Introducing Krista Postal, Our New Admissions Coordinator

For today’s blog post, we want to share a Q&A with Krista Postal, the new Admissions Coordinator at Hidden River.

Let’s get to know Krista Postal!

Congratulations on your new position with Hidden River! Can you share a bit about your education and career path leading up to this point?

I received my bachelor’s degree from Florida International University with a major in psychology and also studied culinary arts. I started my career in the mental health field, doing intakes at a substance abuse facility. From there, I transferred to working in admissions for autism therapy, more specifically Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy. Most of my time working in admissions has been focused on eating disorder treatment. 

What inspired you to work with patients in eating disorder treatment? 

Eating disorders are one of the deadliest mental health diseases, but with the right care, they can be prevented. I have seen for myself countless women who have sought treatment and gone on to live a life free of their eating disorder. It inspires me each day with every client and family that I meet. I want to help them seek treatment and discover a life without this disorder. 

While I’m sure each day varies, can you walk us through your typical day? 

I start each day by following up to any new calls or reaching out to online web submissions for potential clients. I then follow-up with potential patients and work with their families and/or treatment teams to try to get them into our program. Some days also include doing assessments to evaluate potential patients for our program or calling their doctors to help obtain the medical information that we require for admissions. 

What is the admissions and intake process like at Hidden River? 

Potential clients can either call us directly or submit their information through our website. Additionally, their current treatment providers can also start the admissions process for them. From there, we verify their insurance to inform them of their eating disorder coverage and schedule an initial assessment. We also request medical information to be reviewed. At this point, we work with their insurance to get authorization and schedule an admissions date. Along the way, I serve as a main point of contact for any questions and support they may need as they prepare to enter treatment. 

What is your favorite part about your job? 

My favorite part of my job is working with potential patients and families to help support them as they seek care for themselves or a loved one. I can explain what a day in the life of treatment looks like, tell them what to pack, or simply provide them with resources to help during this hard time.

I also love to hear the progress that clients make during the program. When I hear a client is discharging and in a better place than when they first called in, it brings me so much joy, knowing that, as a team, we helped to give them a better quality of life.  

What’s something you wish all families knew before beginning the admissions process for residential eating disorder treatment? 

I wish families knew how important their support is in helping their loved ones seek treatment! Families are very important in the eating disorder recovery process. Here at Hidden River, we incorporate families into treatment from the start.

Please join us as we welcome Krista Postal to the Hidden River team!

Visit our website to learn more about eating disorder treatment at Hidden River. For a closer look at our grounds and living quarters, take a look at our gallery.