Beacon Strategies’ Post

As someone who has experienced therapy and greatly believes in the power of being candid and open about mental health, I'm really excited about my new article exploring Betterhelp, the juggernaut online counselling provider. This is the most extensive research I've done for an article to date, exploring the Gen Z skewed marketing, eyebrow raising business practices, data leaks, and ethical concerns attached to a company that promotes itself to the vulnerable. In this piece, I'm asking the concerningly dystopian question: should one have to turn to the morally bankrupt for accessible therapy? 🔗If you're interested in exploring the tumultuous history and present of the biggest online therapy company in the world, the link to read is below: https://lnkd.in/exkcUbHg

Attention C Suite executives and Human Resources.... have you checked on the policies that you offer to your employees? What is the coverage offered for mental health care? You might find this resource from NAMI helpful.

From personal experience and as an investor into mental health care my awareness is heightened on this disparity. ✴️ Let me put this as straightforward as I can: it is a matter of life and death. Period. ☝🏼 While patients can’t financially afford out of network, they can’t afford to wait in long waiting lines for in network either, their life depends on timely treatment. ☝🏼 While providers want to help, their hands are tied so to speak, as they feel the impact of sustaining a living with this type of health insurance disparity. “The report, which covers commercial insurance data for over 22 million Americans between 2019 and 2021, found: 👉🏼People are forced to seek care from higher cost, out-of-network providers for mental health and substance use treatment – at far higher rates than for other medical and surgical care. Out-of-network network use was 3.5 times higher for mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) treatment compared to medical/surgical (M/S) treatment, meaning people with mental illness have to pay more for their care. 👉🏼Mental health providers are routinely paid less than other M/S providers. Average in-network office visit reimbursement was 22 percent higher for M/S clinicians than for MH/SUD clinicians, disincentivizing MH/SUD providers from joining insurance networks and making it harder for people to access mental health care within their network. “ The struggle is real. But we cannot give up. Read on…

🗨️ "It is imperative for us to confront the elephant in the room, that lawyers are experiencing mental health challenges at much higher rates than the general population." In honor of #MentalHealthWeek, we'd like to share this reflective and insightful past CBA National article by Lorraine Champion, Executive Director of Alberta Lawyers' Assistance Society. In it, Lorraine reflects on the stark results concerning the well-being of legal professionals detailed in the 2022 National Study on the Psychological Health Determinants for Canadian Legal Professionals (📊https://bit.ly/3rpVVfg). Do your part to break down the stigma – get informed and share the article with colleagues today: https://bit.ly/4d0hLcc

Comprehensive care for your employees' health isn't complete without solutions to treat the mind, body, and spirit, but stigma can hold people back from seeking mental healthcare. Adam Dell Psy. D., ABPP, Premise Health clinical psychologist and director of emotional wellbeing, joins Kenneth Edwards and Edward Maher from the Midwest Coalition of Labor to speak candidly about the stigma of behavioral health and why improving access to counseling is so critical. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gp_FDUhZ #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

The administration's final mental health parity regs -- one of the most important developments of the year in the health plans space -- have been issued: https://lnkd.in/eTWEhn5j We'll see if there's also a Loper challenge to these highly detailed rules. Here is the related White House fact sheet: https://lnkd.in/eeRAADds

I wish I didn't have first-hand knowledge of how broken the mental health ecosystem can be. But I do. It is too hard for people to find the right mental/behavioral healthcare. It is too hard for mental healthcare providers to communicate and collaborate with each other. It is too hard for patients and families to communicate with their mental healthcare team. That is why we are building Halespring. Want to learn more and help us transform mental healthcare for the better? Please follow our page. #mentalhealth #behavioralhealth #digitalhealth

In Australia, 2 in 3 men experiencing psychological distress don’t seek help. Recognising the barriers men face, Dr Myles Young and Elliot Waters are leading a new trial asking a simple yet powerful question. Can taking therapy outdoors improve men’s engagement and outcomes? 🌳🚶 This work is the world’s first comparative study of outdoor therapy versus traditional indoor therapy for men and has the potential to revolutionise how mental health care is delivered across the nation. Read more about this important work 👉 https://bit.ly/48xMdZo

Check out the 7 principles of accountability in mental and behavioral health from the Health Evolution Fellows. Very timely with the Biden rule to improve parity between mental and physical health care. Thanks to all Fellows for helping make health care more affordable, effective, and equitable.

July is National #MinorityMentalHealth Awareness Month. Staying mentally healthy is critical to physical health and quality of life. But the impact of mental health issues, and the ability to get the support and treatment needed, is not the same for everyone. The good news is there are integrative health interventions that nurses can use to support the mental health of their BIPOC patients. Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q01Ynvw40