Tell us about your role as Cope Program Navigator.
My main role as a navigator is assisting the UCSF community to find mental health and well-being resources and acting as a liaison and partner in getting what they need. Support looks very different for everyone, and I tailor how I support them to meet their needs.
What types of issues can you help with?
Connecting to resources. Navigating and addressing barriers that people may encounter when seeking mental health services through their insurance. Most will give a long list of providers, and we can help filter that list to find providers that have appointments available, are in the insurance network and can meet specialized needs. Talking to mental health plan representatives, knowing the insider insurance and provider language and the ins and outs of the systems.
Other areas I’ve helped with are domestic violence, immigration support, and grief support. I can hop on the phone with them for their calls to insurance plans and help minimize the burden in other ways barriers to identifying available providers so they can easily schedule an appointment quickly. Often, just listening to them is what they need most.
What is your favorite part of the job?
Making a positive impact and building relationships. Often, the people I work with have been trying to access services for a long period of time on their own and may be feeling a lot of frustration. It is so rewarding to use my specialized knowledge to help them get what they need, when they need it.
