symptoms that look like depression or anxiety—but what if the underlying driver is hormonal? We discuss: The clinical overlap between mood disorders and perimenopause Why some patients experience partial response to SSRIs The role of sleep disruption...

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, about her transition from emergency psychiatry to outpatient academic practice. She reflects on working across 13 Houston-area hospitals, the lack of continuity in emergency care, and how her mother’s mental illness shaped her pa...

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 “reverse seasonal affective disorder,” or summer-onset depression. They note it’s less common than winter-onset SAD (about 0.5–2.5% vs. 5–10%) and can be missed because summer is assumed to be a season which most people enjoy. However, f...

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 at Psych Congress to discuss pathways into psychiatry, the mental health workforce shortage, and the broader impact of psychiatric care. Jasprina shares how growing up with a mother with mental illness shaped her perspective, emp...

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 take a closer look at collaborative care and why integrating behavioral health across specialties is essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing provider burnout. From primary care to pediatrics to specialty clinics, behavi...

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 to mental health. Edward describes discovering the PA profession, working on an adult inpatient involuntary unit, and completing a one-year psychiatry PA residency at the VA in Houston partnered with Baylor. Now practicing addictio...

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 patterns require a consistent relationship with a specific time of year for at least two years, with manic episodes most often peaking in spring and autumn. They review manic symptoms using the DIGFAST mnemonic and distinguish hypo...

Psychiatric PA Serah Sulaiman, MPAS, PA-C joins PA Mindset Matters to discuss pediatric mental health, emotional dysregulation, and Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) treatment programs. In this episode, hosts Mercedes Dodge, PA-C and Jessica Spissinger, PA-C explore Serah’s path from teaching to psychiatry and her work supporting high-acuity youth transitioning from inpa...

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 prescriptive tool in psychiatric care. We review: • Moderate to large effect sizes in depression • The Duke SMILE study (8% relapse with exercise vs 38% with medication alone) • Muscle–brain crosstalk and BDNF upregulation • Neuropl...

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 medicine to integrative medicine, and ultimately outpatient psychiatry during COVID due to rising mental health needs. She integrates lifestyle medicine into psychiatric care, sees pediatric and adult patients via in-person and tel...

In this Mini-Mindset episode, Jessica Spissinger and Mercedes Dodge break down seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as a seasonal subtype of depression—not just the “winter blues.” They review winter triggers, common symptoms (hypersomnia, carb cravings, weight gain, low energy), and key risk factors. The episode highlights evidence-based treatments including light therapy (10,000 lux in the morning)...

In this episode of The Mindset Matters podcast, hosts Mercedes Dodge and Jessica Spissinger interview Victoria (Tor )Starner, a psychiatric physician assistant (PA). Tor discusses her journey from pediatric outpatient care to her current role in psychiatry, working initially in a fully remote setting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She highlights the importance of mentorship and the value of network...

Trauma shows up everywhere in healthcare—not just in psychiatry. In this Mini Mindset episode, Mercedes Dodge, PA-C, CAQ-Psychiatry, and Jessica Spissinger, PA-C take a focused deep dive into how trauma presents across clinical settings, including primary care, pediatrics, urgent care, orthopedics, and mental health. We explore the history of trauma and PTSD, from early concepts of dissociation to...

In this episode of Mindset Matters, we sit down with Yuliya Bjorgan, a Psychiatric PA practicing in outpatient private care with experience spanning general psychiatry and addiction medicine. Yuliya shares how a lifelong curiosity about psychiatry, supportive preceptors, and openness to opportunity shaped her path into mental health care. We explore her current work treating bipolar disorder, depr...

In this week’s episode of PA Mindset Matters, Jessica and Mercedes discuss motivational interviewing in their newest Mini Mindset release. Developed in the 1980s by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, motivational interviewing began as an approach for addressing alcohol use and has since expanded across mental health, primary care, and preventive care. Rather than focusing on advice-giving or...

In this episode of Mindset Matters, recorded at the Psych Congress PA Institute in December 2025, we had the honor of sitting down with Anthony Campanella, PA-C, CAQ-Psychiatry—a psychiatric PA with five years of experience across child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry. Anthony shares how one inpatient child and adolescent psychiatry rotation—and one patient—changed the course of his career, shif...

In this episode of The Mindset Matters Podcast, hosts Mercedes Dodge, PA-C, CAQ-Psychiatry, and Jessica Spissinger, PA-C, sit down with Rebecca DePalma, known online as “West Coast PA.” Rebecca shares how one high school talk sparked her lifelong passion for becoming a Physician Assistant and how that early inspiration led her into the field of psychiatry. She discusses her journey from PA school...

Welcome to The Mindset Matters, the podcast where psychiatry, medicine, and human connection meet — hosted by psychiatric PAs Mercedes Dodge and Jessica Spissinger. In this episode, we explore how Physician Associates are stepping into psychiatry to close the mental health access gap. From the national psychiatrist shortage to post-COVID demand, Mercedes and Jessica break down what it takes to tra...

Join Mercedes Dodge, PA-C, and Jessica Spissinger, PA-C, in this inspiring Mindset Matters episode featuring Sarah Tatko, a psychiatric PA who has carved her own path from speech therapy to advanced psychiatric care. Together, they explore the art and science of ketamine therapy, blending clinical precision with human vulnerability. Hear Sarah’s reflections on integrating CBT with ketamine-assiste...

In this episode of The Mindset Matters Podcast, psychiatric PAs Mercedes Dodge and Jessica Spissinger dive into the fascinating journey of ketamine—from its origins as a battlefield anesthetic during the Vietnam War to its modern role as a rapid-acting antidepressant transforming mental health care. They unpack the differences between racemic ketamine and esketamine (Spravato®), discuss their use...

Two psych PAs—Mercedes Dodge, PA-C, CAQ-Psych and Jessica Spissinger, PA-C—sit down with Kathryn Werner, PA-C, owner of White Pine Mental Health & Wellness and senior consultant at CPACteam.com, to explore her journey from disliking her psychiatry rotation to building a purpose-driven practice that thrives on clinical depth and compassion. Kathryn shares how the PA generalist mindset sharpens...

Join Jessica Spissinger and Mercedes Dodge as they dive into the emerging science of Lifestyle Psychiatry — where evidence-based medicine meets everyday habits. In this episode, they unpack the six pillars of lifestyle psychiatry: physical activity, nutrition, restorative sleep, stress management, toxic exposure reduction, and social connectedness. Discover how these pillars can transform care for...

In this engaging episode of Mindset Matters, we are joined by Kat Astrup, a dedicated PA with extensive experience in family medicine and psychiatry. Kat also hosts her own podcast, 'PA the FI Way,' where she discusses medicine, finances, and living a balanced life. Kat shares her journey from learning about the PA profession after an ACL injury to her educational path at Des Moines University and...