This past summer, I had the privilege to participate in the STEP Signature Project via an internship at Matrix Psychological Services. There, I was a Patient Services Coordinator. Among several responsibilities, one was to assist new patients with finding a therapist that is a good fit for them based on availability, specialty, and over-all fit. Additionally, we are an active crisis line for our patients. I was trained in taking crisis calls and would speak to those in crisis to act as an in between to get them connected to a therapist.
This STEP internship truly was transformational due to it taking place during COVID-19. The practice had to rethink every interaction with patients in order to protect staff while still maintaining convenience on the patients’ ends. This meant adopting a patient portal, building a phone tree so that we may work remotely, and overall taking the job day-by-day as our roles and responsibilities shifted. I never imagined working during a time like this. Working with others to maintain a safe environment took on a whole new meaning; I never imagined that a position in an office would be so precarious.
I had the privilege to work with my coworkers as a team in a whole new way. I also got to watch a small business navigate staying afloat during covid-19. However, I believe that the most impactful aspect of this position was being able to witness the mental-health field transform, and being a part of that change. The therapists at our office had never previously conducted teletherapy before. It’s a new approach, and many never expected to have to take it on. Additionally, crisis calls shifted in that myself and my coworkers had a more active role than ever before. We no longer had therapists working in another room. Being so far apart, it takes more time to get someone on the phone, and as result I learned how to better engage with a person in crisis.
I also got to learn about the inner workings of insurance. This I believe to be a necessary life skill, however understanding how healthcare providers interact with insurance companies is incredibly confusing. Matrix is unique in that it is an EAP, or Employee Assistance Program. This means that Matrix contracts with companies both local and nationwide to provide free mental health services for their employees. Mental health tends to be expensive and oftentimes difficult to find. Being a part of a company whose purpose is to make navigating easier for the patients has been a truly rewarding experience. If the patient is outside of Ohio, then we find a referral for them, verify that they are accepting new patients, and basically do a lot of the headache work that comes with finding a provider in the healthcare field. I’ve also been able to understand how claims work, what questions to ask, and overall how to navigate the insurance side of the mental health field.
I also got to know many therapists and pick their brains about why they chose this profession and specialties. Psychology is interesting due to the fluidity of the field; even those with the same title whether it by psychologist of LISW so some other licensure may have a wide variety in both approach and specialty. Working at Matrix, I was able to ask these therapists about how they developed preferences for one approach or another, and observe what a good fit and relationship looks like with a patient. It has been a wonderful learning opportunity, especially as we as a world have adjusted to remote working and remote interactions.
This internship has been valuable for me in that it is the reason I was able to narrow down the graduate degree I want to pursue as well as map out my career goals. I now know that I want to be a licensed practitioner, and I intend to work with children of younger ages. Children are particularly interesting because oftentimes they have not developed the ability to express what it is they’re feeling or explain their behavior. Indirect approaches need to be taken to connect and understand the patient enough to make a diagnosis. Additionally, I’ve learned that very few therapists specialize with younger age groups for this very reason. My internship at Matrix has helped to guide me in what I want to do with my life.
