Healing A Broken Mental Health System: Bob McCullough Of Kooth Digital Health On 5 Things That Can Be Done To Fix Our Broken Mental Health System
An Interview With Stephanie Greer
Public/private partnerships will be needed to make significant contributions to addressing the mental health system. Local, state, and federal government leaders will need to work together with private payers to design, develop and implement effective, evidence-based strategies that address all populations.
The current state of the mental health system is a conversation that echoes in the halls of policy-making, the corners of social advocacy, and within the private struggles of individuals and families. As we continue to witness an unprecedented need for robust mental health support, the shortcomings of the existing system become more glaring. It is within this backdrop that we seek the insight of those who are at the forefront of behavioral health. In this interview series, we are talking to behavioral health leaders, policymakers, mental health practitioners, advocates, and reformers to share their perspectives on healing our broken mental health system. As a part of this interview series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Bob McCullough.
Bob McCullough, PhD, LCSW, is the vice president of Clinical Strategy for Kooth Digital Health. An associate professor of psychology and a licensed clinical social worker in multiple states, Bob has extensive leadership and behavioral health strategy experience in healthcare organizations. He holds a master’s degree in social work and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Christian counseling.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your childhood backstory?
I grew up just outside St. Louis, Missouri during times of economic recession, with job instability with my family and limited resources for healthcare. My passion for mental health came from two primary areas: seeing the impact of mental health issues on family members during my youth, and later when I worked at an inpatient Personal Stress Center in college. Watching the way we address mental health needs has changed drastically over my career, from being able to “admit yourself” for a 30-day stay because you were stressed at home to the privatization of state mental health systems to now a shortage of mental health clinicians. My passion has always been to try to provide tools, resources and a pathway for all individuals to thrive, not just survive.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My life lesson quote is actually a bible verse that has guided me throughout my career: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) This quote drives me to not give up on anyone and to realize that there are going to be difficult times that we all experience. We need supporters who will be there to encourage us, walk alongside us, and tell us the truth (even if it hurts), knowing that it may take a while for us to learn and grow.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. It is often said that “the mental health system in America is broken”. What does that statement mean to you? From your perspective what is “broken” today?
This is such a huge question that we have spent years trying to address. The good news is that over the past decade, stigma around mental health has decreased significantly, resulting in individuals feeling more comfortable reaching out for help. However, this has led to the issue of not having enough mental health clinicians to serve the need. Wait times to see a counselor can run weeks to months in many parts of the country. To see a child psychiatrist can sometimes take six months or longer. These issues put pressure on primary care providers to address mental health needs. We also have asked schools to be trauma informed to recognize and address youth mental health needs, along with our local jails often housing individuals with mental health needs because there are not enough beds or prevention services to assist. If we can start to provide early prevention, population health approaches we can start to build resilience and coping skills that children can take into adolescence and adulthood that create strong mental health well-being.
What about any bright spots? Do you think there are any elements that we get right in today’s world that we wouldn’t want to reverse unintentionally?
There are bright spots that we have seen. The reduced stigma is a huge advancement, and we should definitely continue to encourage all individuals, including our youth, first responders and military to recognize that our mental health is impacted by events and it is okay to seek help. The second bright spot is that we have begun to recognize the impact that trauma has on youth and their emotional development. Being able to educate teachers to recognize that a student is not paying attention because they are difficult or lazy, but instead because they are hungry or did not have a place to sleep last night, changes our focus on how we address that student. The third bright spot is the role of digital in mental health well-being. We still will always need counselors and psychiatrists for the important role they play, but digital solutions can provide in-the-moment support such as education, coping skills and access to online counseling that is much more convenient and efficient.
In your opinion, what are the 5 most impactful things that could help heal the broken mental health system? These could be on any level including training, workforce, policy, culture, equity etc.
1 . Continued education and focus on the impact of trauma and social determinants related to an individual’s mental health well-being.
2 . Workforce: Because of historically low pay and low compensation for mental health services we have continued to see a decrease in the number of individuals who work in the field. We need to appropriately adjust reimbursement for mental health services, which will in turn encourage individuals to fill the wide variety of roles related to mental health services.
