Teams work best when the infrastructure is efficient and supportive. The medical and behavioral health industries are challenging for any team, with inherent tensions and competing interests. Capitalizing on ways the operations can be tailored and streamlined can go a long way for productivity and morale. Some of the more common areas for improvement are companywide communication channels, workflow systems, program content organization, unifying vision/mission, among others. An outside perspective can be helpful in strategizing solutions. One of the most important things I can communicate to your team is I am one of them. I have been through leadership turnover and operations specialists coming in to make sweeping changes. I am a knowledgeable therapist, not an operations specialist. My greatest strength is listening to your people. 

Tech advancements are always on the rise. Incorporating good technology into the workflow can cut down on “busy work”, reduce human error and increase quality care. AI, when used as an assistant, can improve payor rates, improve timely documentation, allow your skilled employees to focus on improving care and furthering their education/training. Tools that cut down on administrative tasks can serve to close gaps in best practices, bring in better payor reimbursements, reduce FTE needs, improve program organization and overall effectiveness. 

Some areas of improvement using documentation AI:

• Individual notes 

• Group notes 

• Strong concurrent reviews for UR 

• Homework lists for clients 

• Session summaries for clients 

• Improved compliance 

• Reduced risks of ethics violations 

• Improved treatment plan documentation and reviews 

• Automatically administered screens and assessments 

• Automatically administered forms 

• Structured and compliant communication with providers.

• Outcomes tracking during treatment 

Continued care and Alumni:

• Groups and forums for alumni 

• Records and treatment summaries for step-down care 

• Outcomes tracking post-treatment  

• Easy client-based referrals  

Other opportunities in tech:

Virtual and augmented reality to treat 

• Phobias 

• OCD 

• PTSD 

• SUD 

Something I have noticed over the years, is a gap in training for non-therapist staff. Agencies often have nursing, hospitality, behavioral health tech, administrative and finance staff. All of these departments usually lack in understanding basics of mental/behavioral health. I have found this to be a critical component of patient care. I have seen unfortunate interactions that can be prevented with more education. Common trainings are, de-escalation and trauma informed care. We know these trainings are often seen as a drag or a box that needs to be checked by the participants. I am eager to offer engaging and meaningful training for these departments that can be used practically and offer help with managing our own activations.

In addition to these departments. I can also offer some more advanced training for the therapy teams.

For non-psychiatric/therapist departments.

• Transference and countertransference 

• Advanced trauma informed care including dissociation, personality disorders and “big emotions”, catharsis. 

• How to NOT take it personally and using the Four Agreements to prevent burnout 

• Basic DBT principles and skills; how and when to use them 

• Breaking down evolution, polyvagal theory, and our nervous system for behavioral health. 

Below are some trainings for the therapist team: 

• Advanced practice in traumatic stress. 

• Preparation and integration for ketamine and other psychedelics 

• Psychedelics in mental health: overview. 

• Making AI your assistant. 

• Deeper dive into transference.

• Managing burnout

Didn’t see what you need? Let me know. 

Good program development takes precious time. I have seen a lot of good programs lean on their talented clinical team to structure specialized programs (this happened to me). Often, this leads to therapists struggling to do their best work in clinical practice or in program development due to the inherent tension of time constraints. 

I have also found a target area for program development that is neither too structured nor too flexible. The last thing I want to do is stifle the talent you hired by forcing a rigid curriculum. On the other hand, our clients do better when they have a path forward and can see tangible signs of their hard work and progress—don’t we all? 

Program development can be as general or as specific as your organization requires. Below are some elements of program development: 

• curated groups 

• assignment and reading lists 

• workbooks 

• recorded meditations 

• assessments to evaluate progress 

• milestone markers/ritual* 

I love creating programs that are specific and highlight the uniqueness of your facility. 

I have direct experience in: 

• Substance use disorders 

• Behavioral addictions 

• Veterans and first responders 

• Healthcare professionals 

• High net-worth 

• Executives 

• Traumatic stress 

• Psychedelics/ketamine programs 

Along with solid program structure and organization, in-house intensives can set programs apart. Similar to The Meadow’s “Survivors Week”, 3-7 day long intensive programming can move clients further in their recovery progress more quickly. In the same way that psychedelics need preparation and integration to be most effective, this principle also holds for experiential therapy processes. To get maximum benefit, the clinical team will need to prepare the clients before and provide integrative therapy after intense experiential work. 

I can provide tailored and targeted 3-, 5- or 7-day intensives depending on the size and needs of your population. I will work with the clinical team before to assure maximum benefit from the work. 

Topics include: 

• Family intensives 

• Trauma intensives 

• Ketamine intensives 

• Substance use intensives 

• Population specific: Women’s, Men’s, Veterans, Professionals, Athletes, Sexual trauma survivors, etc. 

• Somatic intensives 

• Family of origin/attachment intensives 

Don’t see what you are looking for? Let me know. 

Here we are! This is a unique time in behavioral health. Depending on where you are in the country and what the most current laws are, psychedelics might be an option for program development. 

Currently, Ketamine is the most widely available experience-dependent substance in our field. I have experience with developing ketamine programs from the ground up in RTC and PHP levels of care. I have also researched ketamine programs in the IOP and OP levels of care. There is so much potential opportunity in this space. I can help organizations strategize for future implementation and create foundational programs for whatever psychedelics are available.