Jeff Williams:
Welcome to Community Voices. I'm your co-host, Jeff Williams. And in the studio today with me is Rex Wyatt. Rex, how's it going?
Rex Wyatt:
It's good. Glad to be here!
Jeff Williams:
Right on. So, Rex, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself first and then about why you're here?
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, so like you said, my name is Rex. I’m a therapist in the community. I have a master's degree in social work and I'm a licensed clinical social worker. I am also working on my doctorate in social work and I own Wyatt Wellness and Consulting, PLLC.
Jeff Williams:
It is coming into, which maybe you might not want to tie this directly in, but we've been having a lot of segments in where people working with people… just to better the community, you know?
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, I was hoping to talk about access to therapists.
Jeff Williams:
Access, absolutely, for sure.
Rex Wyatt:
So, a common problem I see is around like insurance coverage. And in Illinois, they actually passed a law that starts in 2027 that requires private insurance companies to reimburse at a higher rate for therapy services, some of these rates have not been updated in a long time. And so that's a great benefit for people.
Jeff Williams:
So that you're saying that will be a great benefit that starts in 2027?
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, I believe it does not take effect until 2027. But it will require private insurers to pay like 141% of the Medicare rate for services.
Jeff Williams:
Okay.
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah. So that helps increase access, because I think a lot of times the conversation around access, we put it on individual mental health providers when really we need like a systems.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah, it should. There are certain things that shouldn't be as hard as they are, so that's good if you're able to provide information or access points for people, if you have any of those, you know, those.
Rex Wyatt:
Even with insurance, people don't always have great coverage or the co-pays are high. I know in my own insurance, like dietitian services, are covered at 100%, but mental health therapy, there's a co-pay and it's covered less and it's just a lot more difficult for folks to access. Right, so one of the great options is a company called Open Path Collective.
Jeff Williams:
Okay.
Rex Wyatt:
You have to pay like a one-time fee to get on their platform, but then sessions with therapists are between $40 and $70 after that, which is significantly discounted. Oh, yeah.
Jeff Williams:
Man, what it could be. Absolutely, absolutely.
Rex Wyatt:
And if you're willing to see an intern on their platform, it's a $30 flat rate.
Jeff Williams:
Okay. And could you give that again, just in case there's people listening and they're picking up a pencil or a pen or they're starting to type on their phone?
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, it's Open Path Collective.
Jeff Williams:
Okay.
Rex Wyatt:
And if you Google it, it'll, you know, come right up. And they say that they're for people who lack health insurance or whose health insurance, you know, doesn't provide adequate health benefits. So that's one option.
Jeff Williams:
So they'll actually try to give you more information? They talk you through it … in a way?
Rex Wyatt:
It's more like a platform where therapists who agree to offer a few discounted slots will have a profile. So, you can actually read through and find someone who you think would align with what you're looking for.
Jeff Williams:
Gotcha, gotcha. Okay, that's good to know for sure.
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, and another thing to think about is, yes, we're local to Springfield, but therapists have licenses by state. And so, if you're open to seeing someone on Telehealth, you could see somebody who's like in Chicago, but still, licensed in Illinois. So that can also increase access.
Jeff Williams:
Okay, yeah, that's good to know, definitely.
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, there's also a website called freeblacktherapy.org. And so, for black folks who are interested in therapy, I believe they're grant funded and they'll connect people with therapy services as well.
Jeff Williams:
Okay, and that's…
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, it's freeblacktherapy.org.
Jeff Williams:
Okay, that's good to know also. Yeah. So, when you, so you're working on your, I don't mean to sidebar here, but you're working on your doctorate, right? Yes. So when did you first think… ‘You know what, I think I'm going to get down with my doctorate’? I
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, so I've had former employers, lovingly and not lovingly, call me a disruptor. I don't love when systems don't work effectively. So, I really wanted to learn more, but also, you know, be able to leverage the power of a doctorate to make changes in our community and for mental health.
Jeff Williams:
Right, So in a way, it came up because of necessity? It was just like, what, this would help me, if I get my doctorate.
Rex Wyatt:
I think it was the next step. And then I also didn't see people with similar identities, like in social work courses. And it's really important to me in the future that I want to be able to teach social work courses and like show that representation in the classroom.
Jeff Williams:
Okay. So… identities… for people like who are listening… if you want to talk about that?
