When customers have behavioral health issues or needs, Mary Beth Hull and her team are ready to help – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“My role encompasses quite a lot,” said Hull, a care manager for Evernorth Behavioral Health and a licensed telephonic clinician. “I provide telephonic crisis care as well as doing ongoing short-term case management. I can help people with finding a counselor, finding a psychiatrist, finding in-network providers that offer a higher level of care, or with finding other benefits and resources that would help them.”
Her team works with customers who connect in a variety of ways, including the Careforth app, the Confide Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and referrals from a medical coach or a patient care advocate.
The road to healing, one phone call at a time
When Hull picked up the phone one day, a customer almost paralyzed by grief was on the other end of the line. She had lost a close family member suddenly and unexpectedly, and she was struggling to get through her days and nights.
“She was having a hard time focusing and being present at work and getting her stuff done. She had never worked with a therapist before, and so she wasn't even sure that she wanted to do that yet, but she knew that she had to talk to somebody because it was just too overwhelming for her to manage,” Hull said.
Hull spoke with the customer 10 times over the course of six months. They worked together to find an in-network therapist, and when that person wasn’t a good fit, Hull launched a new search and they found someone who was. Hull also shared information about grief support groups and helped the customer understand how to use self-help apps provided by her employer that could assist her with reframing her thinking to be more positive and utilizing actions such as meditation, mindfulness, and short walks to reduce her stress.
Their sessions ended when the customer was comfortable with her new therapist. “She was able to assure me that therapist was a good fit for her and she was set up with what she needed to continue her journey,” Hull said.
The customer has followed up several times since her sessions with Hull ended, just to say hello and check in. “She told me she really loved her counselor and she felt like she was able to do a lot of healing. She just felt like she was able to settle back into her life.”
The customer also followed up in writing, praising Hull and all she had done. “I thank God that I landed in the hands of Mary Beth as she immediately made me feel at ease and comfortable with her kind and personable approach. I cannot thank Mary Beth enough for her support, kindness, and compassion during this hard time. She has been a light for me in the midst of this darkness and is great at what she does. Thank you again, Mary Beth!”
