The Continuum of Care for the Behavioral Health Clinician

The needs are different. They have always been. The difference now is the time and the voice of the clinician. There are more of us asking questions. And the continuum is shifting to what we have always known "take care of home first". How to do this is and how much does it cost? There are large organizations in autism services who experiencing The Great Migration in louder ways. And there are smaller organizations that feel the same and are afraid to grow. Everyone is hurting. Sustainable solutions are needed to support the field and its organizations. Scotch taping the holes is no longer working.

Change agents and difference-makers are needed. Internally and Externally. Both need leadership who champion alongside them.

As we think about The Great Migration within the Behavioral Health Industry, there is a need to expand this thought about the Continuum of Care. Leveraging the care aspect is more than the stated mission. It is about outcomes. Outcomes are not just related to client care. But outcomes-based upon internal rumblings, leadership mishaps, and staff surveys.

And, be clear, this movement for different is also not a popularity contest. Employees don't need "who's who". People are looking for a home away from home. A sense of belonging. When people feel connected, heard, and seen...issues like clinical quality can be developed with better-focused attention. Why? Because people see the care being actualized.

There is no magic to this. Here are a few solutions to consider how outcomes can be reimagined and implemented.

1. Diversity. Visual Imprinting. If I don't see ME in the leadership, on clinical advisory, and in the selection of trainers. Then I cannot believe the internal and external marketing. It does not matter how cool people look or their perspectives. These selections scream "looking over" each time there is an opportunity to select from a talent pool. Staff must see themselves in places of leadership more than they need to hear about how important this is.
2. Mentorship. Real mentorship. The folly is thinking that formal mentorship programs should include positional supervisors and managers. In the up-close work responsibilities in behavioral health, the clinician needs breathing room. The mentor placed outside of the day-to-day work relationship can see the staff member as the whole person. The conversation is different. Helping people find "belonging" through the mentorship of a person that also serves as managers is not sustainable. This is a setup for including some and excluding others. It also sets the team up for inequity in communication around the workplace.

If you are reading this and patting yourself on the back or giving a high-five. Stop. And ask yourself if YOU are central to the success of the continuum of care. If the answer is yes, you've built something that relies on your existence. And you need systems. More than likely, the system has holes.

Remember this, whole people support the development of building people. The continuum of care for the clinician requires this weeding and foundational development at the same time.

Giving space for people to Huddle is an answer for many organizations. We have embedded mentorship guides, live learning and development, professional learning groups, and data to understand your community. The Huddle is the space for core connection and mentorship. Adding The Huddle as a human benefit for clinical staff is key.

To learn more about The Huddle and the Organization benefits we offer.

Add to your checklist: Set up a meeting with Landria to discuss The Huddle

The Huddle for Clinicians is an online scaled space for learning and development for the behavioral health industry. The Nucleus is mentorship with trimmings of learning, trainings, and professional learning groups. The Huddle focuses on the Personal Self, Professional Self, and Clinical Self of the Clinician. Elevating the tools as we elevate the profession. ~Landria