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, so I identify as trans, queer, and non-binary. And so, kind of, I bring all those into the therapy space, but also into the community with me as well.
Jeff Williams:
So, people feel safe…. and they feel like they're talking to somebody that kind of gets them, right?
Rex Wyatt:
A big thing I think is like not having to explain basic concepts from your identity group to a therapist. That doesn't feel very affirming.
Jeff Williams:
Right… that's also good to know.
Rex Wyatt:
So, another resource I was going to share, and I'm also listed on there, is Psychology Today. I think that is, it's psychologytoday.com. It's like, I would say the biggest platform that therapists advertise on. And so I am on there if you look up Rex Wyatt LCSW. But you can filter by a lot of different things on that platform. So, by identities of the therapist, presenting problems, the insurance that you have, or if you need a sliding scale spot, that's also another option on that platform.
Jeff Williams:
Man, that sounds like it. Does that operate mostly like in the, like a United States platform then, kind of? I mean, I know it can get different because it's sort of, you know, if you get in a way with that, you almost can't consider it a worldwide platform because there's different approaches in different countries and, you know, so.
Rex Wyatt:
Yes, I do believe it's just the United States, but yeah.
Jeff Williams:
But that still sounds like it'd be extensive.
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, it's a huge resource.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah. Are you from the Springfield area?
Rex Wyatt:
I am from Lamont. It's a suburb of Chicago.
Jeff Williams:
Chicago, yeah, right.
Rex Wyatt:
But I moved down here in 2014 to go to UIS.
Jeff Williams:
Oh, did you? Okay, so you've been down here ever since?
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, I got my bachelor's degree here and then I had a great internship. I ended up working there. I got my master's degree and I've been stuck here since. I bought a house and set some roots.
Jeff Williams:
Then you're stuck, man. Once you buy that house and then you're stuck. (laughter) But that's good, though, too. You know, I mean, right now it's like, jeez, it seems like some people, it's like they're trying to price people out of being able to afford a house, man. You know, it's crazy.
Rex Wyatt:
Definitely.
Jeff Williams:
Other things that you then wanted to dive into.
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, one more resource is if you have a job, you might check into like an employee assistance program. Sometimes the benefits that your work will pay for a certain number of therapy sessions. I think standard is like 6, but often it's per issue. So if you're dealing with anxiety, it can be 6 for anxiety, you know, 6 for depression, 6 for grief. And sometimes they can get creative with that. expand the access so that you can get more sessions covered.
Jeff Williams:
And that would be like where something like that is basically you either, I get it. depends on the size of the employer, but either you could talk to your employer directly, the boss, whoever that is, or sometimes just through like the website of the, where they provide Right.
Rex Wyatt:
And each EAP program works differently. Some might be like, go find a therapist you want and we'll pay them. Some might be like, here's a list that, you know, we cover or here's a platform that we use, and you can select from them. So, it just kind of depends on the specific employer.
Jeff Williams:
Oh, right on. Very cool. Very cool. Once again, we're with Rex Wyatt from Wyatt Wellness and Consulting right here in Springfield, Illinois. Oh, Do you have a space?
Rex Wyatt:
Fully virtual right now.
Jeff Williams:
Oh, are you fully virtual? Okay, right on. That's cool. So then how, so people know how to get a hold of you again if they're just starting to listen?
Rex Wyatt:
So, I'm on psychology today is Rex Wyatt or they can e-mail me at rex@wyattwellnessandconsulting.com
Jeff Williams:
All right, Do you have any social media presence people can come to? Rex Wyatt: Not really. Jeff Williams: Yeah, no, I know, man. It's. stresses me out sometimes. When did you first start to think that you wanted to get into this profession?
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, so I started undergrad. I was a legal studies major.
Jeff Williams:
Legal studies at first?
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah. And then I was like an English major. And then the one that stuck the longest besides social work was a sociology and anthropology with teaching. That was like, I probably have half of a teaching degree. And then I was like, I want to go a different direction with this. And so I decided to get my bachelor's in social work at UIS. And I did an internship in the community with some community health workers who are working directly with people to get their medications or meet basic needs, understand confusing things about healthcare. And that was really inspiring to me. I liked that work, but I knew that I wanted at that point to become a therapist. And so the next step was my master's degree.
Jeff Williams:
Right, on. That's cool. And that was, you got all those here then?
