Questions & Answers

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What kinds of care do they offer?

• Mental health treatment

  Includes interventions such as therapy or psychotropic medication that treat a person's mental health problem or condition, reduce symptoms, and improve behavioral functioning and outcomes.

• Substance use treatment

  Refers to a broad range of activities or services, including identification of the problem (and engaging the individual in treatment); brief interventions; assessment of substance abuse and related problems including histories of various types of abuse; diagnosis of the problem(s); and treatment planning, including counseling, medical services, psychiatric services, psychological services, social services and follow-up for persons with alcohol or other drug problems (Institute of Medicine, 1990).

• Treatment for co-occurring substance use plus either serious mental health illness in adults/serious emotional disturbance in children

  Housing for individuals recovering from substance abuse that is designed to provide a drug and alcohol-free living environment and appropriate support services to facilitate movement to independent living. Such housing includes transitional living, sober houses, sober living, recovery houses, and 3/4 houses.

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What types of treatment approaches do they offer?

• Individual psychotherapy

  Focuses on a patient's current life and relationships within the family, social, and work environments through one-on-one conversations with a therapist. The goal is to identify and resolve problems with insight, as well as build on strengths.

• Couples/family therapy

  Are two similar approaches that use discussions and problem-solving sessions facilitated by a therapist to help couples and family members improve their understanding of and the way they respond to one another. This type of therapy can resolve patterns of behavior that might lead to more severe mental illness. Family therapy can help educate about the nature of mental disorders and teach skills to better cope with the effects of having a family member with a mental illness, such as how to deal with feelings of anger or guilt.

• Group therapy

  Involves groups of usually 4 to 12 people who have similar problems and who meet regularly with a therapist. The therapist uses the emotional interactions of the group's members to (1) help them get relief from distress and (2) possibly modify their behavior.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy

  Involves recognizing unhelpful patterns of thinking and reacting, and then modifying or replacing these with more realistic or helpful ones. The therapy can be conducted with individuals, families, or groups, and clients are generally expected to be active participants in their own therapy.

• Dialectical behavior therapy

  A cognitive behavioral treatment approach with two key characteristics: a behavioral, problem-solving focus blended with acceptance-based strategies, and an emphasis on dialectical processes. "Dialectical" refers to the issues involved in treating patients with multiple disorders and to the type of thought processes and behavioral styles used in the treatment strategies. DBT has five components: (1) capability enhancement (skills training); (2) motivational enhancement (individual behavioral treatment plans); (3) generalization (access to therapist outside clinical setting, homework, and inclusion of family in treatment); (4) structuring of the environment (programmatic emphasis on reinforcement of adaptive behaviors); and (5) capability and motivational enhancement of therapists (therapist team consultation group). DBT emphasizes balancing behavioral change, problem-solving, and emotional regulation with validation, mindfulness, and acceptance.

• Integrated Mental and Substance Use Disorder treatment

  Provides combined treatment for mental illness and substance abuse from the same clinician or treatment team. Effective integrated treatment programs view recovery as a long-term, community-based process. The approach employs counseling designed especially for those with co-occurring disorders.

• Activity therapy

  Includes art, dance, music, recreational and occupational therapies, and psychodrama.

• Telemedicine/telehealth therapy

  The ability for healthcare providers, working from a distance using telecommunications technology, to communicate with patients, diagnose conditions, provide treatment, and discuss healthcare issues with other providers to ensure quality healthcare services are provided. Other names used for this treatment approach are: e-medicine, e-therapy, e-psychiatry, and telepsychiatry.

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• Smoking not permitted

  Smoking is not allowed.

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What type of setting is this location?

• Hospital inpatient/24-hour hospital inpatient

  Medical treatment that is provided in a hospital or other facility and requires at least one overnight stay.

• Outpatient

  Describes patients who receive treatment services without an overnight stay at a treatment facility or hospital.

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Who is responsible for the operation of this facility?

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  Facility operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including general hospitals, and/or residential treatment programs, and/or?psychiatric out?patient clinics.

• Federal Government

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What types of payment or funding do they accept?

• Medicaid

  A joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with low incomes and limited resources. Medicaid programs vary from state to state.

• Medicare

  The federal health insurance program for people age 65 and older and people with disabilities.

• Private health insurance

• U.S. Department of VA funds

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Do they offer any emergency mental health services?

• Crisis intervention team

  A self-initiated community partnership between local law enforcement, county health services, mental health advocates, and mental health consumers. It is designed to address the needs of mental health consumers who enter the judicial system during a crisis state.

• Psychiatric emergency walk-in services

  Designed to provide accessible, professional, cost-effective services to individuals in psychiatric crisis, and strive to stabilize consumers on site and avoid psychiatric hospitalization whenever possible.

• Psychiatric emergency onsite services

  A self-initiated community partnership between local law enforcement, county health services, mental health advocates, and mental health consumers. It is designed to address the needs of mental health consumers who enter the judicial system during a crisis state.

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What language services are offered?

• Sign language services for the deaf and hard of hearing

  Service provided for persons who are deaf and hard of hearing.

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What specific groups are treated here?

• Clients with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders

  Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders.

• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ)

  Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for LGBT clients.

• Veterans

  Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for Veterans.

• Seniors or older adults

  Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for Seniors or older adults.

• Clients who have experienced trauma

  Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for persons who have experienced trauma.

• Persons 18 and older with serious mental illness (SMI)

  Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for persons with serious mental illness.

• Persons with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

  Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for persons with post-traumatic stress disorder.

