--- title: "Listen Up | Denver Psychiatry Blog" description: "There is an organization based in Denver called Seeking Common Ground. 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For children and adolescents, this includes integrated meetings with parents. By the end of 1-2 visits, you'll have a clear clinical formulation and personalized treatment plan." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does Denver Psychiatry treat both children and adults?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, Dr. Steve Sarche is board certified in both general psychiatry and child & adolescent psychiatry. Denver Psychiatry provides comprehensive care for patients ages 10 and older, with age-appropriate treatment approaches." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What mental health conditions does Denver Psychiatry treat?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Denver Psychiatry treats a wide range of mental health conditions including anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD, situational stress, behavioral problems, and relational difficulties. Dr. Sarche takes a comprehensive, holistic approach to diagnosis and treatment." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does Denver Psychiatry offer non-medication treatments?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Absolutely. While medication can be an important part of treatment, Dr. Sarche also emphasizes non-medication modalities including sleep hygiene strategies, lifestyle modifications, stress reduction techniques, and therapeutic approaches. Treatment is tailored to each individual's needs and preferences." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the difference between a D.O. and an M.D. psychiatrist?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) receive the same training as M.D.s but with additional focus on the interconnection between the body's systems. 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It is a nonprofit whose mission is to promote peace-building between young men and women from “conflict regions” around the world...", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dr. Steve Sarche", "jobTitle": "Board Certified Psychiatrist" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Denver Psychiatry", "url": "https://denverpsychiatry.com" }, "datePublished": "2011-01-03T15:52:11+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/article/listen-up" } } ] --- [ Denver Psychiatry Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. ](#home) [](tel:303-393-8808) [ Denver Psychiatry Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. ](#home) [Home](#home) Services ### Conditions We Treat [ ADHD Treatment Child & adult ADHD specialist care ](/adhd)[ Anxiety Treatment Generalized anxiety, panic, social anxiety ](/anxiety-treatment)[ Depression Treatment Major depression, bipolar, mood disorders ](/depression-treatment)[ PTSD & Trauma Treatment Trauma recovery focused on full healing ](/ptsd-trauma-treatment) ### Specialty Care [ Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship-trained, ages 10 and up ](/child-adolescent-psychiatry)[ Performance Optimization Precision psychiatry for high performers ](/performance-optimization)[ Medication Management Expert prescription and monitoring ](#services) #### Talk to Dr. Sarche Call to schedule your initial evaluation [Call Now](tel:303-393-8808) About ### About Us [ Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. Board-certified psychiatrist ](#about)[ Our Approach Patient-centered, evidence-based care ](#approach)[ Osteopathic Medicine Holistic medical philosophy ](#resources) Resources ### Educational Resources [ General Information Learn about psychiatry and mental health ](#resources)[ Sleep & Wellness Tips for better sleep and health ](#resources)[ Nutrition & Mental Health Diet's impact on mood and cognition ](#resources) ### Patient Info [ Blog Articles Latest insights and updates ](#blog)[ FAQs Common questions answered ](#faq) #### New Patient? Learn what to expect at your first visit [Learn More](#services) Contact ### Get In Touch [ Contact Form Send us a message ](#contact)[ Call Us (303) 393-8808 ](tel:303-393-8808)[ Our Location 720 S Colorado Blvd, Suite 910N ](#contact) [Call Dr. Sarche](tel:303-393-8808) [Back to Blog](/blog) Child & Adolescent # Listen Up Dr. Steve Sarche Board Certified Psychiatrist • Monday, January 3, 2011 • 4 min read Share: [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Flisten-up)[](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Flisten-up&text=Listen%20Up)[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Flisten-up&title=Listen%20Up)[]() There is an organization based in Denver called Seeking Common Ground.  It is a nonprofit whose mission is to promote peace-building between young men and women from “conflict regions” around the world.    Their flagship program, focusing on an area of perhaps the most intense conflict, is called “Building Bridges for Peace”.  It brings together 60 Israeli and Palestinian teens for intensive two week sessions with follow up in the participants’ home communities.  The focus is to teach the teens how to manage their intense and deep-seated hatred of each other.   The program is “designed to lead participants through both interpersonal and personal processes, to increase their capacity to feel compassion and empathy and to humanize the ‘other’.” Can you imagine what it would be like to be in a room filled with 30 teens from each side of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict for the first meeting?  I suspect you’d find more comfort and calm running through a pit bull farm with a steak around your neck.  So how do they pull this off?   They do it through an intense process focusing on communication, development of leadership skills, and empowerment.  (Having pizza and dance parties from time to time helps as well). A key component of the communication comes from the development of listening skills.  In the program they teach what is called “active listening”.  This is crucial because the way a person listens to another has an enormous impact on the quality and effectiveness of a relationship. Most of us are not great listeners.   As mindtools.com reports, studies show that we remember anywhere from 25-50% of what we hear.  Breaking that down, if you are talking to somebody for 10 minutes, that means that at best, chances are you remember 5 minutes of that conversation.  You probably miss some important stuff.  To become a better listener, active listening is the process of making a conscious effort to attend to everything the person is saying and making sure that you understand what the person is saying.   This is a technique that psychiatrists use and is one of the most valuable tools they have in the process of treating patients.  In fact, this skill would serve any doctor better; some studies suggest that a good portion of medical diagnoses can be made through taking a thorough history and physical exam.  The process of active listening involves five elements.  The five elements include paying attention (eye contact), showing you are listening (often with occasional small nods of the head), providing feedback on what you have heard (by using such phrases as “So what I am hearing is…” or “Sounds like you are saying…”), deferring judgment (mostly by not interrupting and allowing the person to finish what they are saying), and responding appropriately (diplomacy).   Sounds simple but like any skill, this takes lots of practice.  Active listening is a particularly great way to communicate with teenagers, who generally feel misunderstood and not listened to.  In 2002, the Building Bridges group was especially strained.  There were funding problems and the group was much smaller than usual.  It was also held during a time of an intense escalation of violence between Israeli Jews and Palestinians.  There is a documentary that follows some of the participants from this group called “My So Called Enemy”.   One of the Palestinian participants talks about her experience.  She had recently lost her father to a heart attack partly because the ambulance had to get through an Israeli checkpoint and didn’t get to the hospital fast enough.  She joined the program to     “…meet with Jewish-Israelis and tell them that they killed her father.   She wanted them to know that she was the face of a suicide bomber and given the chance she would strap bombs to her body and kill as many of them as she could.” After the two week program, this same young woman was in tears.  She was asked what was wrong and answered,    “…that she no longer wanted to strap bombs to her body and kill the Jews…She recognized that she and these other young women were all victims of violence in the Middle East.  She did not want to live under occupation but she also understood the fear and pain of the ‘other’”.   She had in fact become close friends with some of the Israeli participants.  If active listening can work for this group, don’t you think it could work for you? \-References from Melodye Feldman, Co-Founder and Past Executive Director of Seeking Common Ground. Share: [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Flisten-up)[](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Flisten-up&text=Listen%20Up)[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Flisten-up&title=Listen%20Up)[]() ### Need Help With Your Mental Health? Dr. Steve Sarche provides compassionate psychiatric care for children, adolescents, and adults in the Denver area. [Call to Speak With Dr. Sarche](tel:303-393-8808) ### Get new articles from Dr. Sarche We'll only email you when Dr. Sarche publishes a new article. Unsubscribe anytime. Subscribe ## Related Articles [ Child & Adolescent ### The Communication Fix Up Communication Fix Up. This article is inspired by a talk given by Charles Duhigg, a journalist and best-selling author during the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 29th, 2024. The talk is titled, “Super co... 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