By: Sarah Hanchett, Director of Clinical Services
Fear, stress, and anxiety are common responses when facing uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic, unsurprisingly, has amplified these responses – so much so that 41.5% of adults reported anxiety or depressive disorder symptoms in a recent survey conducted by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. As the pandemic lingers on, there’s a pressing need for accessible, high-quality behavioral health care to help those who are struggling to cope.
At evolvedMD, our uniquely upfront, innovative, and ongoing approach places our behavioral health specialists on site and in person at each of the practices we serve. We’re also committed to meeting patients where they are most comfortable, whether that is in person or virtual. Offering early, comprehensive, and dedicated care to help patients achieve the best possible behavioral health outcomes, we would like to highlight the positive impact our unique model and compassionate Behavioral Health Managers have had on patients during the pandemic.
These frontline heroes work daily to transform lives, here are some of their stories:
“I have been meeting with a middle-aged woman who lost a job she loved so much due to COVID-19. She is now doing a job that is foreign to her but must work right now due to financial reasons.
We have met three times. She reported to me that she feels she wouldn't have been able to stick out this job for as long as she has without the support of therapy. She has never done therapy before, and she has never experienced anxiety like she is right now. Some things we worked on include cognitive behavioral therapy, recognizing and reducing negative self-talk, and working on her internal dialogue, along with overcoming ingrained thought processes.”
“I worked with an educator who lost a close family member and three staff members to COVID-19. After finally taking some time off and allowing herself to grieve, she returned to work and started a support system for her teachers to improve self-care and changed the culture in her schools around acceptance with the many losses in her community.”
“I’d like to also highlight the multiple nurses who have a safe place to express their grief and frustration as they move through the pandemic and draw on their own deep courage and commitment to keep showing up.”
“I have several virtual patients who have been extremely anxious about leaving their homes now that COVID restrictions have started to be lifted. I've had great success encouraging patients to make their first 'public outing' to be their next session with me so we can meet in-person!
One such 71-year-old patient got lost on her way here, called me and was in a frantic panic. So, I pulled up a map online, figured out where she was, and talked her through the directions and the panic to get her to our parking lot for her appointment with myself and her primary care physician. She called me her "guardian angel" and we were able to laugh about it and reframe it in session as her brave adventure with a successful outcome rather than it being terrifying.”
We’d like to thank all our wonderful Behavioral Health Managers for the amazing work they’ve done with their patients. As a national leader in the integration of behavioral health in modern primary care, we’re confident that we’ll continue to help patients achieve the best possible behavioral health outcomes during the pandemic and beyond.
As evolvedMD’s Director of Clinical Services, Sarah leads and supports a team of engaging and effective providers to ultimately deliver critical behavioral health services to practices nationwide. As the first employee of evolvedMD, Sarah’s experience and expertise helped establish the company as a national leader in behavioral health integration.
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