3 . The United States in particular continues to see a large surge of immigrants. Developing knowledge of an immigrant culture will be helpful in creating a holistic approach to that individual and family. Also understanding the trauma and historical stress of that family’s journey will provide enhanced context and allow for a better understanding of needed resources.
4 . We have a huge opportunity to begin looking at Brain Capital and the work that Dr. Harris Eyre is doing. This approach allows us to focus on all aspects of developing the brain at all stages of life where we will see global impacts. Developing policies and allocating funding for this initiative will benefit all.
5 . Public/private partnerships will be needed to make significant contributions to addressing the mental health system. Local, state, and federal government leaders will need to work together with private payers to design, develop and implement effective, evidence-based strategies that address all populations.
If all of the items on your list were magically implemented tomorrow what change might we see in the world? What are the signs (big and small) that would show us that the system is being healed?
The change that we could see is unlimited! We would see drastic reductions in suicides, self-harm behavior and hospitalizations. We know that mental health is tied to physical health; therefore, the overall health of individuals, families and communities would improve. Learning would increase across students as they would have the tools to respond to stressors without being impacted by them. Employee presenteeism would increase, thus improving job performance and workplace success and reducing healthcare costs for companies. There would be less bullying, happier families, and a willingness to find common ground to solve issues that are so often motivated by fear or hate.
What is a project you or others are working on today that gives you hope? How can our readers learn more about this work?
I mentioned Dr. Harris Eyre earlier, but his work around Brain Capital incorporates everything we have discussed and focuses on a strategy to put brain health (and therefore people) at the center of our economic systems. This approach will allow a continued focus on brain skills and brain health throughout our educational, health care, policy and economic paths.
How do you see technology shaping the future of mental health care and its accessibility?
Technology will continue to be vital as it will allow us to reach all individuals (a population health approach) and meet individuals where and when they want. Technology is such that we can do most everything at our fingertips so having the opportunity to access a podcast on stress reduction, or a journal on your phone to be able to make a few quick notes, or engage in a chat-based session with a licensed counselor are all resources that did not exist several years ago. Our opportunity to continue providing evidence-based resources and techniques digitally is key to creating access for all individuals.
In your view, how do social factors like poverty, education, and culture affect mental health care and its effectiveness?
These social factors are very influential on one’s mental health. When youth do not have enough to eat or consistency in housing, their learning is greatly impacted. Increasing awareness of the impact of social factors and creating policies and programs that are actually effective will help reduce the impact that these factors have on mental health care. Culturally there is a great opportunity, and I believe we have seen a shift across all cultures recently with reduced stigma. Athletes such as Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles have been very vocal regarding their own struggles with mental health and their desire to help others realize that they are not alone.
In light of the growing mental health crisis among young people, what innovative approaches or interventions have proven most successful for children and adolescents?
For my entire career, I have been focused on treatment approaches for people, which is how our healthcare reimbursement system is designed. We are starting to make changes toward proactive, early identification population health approaches for young people that focus on providing access through various means. At Kooth, we collaborate closely with young people so they can help build a program that they feel is valuable and engaging. Utilizing influencers, different delivery modes, and addressing topics that are not always clinical but important to youth, has truly demonstrated a successful approach that meets them where they are.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them. 🙂
There are so many great leaders across all spectrums I have been honored to meet, but the ultimate influencer right now is Elon Musk. His vision and approach have impacted several areas, and discussing his life and brain capital over waffles would be a true honor.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
For additional updates on the work we are doing, please follow us at Kooth as well as follow our LinkedIn page.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful answers. I know many people will gain so much from hearing this.
About The Interviewer: Stephanie Greer, PhD is the Co-founder and CEO of Akin Mental Health — a company dedicated to guiding families on their journey supporting a loved one with mental health challenges like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and severe depression. Stephanie is passionate about this topic from her own personal experience growing up with a mother who struggled with bipolar 1 disorder and found a path forward to overcome the obstacles and live well. Stephanie’s professional experience includes a doctorate in neuroscience as well as design research roles at Hopelab and Apple. Stephanie brings this personal passion together with her world-class science and technology background to support families across the US in their personal journeys supporting loved ones with mental illness. To learn more about Akin Mental Health and join our community, visit us at akinmh.com.
Healing A Broken Mental Health System: Bob McCullough Of Kooth Digital Health On 5 Things That Can… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.