Alma

Last week, we announced that applications have opened for the second year of the Alma Empowering Minds scholarship in partnership with the American Psychological Foundation (APF). If you’re a student from a historically marginalized community and are currently in a master’s program in mental health care, we encourage you to apply for the 2025 scholarship! Learn more and submit your application here: https://lnkd.in/eCfkvESk Today, we want to spotlight four out of the ten recipients from last year who are all pursuing degrees in mental health. Meet Arisbeb Campos Gonzalez, Azul Lozoya Gomez, Becky Murray, and Bisola Abundance Mariam. Arisbeb’s interest in mental health is rooted in the unmet needs for this type of care in Latina/o and Hispanic communities. As a first-generation student, she’s driven to support families, communities of color, youth, and marginalized individuals. Azul is a first-generation Mexican immigrant and is passionate about helping the immigrant community. She hopes to serve communities that lack access to mental health services, and her long-term goal is to be a psychologist and advocate for immigrant and refugee children. Becky is a former scientist who realized that their true calling is supporting people with their mental health. Their long-term goal is to open a private practice specializing in queer issues, sex therapy, and trauma therapy. Bisola is passionate about reducing systemic retraumatization of domestic violence survivors through research and clinically informed policy intervention. She’s also the founder of a social impact company that uses quality of life and economic prospect models to improve the lives of survivors.

Together with Upheal, Alma is using generative AI to transform the way independent mental health care providers manage their practices. ZDNET wrote about our innovative partnership with Upheal sharing, “Alma, a platform that helps independent mental health care providers run their practices, partnered with Upheal to bring gen AI progress notes to its EHR system. The tech enables therapists ‘to be more present in sessions and save hours on progress notes that meet clinical best practices." We’re proud to support therapists in focusing on what matters most: their clients. By simplifying administrative tasks and ensuring clinical best practices, we’re helping reduce burnout and create more time for impactful care. Check out the full article to learn more about how AI is shaping the future of mental health. https://lnkd.in/er_8zaDY

We’ve seen increasing interest from Alma members in clinical techniques for nervous system regulation. One emerging application is the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), which is rooted in polyvagal theory and uses music to target the vagus nerve. And in our next virtual event, Rebecca Knowles, OTD, OTR/L, RYT, and Director of Research, Education & Quality at Unyte, will be speaking with Elizabeth Marshall, LCSW (ME/NJ), LICSW (MA), and Jillian Hosey MSW RSW, LICSW, for an overview of this relatively new evidence-based approach. Learn more and RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gBv9XZ7z

I remember telling my mom that “I really need to see a therapist” when I was 12 years old. Due to our language barrier, I had to first find a dictionary to look up the Chinese words for “therapist”. I was apprehensive even though I had no idea what it meant besides that it might be someone who would help me understand my problems better. My mom predictably freaked out and said, “why do you need a therapist?! That’s for people who are insane! Do you need to be admitted into a mental asylum?!” I was in my 5th school in 6 years because of how much we moved around. I was dealing with bullying and racism at the new school, and my grades were quickly slipping due to undiagnosed ADHD. Home life was also rough as we teetered financially and my parents became more abusive when I couldn’t pull my grades up. It was only much later that I would understand my parents had been through their own traumas during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, severe famines, and government enforced re-education programs. It took more than 2 decades for me to finally see a therapist consistently. While the main reason it took so long was the stigma that many East Asian immigrants held, the financial and insurance barriers to mental healthcare were also significant. When things finally got bad enough at work and with my parents that I learned to navigate the complexities of my insurance’s mental health benefits. After using a bunch of mental health provider platforms, I reached out to Libby Perold to pay my compliments on her design work at Alma and also to see if there was an expert who could explain the insurance jargon and break down the process of finding an in-network therapist. Libby was kind enough to connect me with Dr. Elisabeth Morray, their in-house psychologist to do a live chat this Thursday at 10AM EST / 7AM PST on how to navigate our mental health benefits and find the right therapist. If you’re struggling like I am, please know that it is OK to seek help, in fact, a lot of it is covered by most of our workplace health insurances. Please note this is not a sponsorship, but a favor from the folks at Alma. My audience is too small and not targeted enough to be of value to them. Rather, it’s just a really important topic to me.

At Alma, we recognize a need for more diversity in the mental health care field—and specifically, for more BIPOC therapists who are equipped to support clients seeking a provider with a shared background. And in support of this need, we’re excited to share that in partnership with the American Psychological Foundation (APF), applications are now open for the second year of the Alma Empowering Minds Scholarship & Mentorship program. With this program, we’ll again award a total of $50,000 to students from marginalized backgrounds pursuing education in the mental health care field. Recipients will also have the opportunity to be paired with an experienced clinician for mentorship and support. Learn more and apply using the link below, and feel free to share this post with any students you know who may benefit from this opportunity. https://lnkd.in/eCfkvESk

Did you know that 90% of providers work alone or in small group practices? At Alma, we know that community support is invaluable for clinicians, which is why we love being part of events like the Texas Psychological Association Convention. Come say hello at our booth—and for those who can’t join us today, we’re curious to know: How do you build community as a clinician?

In the midst of election season, it's essential to prioritize our mental well-being. Alma's very own Elisabeth Morray recently spoke with CNBC Make It about managing burnout from constant political conversations and news. The article emphasizes that it's okay to opt out of discussions when needed, allowing us to protect our mental health during this intense time. Check out the full story?here,?and remember to take care of yourself today! https://lnkd.in/etWyi7g9

Curious about value-based care and what it might mean for your clinical practice? If so, we hope you’ll join us for our panel discussion next Wednesday, October 30! During this conversation, we’ll explore how clinicians and payers might work together to create models that benefit everyone involved—as well as how trust can be built between these two groups that shape the mental health care field. RSVP here to claim your spot: https://lnkd.in/gXGCGE3k

As an increasing number of clinicians and insurance plans consider the merits of value-based care models, we recognize that it has the potential to benefit clinicians. But at the heart of these conversations is one essential question: How can value-based care models benefit both mental health care providers *and* the clients they work with?? ? That’s the question we’ll explore in our upcoming panel discussion paid for by Alma with Samuel Nordberg, Jana Dost, Elisabeth Morray, and Dylan Ross, PhD. During this conversation, they’ll discuss models that can help improve client access to high-quality care and how trust can be built between clinicians and insurance payers and share real stories and perspectives from other practicing clinicians.? ? RSVP here to join us on October 30: https://lnkd.in/gXGCGE3k

There’s one subject that can fill even the most confident providers with dread: progress notes. On top of the intensive time requirement, there’s often a lack of clarity on what “good” clinical documentation looks like—which can lead to stress around what insurance companies might look for in the event of an audit. That’s why we’re excited to host a discussion about efficient, stress-free progress notes with?Alma's VP of Clinical, Elisabeth Morray, PhD, Ted Faneuff LISW-S, LMSW, LCSW, MBA, Head of Clinical Operations of Upheal, and Certified Professional Coder Sonda Kunzi