I have worked in the behavioral healthcare industry for five years. Previously, I was a utilization reviewer at Starlite Recovery Center performing reviews for medical necessity of patient's substance abuse treatment. This position relied heavily on understanding insurance and state/federal regulations in order to maximize patients length of stay. I learned the importance of communication between departments and optimizing treatment coverage to support patients access to multiple treatment modalities. Prior to this, I worked directly with children ages 11-17 at a behavioral treatment center Pathways 3H Youth Ranch. Documentation of specific behaviors and coordination of care was instrumental to providing individualized care to support and empower our kiddos in their current and future decision making. Most recently, I worked as a case manager/discharge coordinator at The Haven Texas. My former expertise in direct care and utilization review served me to help patients find mental health and/or substance abuse treatment through the full continuum of care. I relied very much on my relationships between multiple departments, along with outside referral partners to document and coordinate care plans that support patients to get and stay abstinent of mind-altering substances.