Consulting For Human Services (CFHS)

Despite growing payer interest in digital behavioral health services, industry insiders agree significant challenges still need to be addressed in insurers’ virtual care contracting strategies. With insight from Consulting For Human Services (CFHS), Talkspace, SOL Mental Health. https://bit.ly/4guKZRz

Highlights from #BHT2024: ✒️ *A Memorable First Tattoo*   Thanks to Consulting For Human Services (CFHS) and Stacy Olsen DiStefano, I got my first tattoo! I collaborated with Griffin Tattoos on a custom design featuring yin and yang koi fish. Why koi fish and yin-yang? Over the past few years, I've learned the value of seeking balance in life. Personally and professionally, I've found that embracing a "both-and" mindset—holding multiple truths at once—is far more helpful than an "all-or-none" approach. The yin and yang symbolize the harmony between opposing forces and the interconnection of these energies. In Japanese mythology, a koi fish swims upstream against the current, eventually reaching a waterfall. Despite doubts from others and obstacles from demons, the koi fish’s persistence leads it to the top, where the gods transform it into a dragon as a reward for its bravery and determination. This story resonates with me—I’m proud of my courage to face challenges, even when the odds are against me. I remind myself that, despite my doubts, I carry the heart and fire of a dragon. 👩🏾🤝👩🏻 *Women Uplifting Women*   One of the best parts of #BHT2024 was the solidarity among women in the industry. I reconnected with former colleagues and made new friends, all of whom offered insights, encouragement, and tangible support that felt like a warm embrace. I'm so grateful to have such a powerful, empathetic, and experienced network of women to lean on and learn from. 👩🏾⚕️ *The Heart of Behavioral Health Tech*   In behavioral health tech, people are the purpose behind every product and service. Whether focusing on the consumer, enhancing care through efficient tools, or sustaining the business with administrative support, this industry is dedicated to helping people and those who help people. Sharing this passion and purpose puts us all in good company! Thank you to Solome Tibebu and her team for organizing such an energizing and inspiring conference! Shoutout to Dr. Jessica Jackson, Carly Newhouse, Hannah Weisman, PhD, David Cooper, PsyD, & Andrew (Andy) Schwehm, PhD for volunteering with me to offer Therapists in Tech sponsored election stress processing sessions. Woo-hoo to seeing former colleagues Alicia Eggen, LMFT, Clare Kennedy Purvis, Psy.D., Tali Beesley, Ryan Weald, Lauren Morrell, Brad Kittredge, Jennifer La Guardia, Ph.D., Katrina Roundfield, PhD, Emma Beck, Nassim Bickham, LMFT, Baaba Onyejiji, M.A., LMFT, and Eden Klein in-person again! Lastly, thank you to Reena Pande, Ujjwal Ramtekkar MD MBA CPE MPE DFAACAP FAPA, Cynthia Grant, Kevin Ramotar, Psy.D., Alyssa Dietz, Ph.D., Sarah Adler, PsyD, Kate Wolin, Renee Schneider, Ph.D., Sarah Greenberg, Dana Udall, Ph.D., Neha Chaudhary, MD, Wesley Knepper, Vivien Keil, Ph.D., Jaclyn Satchel, LCSW-S, PMH-C, Kay Nikiforova, Sarah Lewen, Anjlee Joshi, Asha Bauer, PsyD, BCC, Erik Vanderlip and others for sharing space and warm conversation!

"When you find yourself in the right place for your mental health, it feels like coming home to a part of yourself you've been searching for." Last week I found myself in Arizona with almost 2,000 other mental health professionals at the Behavioral Health Tech annual summit. Solome Tibebu did it again – creating a perfect setting for a supportive environment that aligned with our mental well-being while pushing forward innovation in #behavioralhealth. Tuesday I was on stage with a panel of colleagues talking about #caregiver mental health - Solving their overwhelm without overwhelming them with more work. We brought together non-profit organizations with a long history of serving caregivers and for-profit companies with innovative ways to meet caregiver needs. The discussion centered on the growing behavioral health issues of caregivers, the need for innovative approaches to solve caregiver isolation and overwhelm, while also building evidence for the impact solutions have. Thank you for joining me in this powerful conversation Lili Strasser (GoFundMe), Sarah Mastrorocco (Instacart Health), Michael Lawrence, MBA (Clever RX), and our moderator, Dr. Kate Wolin. Read here for some key takeaways from the panel from audience member Paul Wilson. https://lnkd.in/gBJt_V6z I only stayed for 24 hours as I had to come back for a CaringBridge board meeting, but wow, what an impactful 24 hours it was. Pay attention to these disruptors in behavioral health. 1. Sober Sidekick by Empathy Health Tech and Chris Thompson, founder and CEO – Lived experience ✅ Authenticity ✅ User trust ✅ Patient outcomes ✅ You will be blown away at how he has garnered human empathy to create a ripple effect that could turn addiction treatment on its head, driving 10x better recovery outcomes, disrupting industry incentives. 2. Supportiv and Helena Plater-Zyberk, CEO & co-founder and Steve Lafferty, VP Client Solutions – Supportiv is a moderated peer-to-peer 👩🏻❤️👩🏾 support platform that is anonymous and driving 20x engagement rates. Add real time sentiment analysis improving stress, loneliness, sadness, and anger in a 30-minute moderated small group session and you get user return rates close to 5x. Watch this team as they are breaking norms and exponentially increasing outcomes with localized services. 3. #NonProfit + #ForProfit Partnerships are needed… and not hard, despite tax status differences. Stacy Olsen DiStefano has a career of bringing these two entities together to make meaningful progress on big healthcare issues. The power of combining 'maximizing value creation' with 'maximizing mission outcomes' is a natural 1+1 = 3 equation. 📈 See you next year! Jeff Weness, Annette Fellows (MBA, Black Belt), Pooja Mittal, Katie Drasser, Erin Terkoski Young, MBA, MSW, Shrenik Jain, Bukata Hayes, Reena Pande, Neha Chaudhary, MD, Sonika Hegde