Optimal offerings

Sometimes when the need arises for utilizing Yale’s mental and emotional well-being offerings, a state of confusion sets in. What is the difference between emotional well-being counseling and behavioral health insurance? What separates Optum from Magellan, Aetna, or another behavioral health provider? Can you access these resources if you’re not enrolled in a university health plan?

The long and the short of it

Let’s start with some definitions:

Emotional Well-being Solutions (EWS) through Optum is short-term support for challenging life events or everyday concerns. People often engage with the program for help navigating relationship problems, workplace conflicts, financial concerns, caregiver support, and stress, anxiety, depression. This benefit provides up to six free, confidential counseling sessions and is available to all Yale employees and their household members; you do not need to be enrolled in any university health plan to access this benefit.

Behavioral Health is tied to health insurance plan benefits; for many employees this means Aetna or Magellan for Yale Heath members. If you are enrolled in another insurer through your spouse, you may also have behavioral health benefits. Behavioral health benefits are often accessed when there is a need for specific care, offering coverage for clinical treatment, medication management, specific diagnoses, and long-term support.

Human Resources’ Lisa Kimmel, director of employee well-being and a Yale Health member, recently shared her own example. “I reached out to Optum when I was approaching the empty-nest phase, experiencing a multitude of emotions as many parents do,” she said. “Having a safe space to be vulnerable was liberating. By my final session, I acquired practical skills to navigate a sea of intense emotions. But if we had discovered any underlying issues requiring further attention, Optum would work with me to find a behavioral health provider to continue my journey, which for me would be through Magellan as a Yale Health member. Some Optum providers also provide care through Magellan, so the transition is often seamless.”

More than just the six

Optum offers services beyond the six free and confidential counseling sessions. Staff, faculty, postdoctoral associates, postdoctoral fellows, and Local 33 PhD graduate students can schedule a virtual or in-person session with Yale’s dedicated counselors, Dr. Amy Sceery and Rebecca Colasanto. They are trained not only to counsel, but also to help you decide what you need and where to get it. Since this service is only for the groups noted above, household members should contact 866-416-6586 to find an EWS provider through the Optum network.

In supplying anonymous feedback, two Yale employees noted that “Amy was exceptional. A great listener, and she provided very tailored advice,” and “Rebecca was monumental in helping me through a difficult period of my life.”

App and texting

Also available for free to Yale employees is a premium subscription to the Calm app, which can help in relieving stress and anxiety, improving sleep, and living more mindfully. To register and download the app, visit the Calm registration page and enter the company access code “YaleSB”. If you already have the app, here are the steps to update your account:

• Open the app
• Go to: Profile > Settings > Link Organization Subscription
• Enter organization code “Optum EWS”
• In the group code field, enter your company access code “YaleSB”

“I think what attracts people to Talkspace,” said Colasanto, “is being able to find a licensed provider online by viewing the profiles and then self-scheduling virtual or telephonic visits at their convenience.”

Another way to engage with a licensed therapist 24/7, via voice, or virtual video message, is through Talkspace, an online therapy service that connects users to a dedicated, licensed therapist in their state of residence via private live sessions. Simply call 866-416-6586 to obtain a one-time authorization code prior to registering and choosing the professional you want to speak with through profiles; no office visits are required.

Yale employees and household members can engage in Virtual Behavioral Coaching to build coping skills to develop healthy habits. You can work at your own pace through eight digital lessons, and your coach will guide you along each step.

Optum also provides extensive work life services, like caregiver support or initial consultations with mediators or financial and legal experts.