这是 not uncommon for healthcare 顾问s to burnish their credentials by returning to school to obtain a specialized degree or certification. 但是当莱斯利Krasne, a senior manager with 心电图, pursued a master’s degree in clinical health mental counseling after 25 years working in managed care, it wasn’t for the purpose of bolstering her consulting acumen or boosting her earning potential. 这是 个人的东西.
管理式医疗事业
莱斯利天生是个解决问题的人, which is what drew her to healthcare consulting in the first place. She was working for an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) management company that had hired a consulting firm. 她对眼前的景象印象深刻.
“我以为, that seems like a cool job—to travel and help people solve problems, and create tools that help people do their jobs better,莱斯利回忆道. “I love working with people, I love training staff. And as a 顾问, I especially enjoy helping providers. 这是我最关心的一件事.”
个人旅程
作为一个 顾问, Leslie expanded her knowledge of managed care contracting and operations and refined her skills as a negotiator. But she also began taking a deeper interest in the human dimension of her work. “I found myself enjoying reading about psychology and how the brain works,她说。, which led to an increasing curiosity about mental health. “I was intrigued with why and how some people heal, and why others don’t,她说。. “治愈之路不是线性的.”
重叠的世界
Leslie enrolled in a graduate program in mental health counseling on a part-time basis while continuing to work as a 顾问. 这让我的日程非常紧张, but keeping one foot in each world revealed unexpected parallels between consulting and therapy.
“They’re different realms with a lot of overlap in terms of working with people, 识别问题, 想出一个计划, 跟踪进度,莱斯利说。. “咨询工作, I’m able to work with people in a different way—from a very heart-centered space. And what I realized was that that’s also needed in the business consulting world. 我们的工作关系很大. We work with people and help them solve problems. That’s the same thing that we do in counseling. 结构是一样的, except that we’re dealing with mental health issues versus operational, 金融, 以及商业方面的战略问题.”
Leslie’s experience as a therapist has informed and influenced her consulting work in multiple ways. But there’s one tool in particular that her training has helped her to sharpen. “I think the biggest thing that I learned in the counseling program was to listen,她说。. “That’s something as 顾问s that can be a challenge, because we’re supposed to be the experts. We do a lot of talking and presenting and telling people how they should do X, Y, and Z. To hone my listening skills, to really hear what the client’s needs are, has been very helpful. It becomes more of a collaborative experience.”
支持心电图
Becoming a therapist has helped make Leslie a better-informed, more well-rounded 顾问. 作为一个谈判者, her tendency to listen to the needs of all parties facilitates their coming to an agreement, and her ability to empathize with people helps her establish solid, 信任的关系.
And while her focus at 心电图 has been largely on managed care and ASC-related engagements, her clinical training has made her a valued resource to the firm’s growing behavioral health service line. “I bring a wealth of knowledge on the managed care side combined with the clinical aspect of behavioral health,她说。. “My perspective is as close as the patient, but as wide as the system. I can still work on the business side, but with the lens of a clinician. It gives me a different perspective when it comes to figuring out solutions.”
需要帮助的行业
That blend of skills is critical at a time when mental health is increasingly in the spotlight. The pandemic has only exacerbated historical issues surrounding behavioral health access and reimbursement. Several major pediatric associations have declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. The industry is scrambling to redefine a care model that has long proved ineffective. And despite the potential benefits offered by new technology and an influx of private equity, meaningful change won’t happen overnight—if it happens at all.
风景与莱斯利有关. “What I see as a clinician is a great deal of need, she says. “I think everybody feels a sense of urgency, 而是作为提供者和社区, we’ve been doing the same things for a long time. 有些有用,有些没用. 它需要社区, 个人, and health systems to come together to have a more well-rounded way to address these problems, 我认为这正在发生. 就是这样, 由于耻辱或经济资源, behavioral health usually falls to the bottom of the stack.”
莱斯利确实看到了进步的迹象, noting trends within value-based care aimed at paying behavioral health providers more appropriately for care. But just as critical is eliminating the stigma that has traditionally surrounded mental health care. “这是 important to be transparent,她说。. “I think everybody has been touched by this in some way. Mental health is probably the most pressing issue of our generation right now.”
五月是心理健康宣传月
了解更多 关于 心电图’s Behavioral Health 云顶集团
了解更多出版于2022年5月10日