July 13, 2025

Summary:

In this episode of Center Stage, we sit down with Gabe, a seasoned outreach leader who shares the real-world lessons behind effective business development in behavioral health. From his unexpected start as a case manager to building ethical, high-performing outreach teams, Gabe offers candid insights on what it takes to grow census while staying true to the mission.

Key Takeaways:

1. Ethical Outreach Wins - Working in high-acuity settings like Crownview, Gabe emphasized client acquisition with integrity. “There’s enough clients to go around". Building mission-aligned teams that prioritize ethics over quick wins leads to longer-term success and fewer reputational risks.

   
   

2. Outreach ≠ Sales - The best outreach reps aren’t just closers - they’re connectors. Gabe describes the role as “the hunt, without the grime.” Effective outreach blends problem-solving, deep empathy, and a passion for outcomes and not just census targets.

   
   

3. Admissions vs. Clinical: Bridging the Internal Divide - Many centers experience internal tension between admissions and clinical teams. Often, this stems from miscommunication, unmet expectations, or differing priorities. Gabe recommends:

   • Transparent communication

   • Avoiding false promises to clients

   • Remembering that healthy organizations function like healthy families

   
   

4. The Industry Is Changing - Adapt or Fall Behind - Paid marketing and insurance mix are now just as important as clinical quality.

   1. Outreach reps today need to understand payer trends, in-network vs. out-of-network dynamics, and the financial sustainability of care models.

   2. The old model of relying purely on relationships or clinical merit is no longer enough.

      
      

5. The New Outreach Skill Set - Outreach professionals must now master both:

   • Clinical literacy: Understanding trauma modalities, medications, levels of care

   • Insurance savvy: Knowing how to screen policies, estimate coverage, and guide families through confusing benefit language

   "You can't just talk about EMDR. You also need to explain what Blue Shield of California really covers - or doesn’t."

   
   

6. Relationships Still Matter - Just Build Them Better - Whether engaging EAPs, hospitals, or interventionists, genuine connection remains the most powerful differentiator. Gabe prioritizes:

   • Following up with personalized messages

   • Asking about referral partners’ lives, not just their caseloads

   • Building trust-based relationships that last beyond one referral

   
   

7. Empathy Over Scripts: Meeting Clients Where They Are - Gabe emphasized that working with clients experiencing psychosis, mania, or trauma requires meeting them in their reality, not correcting or minimizing it. “Align with their feelings - that’s when trust forms.”

   
   

8. Track Everything and Don’t Rely on Memory - Successful admissions teams use CRMs to track:

   • Referral relationships

   • In-network vs out-of-network partners

   • Insurance-specific knowledge

   • Client placement and follow-up outcomes

   “Relevance is everything. You can’t help a client if you can’t remember which facility takes IEHP.”