Licensed clinical therapist John Johnston has been caring for patients receiving Medicaid benefits in Ohio for almost 30 years. According to him, his work is equal parts a service and a calling – he’s responsible for serving his patients and supporting Waymark’s care team members as they all work together to support the best possible patient outcomes. Below, he expands on the importance of collaboration in community-based care, and shares a patient story that underscores the vital role of therapy as part of a multidisciplinary care team. 

In your words, what does your role at Waymark entail, and how do you support and enable patients?

In my role, I do my best to meet patients where they are and support them with the issues they’re carrying around with them. Maybe they’re dealing with depression or they’re having a lot of family issues they don’t know how to work through, or maybe it’s anxiety related to something happening at their job. Sometimes I talk with patients one time, and sometimes we have multiple sessions together, and I appreciate that, at Waymark, I have the opportunity to support patients regardless of how much time we have together. 

During our first session together, I try to help the patient walk away with at least one action they can take to try and address whatever it is they’re struggling with so they can feel like a positive change can and will happen. It’s really great that we can sit down and, in that first session, talk about whatever it is the patient is struggling with so I can try to help them at least walk away with an action item. With whatever time I get with them, whether it's a single session or turns out to be multiple sessions, my goal is to help them to move forward and experience some motion in the positive direction. They’re the ones doing the work, I’m just the helper that helps them get there.

Why is it important for community-based teams to include therapists? How do you work alongside other roles, like community health workers (CHWs) and pharmacists? 

I’ve been doing this work for over 25 years, and in my experience, other perspectives are always fantastic. Coming from the mental health side, I’m able to offer insights and recommendations from a different perspective, and add my area of expertise to the mix in any given situation. During our care team huddles, or any other meeting where we’re working together to support patients, being able to draw from all the different skills and experiences our teams have is really important.

That also means I know who else on our team is positioned to support a patient the best. Sometimes a patient comes to me directly after speaking with a care coordinator, so then I’m the first one up to bat, so to speak. At that point, I’m able to speak with the patient and then get them connected with the other care team members and resources they need: pharmacy care if they’re struggling to understand medication instructions, CHWs who know of housing resources, and so on. Our care teams have a really great feedback loop, and I think that’s one of the reasons it’s really important that all the care team members are able to work together for the good of our patients.

What brought you to Waymark?

Before Waymark, I had been working in community mental health for 25 years, give or take, at the same company. When it was time for a new adventure, I looked to see what roles in my wheelhouse were out there, and was really intrigued by Waymark’s approach.

Way back in the day, as a senior in high school, I took an aptitude test that indicated the work I do now was one of two possible paths that matched my skill set. Looking back, and then at where I am now, it makes a lot of sense that Waymark’s values and goals align with mine. I’m really excited about Waymark’s approach, and I’m very familiar with the populations that I serve in Ohio, and it’s been great to work with such a passionate and caring team to serve those people. 

Can you share an example of how you recently helped a patient in the community? 

One of our CHWs was working with a patient who had a family member suddenly pass away, and after that tragedy, that patient was referred over to me. While talking with the patient and helping them process this, they mentioned to me that they were in a conundrum about how to support other family members who were far away, distance-wise, but struggling with grief as well. It was a really complex situation, and the patient needed some help problem-solving.

I helped them think through how they could get certain resources available for their loved one and helped them figure out how to contact their family's church to help them to reach out and support their family because they were so far away. While we worked through this, I mentioned to the patient that I’m also available to do counseling with them if that’s something they feel like they need. That kind of blindsided them, I think; they mentioned that they thought she only needed help for her family, but they were realizing they also needed help for themself.

We had our first session last week and they were able to process some holiday-related anxiety and we put together some strategies for managing grief and tension this time of year. It felt good to be able to offer support to both the patient and their family, directly and indirectly, and I think it’s a great showing of how Waymark is amazing at connecting patients with the resources they need in the exact window of opportunity where they need it.

‍Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not constitute medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health professional for personalized guidance.