Mental Health

In Home Respite Care

Programs that provide a brief period of rest or relief for family members, guardians or others who are regular caregivers for children and/or dependent adults by offering temporary or intermittent care for the individual(s) in their own home.

Mental Health Information/Education

Programs that provide information through a variety of channels that improves the public's understanding of mental health and mental illness; the nature, etiology, diagnosis and treatment or management of specific mental disorders; and strategies for reducing the incidence of problems where possible. Mental health education programs help people make informed decisions about matters that affect their personal mental health and that of others. They inform the public of the risk factors and signs of mental health problems, encourage people to take advantage of early detection programs, help people modify behaviors that compromise their own mental health and provide support for family members and friends who are coping with mental illness or other mental health issues that have affected a loved one.

Mental Health Related Support Groups

Mutual support groups whose members are people who have specific social, emotional or other mental health problems. Families and friends may also be welcome. The groups meet in-person, by telephone or via the Internet; and provide an opportunity for participants to share information, practical tips for daily living and encouragement about issues related to the problem.

Older Adult/Disability Related Supportive Housing

Residential facilities for older adults and/or people with disabilities who are unable to function in an independent living environment because they need assistance with toileting, bathing, dressing, medication management and administration, meals and housekeeping and other activities of daily living, but do not require nursing care on a regular basis. Living options range from state institutions for individuals with the most severe disabilities who require intensive services to settings that enable individuals with disabilities to live with their own families or in their own homes or apartments with supportive services from community-based supported living providers. Alternatives in between include health care facilities for people with a primary need for developmental services in combination with an intermittent need for skilled nursing care; community care facilities (residential care homes or group homes) for people who require varying levels of supervision and assistance in the activities of daily living; assisted living facilities; continuing care retirement communities; life care communities; foster family placements for adults who will benefit from interaction in a family environment; and semi-independent living facilities for individuals with disabilities who need minimal levels of support to live and work in the community. Some of these facilities are licensed by the state.

Out of Home Respite Care

Programs that provide a brief period of rest or relief for family members, guardians or others who are regular caregivers for children and/or dependent adults by offering temporary or intermittent care for the individual(s) in a community setting/facility.

Prescription Expense Assistance

Programs that provide financial assistance to purchase necessary prescription drugs for people who would be in an emergency situation without assistance. Also included are programs that reimburse individuals for their prescription expenses, usually on an annual basis. Prescription expense assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.

Residential Placement Services for People With Disabilities

Programs that maintain information about residential living options for people with disabilities including group homes, foster care, intermediate care, or semi-independent living residences, and link people who are looking for alternative living options with appropriate residential facilities.

Transitional Mental Health Services

Programs that provide services that facilitate the return to the community of people who have been hospitalized for treatment of acute or chronic mental or emotional disturbances.

Adolescent/Youth Counseling

Programs that specialize in the treatment of adolescents, usually age 12 or 13 through 17, who have adjustment problems, behavior problems, emotional disturbance, a personality disorder or incipient mental illness. The programs may help youth troubled by low self-esteem, social isolation, peer pressure, bullying, school performance issues, truancy, anger management issues, family problems, grief and loss, sexual promiscuity, sexually transmitted disease, alcohol or drug addiction, eating disorders, oppositional and defiant behaviors, depression and anxiety, suicidal thoughts or other difficult issues.

Adult Child Sexual Abuse Survivor Counseling

Programs that provide therapeutic interventions for adults who, as children, were subjected to sexual abuse or exploitation that took place within the family by a parent, guardian, step-parent, sibling or other relative or outside the home by a friend, neighbor, child care provider, teacher or stranger, and who are dealing with the trauma of that experience in their adult lives. Child sexual abuse includes sexual kissing, touching, fondling a child's genitals, oral, anal or vaginal intercourse and incest (sexual intercourse between an adult family member and a child or between siblings) as well as behaviors that don't involve contact such as genital exposure ("flashing"), intentionally engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, verbal pressure for sex, and sexual exploitation for purposes of prostitution or pornography. Counseling is offered in a variety of settings and may include individual, conjoint, family and group therapy sessions.

Adult Psychiatry

Programs that are staffed by licensed physicians who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders including mood and anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, personality disorder, adjustment reactions, adult attention deficit disorders, psychotic disorders and relational disturbances in the adult population, generally individuals age 18 and older. Services most often include an assessment to establish a diagnosis, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and other forms of treatment as indicated.

Anger Management

Programs that provide educational and/or therapeutic opportunities for people who are interested in or who need to learn how to deal with their anger in a positive, functional way. Participants may include people who internalize their anger as well as those who act it out verbally or in behavior toward friends, family, children, employers or other people in their lives. Included are court-ordered and voluntary programs for people who are involved in domestic violence or child abuse as well as general workshops for people who are uncomfortable with the way they express their anger.

