A Q&A with TeleMed2U Therapy Manager, Stephany Thompson, LCSW
Good morning, Stephany. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us a bit about your behavioral health role at TeleMed2U and share your views on the future of mental health care for the underserved and particularly minority populations. It’s such an important topic in July during Minority Mental Health Month but should really be a top priority all year round.
I appreciate you having me and giving me an opportunity to speak about a topic that I am so passionate about. To answer your first question, my official title here at TeleMed2U is Therapy Manager, where I oversee the behavioral health therapy division within the organization. I am a practicing clinician, so I'm a licensed clinical social worker, and I’m multi-state licensed, so can deliver care in approximately 20 states. In my role, I not only provide direct patient care, but I am also in the position to provide clinical supervision if needed for those who are working towards their clinical license. I support day-to-day clinical operations where my primary responsibilities are overseeing the systems that support our therapists while ensuring that we are consistently delivering high quality care to our patients.
So, let’s talk about behavioral health accessibility. This is such an issue in healthcare today with provider shortages impacting timely care connections. Why is this a challenge that is impacting minority populations more specifically?
There are several challenges facing minorities and within various different minority groups, but one thing I would say is that systemic discrimination is definitely still there. And there is still some stigma surrounding seeking mental health help, although I will say post-COVID things are improving. I do see a change and there has been some research showing some minorities are engaging in more behavioral mental health services post-pandemic than they had been prior. But in general, I believe that there remains some strong hesitation around going into a physical building that says, “Mental Health Services”. This population still tends to avoid the very places where they could receive the mental health treatment that they so desperately need.
Accessibility challenges when it comes to connecting with culturally competent mental health care also remain an issue, correct?
Absolutely, finding a provider that they feel a connection to can be a significant challenge and if that doesn’t happen this can certainly lead to a lack of engagement in their care over time. They want someone who is respectful of them and their background. They want to build a relationship based on trust with them. That is what I have experienced personally, but also what I have seen with the clients or patients that I have served. Being understood is so important. And so, finding someone that truly relates to what you're going through, and finds the best way to connect with you is just so vital in mental health care.
Unfortunately, the number of minority mental health providers isn’t that large when compared to the demand for care. How do we encourage growth in this space? What's standing in the way of minority providers entering the profession, and what do you see in the future that might need to be changed?
Will first off, I think that simplifying the provider licensing requirements by state is an important first step. Currently you have to get licensed in each individual state, hence the reason why I carry multiple licenses. So, I can be available to deliver care in underserved areas like rural communities in multiple regions.
Right now, each state has their own regulatory bodies as far as issuing clinical licenses to practice and currently providers need to apply for each state license individually which can be costly (one must pay for each license) and takes a long time. For example, I recently waited eight months to receive a license from one state. So, I think simplifying that process, moving towards a compact license like they have in the nursing field, where you just apply once and it covers multiple states, will have an enormous impact on increasing access to a larger provider pool for minorities.
Another thing I think goes back to just education, because I will say, for me, from a social work perspective I kind of knew in high school this is what I wanted to do, so it didn't take much convincing but I know this isn’t always the case. As an industry I think more work is needed to introduce students to the profession, the different areas of practice that you can go into, and the different types of populations that you can help support and serve. We need to educate the next generation of minority clinicians on the vast opportunities that they may have in different areas.
In your opinion, what role do social determinants of health like lack of reliable transportation access play when it comes to creating barriers to mental health care?
Besides stigmas, I would say lack of transportation access is one of the key issues preventing people from accessing the mental health care resources they so desperately need. That’s why, when possible, it’s so important to find ways to deliver care where people are. Schools are a great example; bringing mental health support directly to children on a consistent basis can be so impactful. Parents don’t have to take time off from work to bring them to an appointment or take three buses across town to meet with a provider. It’s that consistent access to high-quality care that can truly influence outcomes over time.
And obviously, this is what can be so great about virtual behavioral mental health care. The ability to bring care directly to patients rather than requiring them to travel sometimes quite extensively to connect with the services they need.
Yes, we a talked about stigma earlier, and for people that are ashamed or have hesitation about walking into a behavioral health center, telemedicine offers a discreet way for patients to connect with the care they need. It also eliminates some of the transportation barriers we discussed. But one thing we haven’t touched on is the fact that telemedicine really offers a more patient-centered or collaborative approach to care.
In a physical setting you may walk into a provider’s office and ask them to conduct a mental health assessment or a brief screener and the results show that maybe you could use some support, as far as behavioral health services are concerned. At TeleMed2U and through the power of telemedicine, after that initial patient assessment we are then able to say I have a colleague that is a behavioral health provider that I work closely with and you are able to seamlessly introduce them. Not only are we here and we can address your mental health needs, but we also address physical health because at the end of the day you really can't address one without the other.
And I’m sure this is especially important when you are talking about managing chronic health conditions like diabetes or COPD that so many minorities face, correct?
Yes, especially if you're talking about individuals with chronic conditions because there is a lot of research out there that shows that these folks often also struggle with anxiety, depression, or both. These chronic diseases can often be very life-changing, requiring maintenance medications and diet changes; new exercise regiments and the changes can be overwhelming and taxing. With telemedicine we are able to bring together care for both the patient’s mental and physical health to ensure that everything is being managed holistically and virtual care really makes that easier and more effective than traditional approaches to care coordination.
This is really where I have focused for the past six or seven years, advocating for integrated behavioral healthcare and working collaboratively as a team to make whole person or patient centered care a reality. In the end, I believe that's the way that we really can move mountains for minority populations and all patient populations as it relates to mental health and physical health because you are treating the whole person and not parts or segments of an individual.