Rex Wyatt:
My master's is from Urbana-Champaign.
Jeff Williams:
Oh, from Champaign. Yeah, right on. And so you did those, were you going over there or were you doing that kind of virtual or online, I should say?
Rex Wyatt:
It's a hybrid program. And so, I would go there like on the weekends, but the rest was virtual, yeah.
Jeff Williams:
Virtual then, yeah.
Rex Wyatt:
Designed like while you were working full-time.
Jeff Williams:
Okay, yeah.
Rex Wyatt:
Sometimes I hear from (some) folks where the first fit in therapy is not a good one. And so I think it's important to know that, you're like interviewing your therapist. You can find a new therapist if the fit (of your first therapist) isn't good.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah. So people sometimes think, ‘this is what I got and that's just it’. And then that just causes stress for them and negative feelings in a way.
Rex Wyatt:
Right, like there's people in our lives that we just don't jive with and we're like, thank you, bye.
Jeff Williams:
Right, exactly. So that's good to know to let people know that they don't have, you do not have to just stick with It's not like you're just stuck with what you have.
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, I mean, myself, I've had several therapists before I found one, that was really solid and identity aligned and the right fit for me.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah, for sure. That's definitely going to be something where you don't want to feel like your heart rate's going to go up before you start to talk to your person, you know, talk to your therapist or whatever it is in life. You know, you want to, I think sometimes we have to take more consideration of that is that if there are certain things that we are feeling no matter what it is on a personal or a professional level that they you can take steps to sort of change that so you're if you feel like something you're going into something and you feel your heart rate going up.
Rex Wyatt:
Right.
Jeff Williams:
Maybe just search, see if there's something else. Anyhow, sorry, don't worry.
Rex Wyatt:
No, absolutely, that's a great point. I think part of my doctorate, which I love, is the program's really focused on decolonizing social work. Social work has some really horrible roots, as does a lot of the mental health profession. And I think it's important to find a therapist who's anti-oppressive and who's doing the work to like actively be anti-racist and be aware of where some of the assessments have been created or the theories in therapy are created. And you know, that might not apply to everyone and kind of pivoting their approach to be culturally competent for you.
Jeff Williams:
Right, I love that. That's good. That's good for people to hear and to know.
Rex Wyatt:
One other venture I've recently started, it's in the planning stages, is a group called the Springfield Therapists for Collective Community Action. We haven't met for our first meeting yet, but our plan is to kind of meet collectively with other therapists and see what's going on in Springfield and what issues we can kind of put our insight behind and advocate to change. And so if people are a therapist and they're involved in that, they also can reach out to me.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah, that would be, seems like a good launching pad if you work together, you figure out and you can meet the needs. It's all thinking together. It seems like that would be a good positive. Positive thing. Where can they reach you out again for that?
Rex Wyatt:
Rex at Wyatt Wellness and consulting.com.
Jeff Williams:
And they'll be there too. They could just reach out if they're the e-mail. And that's just if they want to maybe be part of that group.
Rex Wyatt:
Yes, if they're a therapist, yeah. I think there's, you know, been shown a need for mental health services in Springfield and Sangamon County. There's efforts going on currently, but I definitely think that we can complement those as well.
Jeff Williams:
Right on. Well, once again, Rex Wyatt, Wyatt Wellness and Consulting. Thanks a lot for stopping in the studio.
Rex Wyatt:
Thanks for having me.
Jeff Williams:
Right on. Well, thank you.
Rex Wyatt:
All right.
Jeff Williams:
Cool.
Rex Wyatt:
Yeah, thank you for having me.
Jeff Williams:
Oh, yeah, that's no problem. It's cool to have people who, you know, want to come in and talk. Somebody just the other day, they were like, after I set up an appointment, they're like, Are you going to charge me for this? And I go, no, this is just…
Rex Wyatt:
It's NPR.
Jeff Williams:
It's NPR. I'm like, what? (laughter) Community Voices is events that you might have missed and conversations with neighbors, artists, and area businesspeople. Suggest a guest or comment. at communityvoices@nprillinois.org. Get to know your neighbors with Community Voices at noon and 10 p.m. and on demand at nprillinois.org. NPR Illinois 91.9. And thank you for your support. Community Voices is a production of NPR Illinois.
Rex Wyatt Wellness and Consulting PLLC Affirming Therapy Access for All Segments of Society
