News from CCMC

THE COMMISSION FOR CASE MANAGER CERTIFICATION

A New Commissioner Perspective: Embracing the Case Management Connection in Behavioral Health Counseling

R. Keith Franklin, PhD, LPC, CEAP, LCDC, CCM, ACS

In 2008, while I was working as a counselor/case manager in an inpatient psychiatric hospital in San Antonio, Texas, I first heard about the Certified Case Manager (CCM) credential. My late mother-inlaw, who was an RN and a CCM, knew that my job entailed not only mental health counseling but also providing case management services to clients. “Getting a CCM will highlight more of your skills and draw attention to what you do,” she told me. Looking back, that turned out to be one of the best pieces of professional advice I’ve ever received. It also helped lead me to my current roles as a CCM-certified EAP psychologist with the U.S. Department of Defense and a newly elected Commissioner of the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCM).

As I prepared for the CCM examination, I had to expand my clinical knowledge, given that my background was in behavioral health. But as I experienced taking the certification examination, the required knowledge spanned all facets of case management and in multiple care settings. Upon achieving CCM certification in August 2010, I found that I had a place within the growing diversified professional case management community.

My Career Path

My passion for behavioral health and case management has developed over time. When I first went to college, I had aspired to become a dancer/ actor. My mother, however, suggested that I also prepare to support myself; hence I graduated with a double major in psychology as well as theater and dance. As I applied for scholarships to graduate school, I had a deal with my mother: whichever program accepted me I would pursue for a career path. Psychology won out, and I became a mental health counselor. I soon found a purpose and meaning, which also tapped into the commonality with theater and performance: I love working with people.

Connecting with each individual and adopting a person-centric practice are fundamental to both mental health counseling and case management. Indeed, it is another linkage among all the health and human services disciplines.

My career path has taken me to two psychiatric hospitals, serving both inpatient and outpatient populations. At the same time, I began working in a part-time capacity with the U.S. Department of Defense, which provided me the opportunity to work in yet another care setting. Then, in 2015, I accepted a full-time position as a psychologist with the U.S. Department of Defense, in its Employee Assistance Program (EAP). My current role entails assessing, referring, and providing short-term, solution-focused counseling services, which are aligned with case management and the key care coordination component of connecting people with resources. In addition, I also provide counseling services to individuals, including our service members who are deploying overseas, as well as their families.

Often, these interactions entail using motivational interviewing techniques—asking open-ended questions and listening to people’s concerns and goals. Reframing what they’ve said and repeating it back to them provides assurance that they’ve been heard.

R. Keith Franklin, PhD, LPC, CEAP, LCDC,

CCM, ACS, is a newly elected Commissioner of the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC), the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies more than 50,000 professional case managers and disability management specialists with its CCM® and CDMS® credentials. Keith is also an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) psychologist with the U.S. Department of Defense’s EAP, with more than 20 years of clinical experience.

Connecting with each individual and adopting a personcentric practice are fundamental to both mental health counseling and case management. Indeed, it is another linkage among all the health and human services disciplines.

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