Child Abuse Counseling

Programs that provide therapeutic interventions for individuals and/or families who are experiencing child abuse including abandonment, neglect, or emotional, physical or sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, or other family or extended family member whom the child trusts and who is in a position of power over the child. Counseling is offered in a variety of settings and may include individual, conjoint, family and group therapy sessions for the child, the abusing or non-abusing parent(s) and siblings. Separate sessions may be available for young children who have been victimized and for older children in their teens.

Child Sexual Abuse Counseling

Programs that specialize in the treatment of children and youth who are coping with the trauma of child sexual abuse which occurs when an adult, older adolescent or another child threatens, forces or manipulates a child into sexual activity abusing the relationship of power and authority that adults have over children. Sexual abuse includes sexual kissing, touching, fondling a child’s genitals, oral, anal or vaginal intercourse and incest (sexual intercourse between an adult family member and a child or between siblings) as well as behaviors that don’t involve contact such as genital exposure ("flashing"), intentionally engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, verbal pressure for sex, and sexual exploitation for purposes of prostitution or pornography. Child sexual abuse can take place within the family by a parent, step-parent, sibling or other relative; or outside the home by a friend, neighbor, child care provider, teacher or stranger. Separate counseling sessions may be structured for young children who have been victimized and for older children in their teens.

Counseling for Children Affected by Domestic Violence

Programs that identify, assess and provide individual, group or family counseling or other therapeutic services for children who have been exposed to domestic violence. The therapy helps children cope with their emotional reaction to the violence, reduce problematic symptoms/behaviors (e.g., nightmares, insomnia, aggressiveness, outbursts of anger, withdrawal), understand, to the extent they can, why their parents are fighting and be reassured that it is not their fault. Children who are not ready to discuss what they have witnessed may be asked to use drawing of their family or their home, play with dolls or engage in other activities as a way of expressing what they are unable to say. Therapists also work to help the family create a safe and stable environment that will support the child’s ability to heal. Specific therapeutic approaches will vary depending on the child's age, their level of traumatization and other factors. Treatment may involve consultation with the child's school or contacts with pediatricians, attorneys or other providers involved with the family.

Faith Based Counseling

Programs that specialize in providing therapeutic interventions which focus on helping people relate to and resolve their problems and concerns in the context of their religious/spiritual beliefs. Services are typically provided by ministers, rabbis, priests, imams or lay representatives of a religious tradition who integrate modern psychological thought and methods with traditional religious training. Included are pastoral counseling programs which are offered in a variety of settings including pastoral counseling centers, inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities and in private practice; chaplaincy services where non-denominational clerics are attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, school, business, police department, fire department, university or private chapel; and other religious counseling disciplines.

Family Counseling

Programs that offer therapeutic sessions that focus on the system of relationships and communication patterns among family members and which attempt to modify those relationships and patterns to achieve greater harmony. The therapist focuses on the family as a unit rather than concentrating on one of the members who is singled out as the person in need of treatment.

General Counseling Services

Programs that provide emotional support, information and guidance to help people resolve whatever personal or interpersonal difficulties they are experiencing. The counselor can address any issue that is troubling the individual, but does not specialize in the treatment of any particular problem area.

General Psychiatry

Programs that are staffed by licensed physicians who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders including anxiety, depression, psychoses, sexual dysfunction, adjustment reactions and substance abuse. Psychiatric treatment involves a full mental and physical health evaluation and an individualized treatment plan which may include psychotherapy, medication and other interventions which help patients and their families cope with their illness. General psychiatry applies broadly to all populations with mental disabilities rather than offering more specialized services to specific target groups.

Geriatric Psychiatry

Programs that specialize in providing multidisciplinary care including preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation services for older adults with anxiety disorders, depression, cognitive impairments, psychoses or other mental health conditions in their homes, in long term care facilities or in hospital or nursing facility settings. The objectives of geriatric psychiatry are to improve the quality of life for older individuals who may have a combination of psychological, physical and social needs; and to support their ability to live independently in the community for as long as possible.

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

Programs that specialize in providing preventive, diagnostic and treatment services that focus on strengthening the social and emotional development and well-being of infants and young children within the context of early primary relationships. Services may include emotional support, developmental guidance, early relationship assessment and support, infant-parent psychotherapy and advocacy. The objectives of the discipline are to help infants and young children develop close and secure relationships with others; experience, express and regulate a full range of both positive and negative emotions; and actively explore the environment and learn.

Mental Health Expense Assistance

Programs that pay the mental health care expenses of people who are unable to obtain necessary care without assistance. Mental health expense assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Programs that integrate treatment strategies associated with psychiatry, occupational therapy and psychiatric case management to help severely mentally ill individuals stabilize their clinical status, increase their ability to function within their environment with as little ongoing professional intervention as possible, and improve their overall quality of life. Services are provided within an intensive case management system and may include medication and supportive psychotherapy to alleviate symptoms; training in interpersonal and independent living skills with a focus on personal care and management, leisure skills, social interaction skills and vocational preferences and aptitudes; cognitive retraining; family psychoeducation; peer support; and assistance in gaining access to the resources and benefits to which they are entitled. The individual is actively involved in developing the treatment plan and selecting the types of training that will be relevant to his or her ongoing roles and relationships.

