The Intersection of Mental Health and Patient Advocacy

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Navigating the healthcare system can be challenging, especially for those dealing with mental health conditions. For patients managing both mental and physical health concerns, the journey through care can feel overwhelming, disjointed, and at times isolating. At Stepping Stone Advocacy, we believe in the importance of holistic, patient-centered care and are dedicated to bridging the gap between mental and physical health support.

Our role as patient advocates is to empower and guide individuals through their mental health care journey, ensuring they have the support, information, and resources needed to make informed decisions and receive comprehensive care.

  1. Understanding the Unique Challenges in Mental Health Care

Mental health conditions bring a unique set of challenges that can make accessing and coordinating care complex. Patients may face:

  • Stigma and Misunderstanding: Many individuals with mental health conditions still encounter stigma that can lead to judgment, under-treatment, or misunderstandings from providers and even family members.
  • Navigating Complex Systems: The mental healthcare system involves a variety of professionals—from therapists and psychologists to psychiatrists and primary care doctors—all of whom may provide different elements of care. Coordinating these pieces is often confusing and frustrating for patients.
  • Advocating for Needs: Many mental health patients struggle to express their needs, preferences, and concerns, particularly in moments of crisis or anxiety, which can result in their voices not being heard in their own care.

Patient advocates at Stepping Stone Advocacy address these challenges by supporting patients in advocating for their needs, ensuring their voices are heard, and assisting with the coordination of care.

  1. Providing Education and Reducing Stigma

Education is at the core of our mission to support patients with mental health needs. As advocates, we work to break down complex medical information, explain treatment options, and help patients understand their diagnoses. By demystifying mental health care and reducing stigma, we empower patients to feel confident and positive about seeking help.

For family members and caregivers, education can be invaluable. We help educate loved ones on how they can best support the patient, fostering a compassionate and informed environment around them.

  1. Coordinating Care Across Providers

Mental health care often requires input from various professionals, each with their own expertise. As patient advocates, we help patients manage these moving parts, from finding qualified providers to coordinating appointments and tracking treatment plans. This approach ensures that all aspects of a patient’s health are addressed in a way that feels manageable and cohesive.

We also assist in facilitating communication between providers. For example, if a patient’s mental health treatment affects their physical health or medications, we ensure that all providers are informed and working together to create an integrated care plan that respects the patient’s needs and preferences.

  1. Navigating Insurance and Financial Challenges

Mental health care can be financially burdensome, with varying levels of coverage for therapy, medications, and inpatient services. At Stepping Stone Advocacy, we help patients understand their insurance benefits, navigate claims, and, where possible, identify financial assistance programs. Advocates work closely with patients to reduce financial stress, allowing them to focus on their recovery rather than the cost of care.

  1. Empowering Patients to Advocate for Themselves

Empowerment is key to long-term mental wellness. By helping patients learn how to express their needs, ask questions, and set boundaries, we enable them to take an active role in their care. Teaching self-advocacy skills—like preparing questions for appointments, understanding treatment plans, and knowing when to seek second opinions—gives patients a sense of control, even in moments that may feel uncertain.

  1. Supporting Patients During Crisis Situations

For patients experiencing mental health crises, advocacy is crucial. During these times, advocates provide immediate support by helping them navigate urgent care options, facilitating communication with providers, and advocating for compassionate, appropriate treatment. We also help families understand how they can support their loved ones during crises, ensuring that the patient’s rights and needs remain at the forefront of their care.

  1. Fostering a Safe Space for Ongoing Support

Mental health care is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing journey. At Stepping Stone Advocacy, we offer continuous support for patients as they progress in their mental health journey. We build lasting relationships with our clients, providing a consistent, judgment-free space where they can return for guidance, updates, or just a listening ear.

Our advocates strive to foster a safe environment where patients feel understood and supported, helping them achieve the best possible outcomes for their mental well-being.

Patient Advocacy in Mental Health: A Partnership for a Healthier Future

In the intersection of mental health and patient advocacy, Stepping Stone Advocacy stands as a dedicated partner, guiding individuals through each step of their care journey. We believe that mental health deserves the same advocacy and respect as physical health, and we’re committed to supporting patients in accessing compassionate, comprehensive care.

By fostering collaboration, reducing stigma, and empowering patients to take charge of their mental health, we envision a future where everyone can navigate the healthcare system with confidence and dignity. Stepping Stone Advocacy is here to make that future a reality, one patient at a time.

LORI IS EXTREMELY TALENTED!

What a great use of Lori’s talents!

I worked with Lori for several years during my career as an orthopedic surgeon. I know her to be not only compassionate and understanding but also a tireless advocate for what is right.

In difficult situations she was unwavering in her quest to enable me to provide the best possible care for my patients. She knows the system and how to work through it (and around it whenever necessary

LORI JUMPED RIGHT IN

If you are in need of a patient advocate, I would highly recommend Lori Schellenberg. She is extremely knowledgeable, effective, and professional. Knows when to be strong and forceful yet loving and caring with your loved one and your family. I was concerned about an elderly family member who had several severe falls, was forgetting to take medication, not eating healthy and not keeping up with housekeeping yet insistent she was fine and staying in her home. Even though Lori lived out of state she made phone calls on our behalf, made several recommendations to help us provide what our loved one needed and was an intermediary when it was necessary. Lori’s knowledge of geriatrics, continuous care/assisted living facilities, the health care system, long term care insurance and hospice is invaluable. She helped us put together a plan that provided the best and continuous care necessary for our loved one and our family. We are extremely thankful for her help and look forward to continuing to work with her as our loved one moves through the next phases of her life’s journey, thus enabling us to create loving memories.

LORI JUMPED RIGHT IN

My husband underwent nasal surgery 6 months ago, after he had a negative sleep study test and was referred to an ENT doctor due to continued fatigue and snoring.

Unfortunately, he developed two different serious infections, and we were concerned about his ongoing treatment with the ENT. In fact, we were very anxious because he wasn’t getting better but the surgeon was not clear with us as to what to do next.

When describing what was going on, Lori jumped right in, when she found out my husband was actually at the surgeon’s office at that time, and still did not understand the situation. She recommended that my husband ask to have the surgeon come back into the room, and to call her so that she could speak to the surgeon with my husband in the room. Lori was very professional and knowledgeable in her approach with his surgeon. She established a treatment plan, in a way that my husband could understand, and why this was the plan. She also discussed the “what ifs” the current treatment plan did not work. He ordered further tests to be completed prior to his next appointment, if he did not improve.

She followed up with my husband and I to make sure we understood the plan.

By advocating for my husband, Lori relieved a lot of anxiety and stress that this current medical concern was causing, and they felt more confident in the surgeon’s care.

We highly recommend Lori and Stepping Stone Advocacy Services, if you are experiencing a medical condition, and don’t know where to turn for answers. She is experienced and professional, yet able to discuss medical terms in a way that we understood.