RELEVANT HEALTH ROUNDTABLE | Q+A
Q+A Carissa Ellingson
Client Executive HEADSPACE HEALTH
YOUR CAREER What did your career trajectory look like after college? After graduating from college, I took an unconventional route by moving six thousand miles away from home to teach English in two high schools in Fukuoka, Japan, through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. This life-changing experience taught me a lot. First, I learned that I love sushi and could survive living in a city as the only “gaijin” (foreigner). Second, I found that I appreciate the kind people of Japan and genuinely love hearing people’s stories. Perhaps most importantly, I realized that I am strong and independent. When I returned to Minnesota, I found myself kicking off my career at Cigna Behavioral Health in account management and then had a short stint at Optum. Through a move to Minneapolis start-up RedBrick Health, I had an incredible eleven years of “helping people be healthy” (BrickHeads are the best work- family ever!). Three years ago, I landed at Ginger, where I am currently thriving.
What does your current role entail? I currently work at Headspace Health (formerly known as Ginger), which offers mental health help ranging from prevention to clinical care. I have the pleasure of leading a truly talented team of Strategic Enterprise Client Executives who partner closely with our employer clients to ensure that their employees and families are receiving the mental health support they need when they need it.
Even with all the mental health solutions available, people still struggle to access quality mental health care when they need it. “
32 | Q+A: Carissa Ellingson
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