Getting Prepared for Your Lifestance Health Interview

Interviewing at Lifestance Health can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience. While you want to get your foot in the door with this growing virtual healthcare company you also want to make a great impression and stand out from other candidates. One of the best ways to do this is to prepare and think through how you will answer common Lifestance Health interview questions.

In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know to ace your Lifestance Health job interview:

• Background on Lifestance Health
• Types of interview formats used
• Most frequently asked questions
• Questions to ask the interviewer
• Tips for preparing your answers and making a strong impression

About Lifestance Health

Before we jump into the interview questions, let’s do a quick overview of Lifestance Health as a company

Lifestance Health was founded in 2018 through the merger of two leading behavioral health groups – LifeStance and Compass Health. The company is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ and provides outpatient mental healthcare for children adolescents and adults across the United States.

Some key facts about Lifestance Health:

• Operates over 370 centers across 24 states and Puerto Rico
• Employs over 3,300 psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, and therapists
• Serves over 30,000 children and families each year
• Offers in-person and virtual treatment options like individual therapy, couples counseling, medication management, and group sessions

The company’s mission is to improve access to quality behavioral healthcare through convenient and affordable treatment plans. Lifestance Health accepts insurance and works with major providers like Aetna, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare.

Interview Formats at Lifestance Health

Lifestance Health uses a few different interview formats depending on the role you are applying for:

For clinical roles like psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and therapists:

• 1:1 interview: This is a traditional one on one interview, usually conducted in-person at a Lifestance Health office. It will cover both behavioral and situational questions.
• Case study: You may be presented with a mock patient scenario or clinical case study and asked how you would approach treatment. This tests your clinical experience and critical thinking.
• Skills assessment: You may need to demonstrate relevant skills. For example, a therapist may be asked to run a short mock therapy session.

For corporate roles like HR, finance, etc:

• 1:1 interview
• Panel interview: For senior level positions, you may speak with multiple interviewers at once.
• Technical interview: For specialized roles like engineering, you may need to complete a coding test or skills assessment.

For all roles:

• Phone screening: You will likely have one preliminary phone call before an in-person interview. This gives the chance to briefly introduce yourself and your background.

Most Common Lifestance Health Interview Questions

Let’s now get into the meat of this guide – specific questions you’re likely to be asked at a Lifestance Health interview along with tips to ace your answer.

Questions about why you applied:

• Why are you interested in working at Lifestance Health?

This is your chance to show you’ve done your research on the company. Mention specifics like their rapid growth, commitment to accessible mental healthcare, and any other details that appeal to you personally. Talk about how the mission aligns with your own values and passions.

• What makes you interested in this particular role?

Connect your past experience and skills to what the role requires. If it’s a clinical job, talk about your expertise with certain diagnoses or populations. For corporate roles, explain why you’re interested in the field and how you can add strategic value.

Behavioral and situational questions:

• Tell me about a time you successfully collaborated with a team. What was your role and what challenges did you overcome?

Use the STAR method – lay out the Situation, Task, Action you took, and Result. Emphasize teamwork skills like communication, flexibility, and relationship building.

• Describe a time you had a conflict at work. How did you handle it?

Share a specific example that shows your maturity, empathy, and ability to resolve issues. Avoid badmouthing others and focus on the actions you took to deal with the conflict constructively.

• Imagine a patient is frequently cancelling appointments at the last minute. What steps would you take to address this?

Show how you would probe into the root causes, communicate professionally, and find solutions that take into account the patient’s needs. Demonstrate how you would manage frustrations.

Clinical and technical questions:

• How would you conduct a psychiatric assessment for a new patient?

Walk through the end-to-end process you would follow and highlight your working knowledge of diagnostic criteria, symptoms, testing, medical history review, etc.

• Describe your therapeutic approach or style. How do you form a therapeutic alliance with patients?

Share the specific modalities and techniques you use or are trained in. Show how you develop trust and rapport with the patient while maintaining professional boundaries.

• What experience do you have with telehealth platforms? How would you engage patients virtually?

Highlight any telemedicine experience you have. Share how you would work to overcome the challenges of remote sessions and keep patients engaged through the screen.

Questions about Lifestance Health:

• What interests you or excites you about our mission and values?

Talk about their commitment to accessible, quality care and how your vision aligns. Share specific values that resonate with you and are motivating.

• What do you think are the biggest challenges facing behavioral health providers today? How can Lifestance Health address these challenges?

Show your understanding of macro issues like stigma around mental illness, insurance restrictions, and workforce shortages. Offer thoughts on how Lifestance can keep widening access points.

• Where would you like to see Lifestance Health in five years?

Share ideas that are ambitious but realistic. Talk about growth in number of centers and clinicians to serve more patients. Suggest new locations and service lines that fill community needs.

General interpersonal questions:

• Tell me about yourself.

Keep it concise – no more than 3 minutes. Focus on your clinical experience/background most relevant to role. Avoid meandering through your whole life story.

• What are your greatest strengths? And areas for improvement?

Highlight 2-3 hard skills pertinent to role as well strengths like work ethic, organization, empathy, etc. For areas of growth, share something you are actively working to improve.

• Why should we hire you? Or why are you the best fit for this position?

Connect the dots between your skills/experience and the role’s requirements. Share specific examples of achievements or how you’ve solved relevant problems in the past. Explain why you are passionate about this job.

Questions to ask the interviewer:

The interview isn’t just about you being grilled – you’ll also have a chance to ask questions and show your engagement. Some options:

• Can you show me what an average day or week would look like in this role?
• What do you enjoy most about working at Lifestance?
• Do you expect the main responsibilities of this job to change in the next 6-12 months? If so, how?
• How would you describe the culture at Lifestance?
• What qualities make someone really successful in this role?

Do your homework and ask 2-3 thoughtful questions that show your interest in the company and position. Jot them down beforehand so you’re prepared.

Tips to Ace Your Lifestance Health Interview

Finally, let’s run through some quick tips to ensure your interview goes smoothly:

• Practice your answers out loud. Actually saying them will help polish your delivery. Time yourself to keep answers concise.

• Prepare 2-3 examples for behavioral questions like conflict resolution, teamwork, problem-solving etc. Stories from past jobs or internships work best.

• Review common healthcare interview questions so you aren’t caught off guard by anything.

• Brush up on your clinical knowledge if relevant. Study DSM criteria, latest therapy models, telehealth tactics, and other healthcare trends.

• Dress professionally. Appearance matters, so dress neatly and conservatively.

• Arrive 10 minutes early. This shows respect for the interviewer’s time. Make sure you have directions handled ahead of time.

• Bring extra copies of your resume. Offer one at the start of the interview. Use it to guide the conversation.

• Make eye contact and smile. This creates a positive impression and shows confidence. Limit nervous gestures like fidgeting.

• Ask about next steps before you leave. Inquire about when you’ll hear back or if additional interviews are needed.

By taking time to prepare for questions, polish your answers, and make a great impression, you will ace your Lifestance Health interview!