200 Applicants. One new Patient Care Coordinator | The Salt Lake City Therapist

By Helen De-Lovely, LCSW — The Healing Haven SLC

People don't usually reach out to a therapist on a normal day.

They reach out after something happened. Or after months of circling the idea, not quite ready. Or late at night when they finally googled the thing they'd been afraid to google. The first point of contact with a therapy practice carries a lot of weight — more than most people probably think about — because it often comes at a moment that already took courage.

For most of my time running The Healing Haven, I was that first contact.

Between sessions. During lunch. Sometimes after 9pm when I finally had a minute to dig through messages. I tried to be responsive — I genuinely did — but the honest truth is that a solo therapist seeing clients four days a week cannot also be a great front desk. Those two jobs compete with each other, and when they do, something suffers.

I decided it was time to stop doing both jobs adequately and hire someone to do one of them exceptionally.

What I Was Actually Looking For

What I needed wasn't just someone who could answer a phone.

I needed someone who understood that every message coming into The Healing Haven represents a person at some kind of threshold. Maybe just curious. Maybe in real pain. Maybe somewhere in between, not sure which. The way that first message gets handled matters — a lot.

So when I opened the search, I was specific. Administrative fluency, yes. But more than that: patience, precision, and warmth. Someone who could explain a billing question without making someone feel stupid. Hold a boundary without making someone feel dismissed. Be genuinely caring without crossing into performing it.

Over 200 people applied. We scored 339 candidates across two tiers of review — those who submitted full applications and those we screened from resumes and short answers — against a rubric built around exactly those qualities. Healthcare experience. Writing quality. Attention to detail. Schedule fit.

The field was strong. But I still needed to see people in action.

The Group Session

Rather than running individual interviews, I held a live group information session with 16 candidates who'd made it through initial review.

I opened that session the same way I open a hard conversation with a client: by being honest about the parts that are genuinely difficult.

I told them: this role puts you in contact with people navigating trauma, mental health challenges, and the frustrating bureaucracy of insurance. You'll need to be precise under pressure, responsive without burning out, and caring without becoming their therapist. The documentation is real. HIPAA is a daily discipline, not a policy you read once and forget.

I wasn't trying to scare anyone off. I was trying to give everyone in the room enough information to make a real decision — because I'd rather someone opt out at the interview than discover three weeks in that this isn't the right fit.

Three candidates made the final list.

Why Leah

Leah — Patient Care Coordinator, The Healing Haven SLC

Before the group session even started, I noticed something small: Leah had caught a timezone error in the calendar invite and quietly flagged it. No drama, no making it a bigger deal than it was. Just a careful note, handled with grace.

During the session itself, she asked two of the sharpest questions of the morning. She wanted to know whether the role would include after-hours crisis coverage — a fair thing to want clarity on, and a sign she was thinking about her own boundaries, not just the job description. She also asked about the practice management system we use, which told me she was already thinking about how the work actually functions, not just whether she could land the position.

She showed up to every stage of the process the way I'd want someone to show up for our clients: prepared, grounded, and genuinely thoughtful.

Leah got the offer. She said yes.

What This Means for You

If you've ever reached out to a therapy practice and heard nothing back for days — or gotten a voicemail that felt like your message disappeared into a void — that's exactly what this is designed to fix.

When you contact The Healing Haven during business hours, Leah picks it up. Not eventually. Not when I have a break between sessions. Right then.

She handles phone, text, email, and WhatsApp. She can walk you through scheduling, answer billing questions, and explain how the Healing Group Membership works — including whether it makes financial sense for your situation. No runaround. No wait. Just a real person who knows the practice and is there to help you figure out your next step.

Leah is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

For anything outside those hours, leave a message and you'll hear back the next business day.

Ready to Reach Out?

Phone or text: (385) 443-4045
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +1 (555) 966-0807

The fastest path to getting started is still a free 15-minute consult— we'll answer your questions, check your insurance or membership options, and figure out together whether this is a fit. No commitment required.

If you've been curious about the Healing Group Membership— the $29/month option that reduces your individual session rate to $123 — Leah can walk you through it. No sales pressure. Just straight answers.

I built The Healing Haven because I believe people deserve mental health care that actually feels like someone cares — from the moment they first reach out, not just once they're in the room.

Welcome to the team, Leah.

The Healing Haven SLC | 250 E 200 S, Suite 1521, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(385) 443-4045 | [email protected]