This edition of the Magellan Quarterly Peak highlights Teresa Shackelford, LCSW, care coordination clinical director for the IBHP.

What do you love the most about working at Magellan?
Professionally, this role allows my teams and me to have a real impact not only on our members, but on Idaho’s behavioral health system as a whole. That has been my aim throughout my career, and this role provides many opportunities to do that. I love working together with our various partners and stakeholders, including providers, members, State partners, and various advocates, to continually work toward a system that functions well for all Idahoans.

Something else I absolutely love about my job is the team. Our care coordination teams help our members who have some of the most complex needs, which requires a high level of knowledge and expertise, of course, but it also requires a lot of creative problem-solving. I am truly privileged to work with such an outstanding team of dedicated, caring professionals who bend over backwards day-in and day-out to help our members reach their goals.

On the personal end of things, this role allows me to work remotely, which is a blessing for someone like me who lives with a chronic illness. Not to mention how much I love having my dogs as my office-mates!

What inspires your work in behavioral health? 
I am a peer as well as a parent peer, so I know personally how vital it is that the behavioral health system works as smoothly as it can, providing the needed services at the right time, without undue burden. Ultimately, that’s what we’re working toward!

What did you do prior to working for Magellan?
For the bulk of my career, I worked for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare in the Division of Behavioral Health, first as a clinician, then a clinical supervisor, then regional program manager, and finally as the Administrator of one of Idaho’s state psychiatric hospitals.

I decided to make the move to Magellan because of this unique opportunity to impact Idaho’s behavioral health system in a different way, as well as my desire to gain expertise in new areas.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 
We became empty-nesters several years ago, and the resulting decrease in caregiving/parenting demands means I have time for hobbies that I never had during my child-rearing years. 
Since gaining that additional me-time, I find that I tend to develop an interest in a hobby, obsessively research it, acquire all of the necessary supplies to engage in it, and then about 80% of the time, I completely lose interest in it. I’ve come to accept that researching hobbies has, in itself, become a bit of a hobby for me. 

The interests and hobbies that stick with me include: being completely obsessed with my dogs, making weird little collages, camping, writing, reading, following sports (especially soccer and American football), watching garbage TV, and doing various crafts with my husband.