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What ancillary services are offered at this facility?

• Intensive case management

  An intensive service that is a key part of the continuum of mental health care and supports for persons with serious mental illness. ICM is more than a brokerage function. It involves building a caring, trusting relationship with the consumer, promoting consumer independence through the coordination of appropriate services, and providing on-going, long-term support as needed by the consumer to function in the least restrictive, most natural environment and achieve an improved quality of life. ICM evolved from assertive community treatment (ACT) and case management (CM). ICM emphasizes frequent contact, small caseloads (<20 cases) and high intensity of care designed to improve planning for and responsiveness to the consumer's multiple service needs. The case manager coordinates required services from across the mental health system as well as other service systems (e.g., criminal justice, social services) as the consumer's service needs change. Intensive case managers fulfill a vital function for consumers by working with them to realize personal recovery goals and providing the support and resources that the consumer needs to achieve goals, stabilize his/her life and improve his/her quality of life.

• Case management service

  Helps people arrange for appropriate services and supports through a case manager who monitors the needs of clients/patients and their families and coordinates services, such as mental health, social work, health, educational, vocational, recreational, transportation, advocacy, and respite care, as needed.

• Chronic disease/illness management

  A systematic approach to improving health care for people with chronic disease. Central to most CDM approaches are patient self-management, physician education, and organizational support. Among the variety of strategies employed are case management, continuous quality improvement, disease management (DM) and the chronic care model (CCM).

• Family psychoeducation

  Helps consumers and their families and supporters, through relationship building, education, collaboration, and problem solving to: 1) learn about mental illness; 2) master new ways of managing their mental illness; 3) reduce tension and stress within the family; 4) provide social support and encouragement to each other; 5) focus on the future; and 6) find ways for families and supporters to help consumers in their recovery.

• Illness management and recovery

  Uses a standardized individual or group format based on five evidence-based practices: 1) Psychoeducation, 2) Behavioral tailoring, 3) Relapse prevention training, 4) Coping skills training, and 5) Social skills training.

• Integrated primary care services

  Address the general health care needs of persons with mental health and substance use problems. These general health care needs include the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease) that can be aggravated by poor health habits such as inadequate physical activity, poor nutrition, and smoking. The services include screening, coordinating care among behavioral health care staff and medical staff; and providing linkages to ensure that all patient needs are met in order to promote wellness and produce the best outcomes.

• Psychosocial rehabilitation services

  Offered individually or in groups, provide therapeutic or intervention services such as daily and community-living skills, self-care and skills training (grooming, bodily care, feeding, social skills training, and basic language skills).

• Suicide prevention services

  Include identifying risk factors; educating staff on identifying the signs of suicidal behavior and using methods to detect risk; and the assessment, intervention, and management of suicidal patients including treatment of an underlying mental or substance use disorder, and use of psychotropic medication, supportive services, and education. Hotlines help individuals to contact the nearest suicide prevention mental health provider.

• Supported employment

  Services include assisting individuals with finding work; assessing individuals' skills, attitudes, behaviors, and interest relevant to work; providing vocational rehabilitation and/or other training; and providing work opportunities.

• Vocational rehabilitation services

  Include job finding/development; assessment and enhancement of work-related skills (such as writing a resume or taking part in an interview), attitudes, and behaviors; as well as providing job experiences to clients/patients. Transitional employment is also included.

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What types of recovery support services are offered here?

• Mentoring/peer support

• Housing services

  Are designed to assist individuals with finding and maintaining appropriate housing arrangements.

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What specific pharmacotherapy treatments do they provide?

• Nicotine replacement

  Administers nicotine to the body by means other than tobacco, without other harmful chemicals found in tobacco. Common forms of nicotine replacement therapy are nicotine patches, nicotine gum or lozenges, nasal spray and inhaler. The goal of nicotine replacement is to prevent cravings in a tobacco user, allowing the person to abstain from tobacco.

• Non-nicotine smoking/tobacco cessation

  Are medications that do not contain nicotine but act on the brain to reduce a person's craving for tobacco. Some common medications are Bupropion (Zyban, Wellbutrin), and Nortriptyline (Pamelor). Medications are often prescribed in conjunction with behavioral counseling or support groups to provide the best chance for achieving long-term smoking abstinence. (http://www.mayoclinic.com)

• Antipsychotics used in treatment of SMI

  A multi-disciplinary clinical team approach, helps those with serious mental illness live in the community by providing 24-hour intensive community services in the individual's natural setting.

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What types of screening and assessment methods are used here?

• Screening for tobacco use

  Determines a client's use of tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, or smokeless tobacco. It is generally recommended that providers screen for tobacco use on a regular basis by asking clients, as they are seen, about their current and past use of tobacco products and their exposure to secondhand smoke or tobacco.

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What kinds of education and counseling services are offered here?

• Smoking/vaping/tobacco cessation counseling

  Includes interventions for persons who use tobacco and want help with stopping, including behavioral support or counseling in groups or individually.

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What age groups are accepted here?

• Young Adults

  Facility accepts young adults (13-25) for treatment.

• Adults

  Facility accepts adults (26-64) for treatment.

• Seniors

  Facility accepts seniors (65 or older) for treatment.

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What type of facility is this?

• Veterans Affairs Medical Center or other VA healthcare facility

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What types of testing do they offer?

• Laboratory testing

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Is vaping allowed at this facility?

• Vaping not permitted

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How do I apply for admission at this location?

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Have you been to this facility? What was your experience?

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Is there a wait-list for treatment center?

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Is any payment required?

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