Dr. Pasacreta provides clinical services are targeted to typically underserved patient groups including but not limited to the elderly, adults, adolescents, couples and family caregivers, particularly having difficulty managing the increasing stresses of modern life. These stressors include growing complexities of daily life, rapid globalization with diminishing social contacts, increasing social and domestic violence, and increasing longevity including increases in the simultaneous diagnosis of psychiatric and medical illnesseses, to name just a few. For example, just a short time ago, chronic illnesses such as cancer, and heart disease imposed a death sentence while today, when treated properly, people often live for many years following diagnosis but pay a high price in psychological terms. Conversely, psychiatric symptoms often contribute directly to the diagnosis of serious medical conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and lung cancer to name a few. Because mental health prevention and treatment are a low priority, the rapid increases in the illnesses mentioned are overwhelming the health care system. These issues demand a new approach to mental health services, education and research. In response to the preceding issues, Dr. Pasacreta developed one of the first federally funded programs to educate psychiatric nurse practitioners while on faculty at Yale University. In addition to being an experienced clinician she has made significant contributions to knowledge development in these areas having received numerous grants from NIH and private foundations with many peer reviewed publications to her credit. Dr. Pasacreta's clinical pratice employs a comprehensive practical approach to patient and family problems. Physical as well as psychiatric symptom management are addressed using a multimodal approach that includes but is not limited to psychopharmacologic management. Other strategies include: coping skills training, cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems treatment and any combination of modalities that synergistically provide symptom relief typically not achievable with unitary interventions. Treatment typically involves family members and other treatment providers. Evaluation and treatment of complex often interrelated physical, psychological, behavioral and social symptoms are an essential component of services and enhance one of Dr Pasacreta's programmatic goals of being a referral source for complex cases involving symptom management from area hospitals, clinics, and general medical providers in surrounding communities.