Work Boundaries

[Bookoffee]

I am having a difficult time keeping in check with my boundaries at work. I work for mental health agency that offers many different programs. We have both inpatient and outpatient. I am the front door to all these programs. Clients, providers, hospitals, crisis units, recovery centers, etc... call my department first to get the clients into our programs. I schedule the psychiatric appointments for the entire state.


We have a waitlist for all locations that are a few months out. Every month I call the clients to give an update of where they are on the waitlist. On Monday I start those calls.I have to tell clients that have come out of crisis units, hospitals and recovery centers that they need to wait another 6 to 8 weeks for their first appointment.This is starting to take a toll on me because I need to put each client in order of crisis, pushing out others that are in less crisis and have support. I have to listen to stories of struggle and pain. I try my best to put them at ease and give them a slight light that there will be an end to the wait.


We have had a lot of program changes they have been made within the past two months, one being an a merger with another agency and taking on their clients. We had to relocate and replace many medication providers.With my own struggle with mental health, I am starting to get too emotionally attached to their struggle, causing me difficulty to remember all the changes.


My boss lacks in communication. She will forward emails to everyone in our program with only the letters in the e-mail FYI, leaving us to read a chain of emails and trying to figure out what they are talking about. There are many times I have to reply and ask her to draw up a new e-mail explaining why it is important to put certain information within a certain area so our reports will run correctly. We have been having major programs with our reports running correctly that many of our clients are not aware that their insurance has expired and they are now stuck with an emourance bill.


I work closely with the person that is in change with getting authorisations from our state funded insurance. We have asked our boss and vice president to talk and train everyone the correct way of getting their authorizations so before their sessions start, we will know if they have insurance. We want them to give them the choice of being self paid or not. It takes a 5-minute step to find this information out. With private insurance we would know once their intake assessment is complete.


They have not responded to any of our requests for the training and I am starting to become really angry about this. Our new CEO was promoted from the vice president of finance. I would like to connect her and ask her for help with the training. I have already offered up my time to travel the state to train all the intake clinicians.


I feel as though our organization has become unorganized and has lost the connection to our clients in need. I feel like our mission statement for the agency that is hung all over the walls are just there to take up wall space. I want to speak up and scream “ take on the need of our clients!” but I am not confident enough.I fear I would lose my job or have repercussion from my boss and vice president. Once again, my fear overrides.


How would you handle this situation?

 

[firecracker]

Thank you for what your doing!

 

[Cherry_Bluebell]

This problem needs to be addressed as soon as before they lose their purpose and original mission. How to go about this I'm not sure how to advise you yet, I believe you need more information and to speak to the Human Resources about your concerns 1st of all

 

[Changing4Best]

You need to first communicate to that staff member who forwards the emails with all the whole history to condense it all for you in his or her forward. A short note can be attached to a forward in its email portion. This is not too much to ask. Do it!

Next you need to contact someone in a higher position on the chain of command and inform them of the problems that are overwhelming you. If doing this person to person (face to face) freaks you out, send that person an email with a brief synopsis of the problem(s) that are overwhelming you and ask for help. That staff member should have the clout to help you with all this, so chose wisely and carefully. The higher up they are, the better your chances of cooperation, so don't be afraid of contacting someone way up there.

Keep all emotion out of your communications, reread what you have written at least 3 times before sending it, making the 3rd reading on the next day. Reread the WHOLE email or forward (if you are forwarding the chain) to this person, if you are referring to it or something in it. If you are, use quotes to quote someone, so the recipient understands that what you are saying is not your own words, especially if it contains emotion of any kind.

Be patient for results, and don't hesitate to re-email if you don't get results or a reply. You are the only good judge of how long to wait. BUT I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND that it not be more than a week.

 

[Bookoffee]

Thank you @SheilaKathy I read your post and gave it some deep thought. I am thinking an email will be helpful so I can have a "paper" trail. I have offered to train everyone but I never presented a training outline so an attachment of the plan maybe helpful for them to understand the importance of this training.

As far as my boss sending the chains of emails and not breaking them down for the department, I am not sure what to do about that. - I just reread your post, I feel award correcting my boss or asking her to do something different. She has a history of being resentful and mean after.

 

[Bookoffee]

The plan I am drawing is coming together nicely but I keep having tinges of panic as I write it. My boss gets so mad at me sometimes. I fear my job and the hostility.

 

[Changing4Best]

@Bookoffee Try doing grounding techniques when you feel or experience that anger from your boss or after she has blasted you with it. Anger is the poorest of motivators and rarely produces any other effect than fear among workers. Fear causes employees to make mistakes or at the very least, not perform their work in the most efficient manner. Have you considered looking for a better job, or at least a similar job elsewhere? Your working conditions are certainly not healthy for a person who is PTSD, let alone a healthy person!

 

[circe47]

This is so sad. I used to work for a dermatologist in my twenties. Things sure were different then. If a patient EVER complained about having to wait, or anything else for that matter, the whole office heard about it. His reputation was so important to him. Now, health care is little more than a cattle yard. Get 'em in and out as soon as possible and hit that bottom line. MONEY!!!!