Sex Offender Counseling

Programs that provide voluntary or court-ordered individual or group counseling for people who have committed or are at risk of committing sexual offenses which may include rape or other sexual assault, nonfamilial child sexual assault, indecent exposure, or voyeurism, with the objective of eliminating violent and/or abusive behavior.

Sexual Assault Counseling

Programs that provide crisis, short-term and/or ongoing counseling for people who are coping with the emotional trauma of being forced to engage in sexual intercourse or other sexual acts without their consent. Included are military sexual trauma (MST) counseling programs offered by facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which address the needs of veterans who have been traumatized by having experienced assault or repeated threatening sexual harassment which occurred while serving on active duty in the military. Counseling and support may be offered in a variety of settings and may include individual, conjoint, family and group therapy sessions for the survivor and/or significant others.

Spouse/Intimate Partner Abuse Counseling

Programs that provide individual, conjoint, family or group treatment for individuals who are being physically, sexually and/or emotionally abused by their partners, and/or for perpetrators. Included are programs that provide therapeutic interventions for married couples, people who have live-in mates and/or gay and lesbian couples who are experiencing problems with abuse.

Suicide Counseling

Programs that provide in-person individual, conjoint, family or group treatment for people who are experiencing an emotional crisis and are attempting to cope by threatening or attempting self-destruction; or for people who have experienced these feelings, made such threats or attempted to fatally harm themselves either on one occasion or repeatedly; and/or for the families and significant others of these people.

Supportive Therapies

Programs that use guided artistic expression or recreational activities, dietary management, hypnotherapy or other specialized interventions to improve the adjustment of individuals with mental, physical or developmental disabilities, substance abuse disorders, chronic health conditions or other problems. Supportive therapies are frequently auxiliary types of treatment used to facilitate other forms of therapy but may be also used for diagnostic purposes and are, on occasion, primary treatment modalities whose objectives are to foster health, communication and expression; promote the integration of physical, emotional, cognitive and social functioning; enhance self-awareness; and facilitate change.

Wraparound Facilitation/Community Support

Programs that employ the Wraparound Facilitation model, a family centered, community-oriented, strengths based and highly individualized approach to meet the needs of children with complicated, multi-dimensional problems. The approach involves the development of a child and family team which creates and implements a wraparound plan that identifies a set of community services and natural supports to promote success, safety, and permanence in home, school and community. The Wraparound facilitator coordinates team meetings and ensures the team identifies and prioritizes goals, provides crisis and safety planning, and tracks the family's progress towards goal attainment. The family is prepared and supported as they transition from formal services to independence. While the major initiative to develop Wraparound Facilitation originated with the mental health system and has been particularly successful for children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral problems, the intervention is being employed in a number of other child service sectors including education, juvenile justice and child welfare.

Adult Residential Treatment Facilities

Programs that provide a treatment-oriented living experience in a community-based facility for adults who have emotional disturbances and who, because of their disabilities, are unable to succeed in other placements, but who do not require inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. The service is geared to the specific needs of individual residents and their eventual return to the community as soon as their personal and social adjustment and development permit.

Older Adult/Disability Related Supportive Housing

Residential facilities for older adults and/or people with disabilities who are unable to function in an independent living environment because they need assistance with toileting, bathing, dressing, medication management and administration, meals and housekeeping and other activities of daily living, but do not require nursing care on a regular basis. Living options range from state institutions for individuals with the most severe disabilities who require intensive services to settings that enable individuals with disabilities to live with their own families or in their own homes or apartments with supportive services from community-based supported living providers. Alternatives in between include health care facilities for people with a primary need for developmental services in combination with an intermittent need for skilled nursing care; community care facilities (residential care homes or group homes) for people who require varying levels of supervision and assistance in the activities of daily living; assisted living facilities; continuing care retirement communities; life care communities; foster family placements for adults who will benefit from interaction in a family environment; and semi-independent living facilities for individuals with disabilities who need minimal levels of support to live and work in the community. Some of these facilities are licensed by the state.

Therapeutic Foster Homes

Agency-supervised private family homes in which foster parents have been trained to provide individualized, structured services in a safe, nurturing family living environment for children and adolescents with significant emotional or behavioral problems who require a higher level of care than is found in a conventional foster home but do not require placement in a more restrictive setting. Therapeutic foster parents receive special training in mental health issues, behavior management and parenting techniques; and implement the in-home portion of the treatment plan with close supervision and support. They serve as integral members of the team of professionals providing services for the child, get the child to therapy and other treatment appointments, write daily notes about interventions and attend treatment team meetings. Therapeutic foster care is considered the least restrictive out-of-home placement for children with severe emotional disorders.

Benefits Screening

Programs that provide benefits screening services which help individuals determine whether they are eligible for benefits through any of a wide variety of public and private federal, state and local programs. In addition to identifying the programs that a person may be eligible to receive, the service generally also provides a detailed description of the programs, local contacts for additional information (typically the addresses and phone numbers of where to apply for the programs), and materials to help successfully apply for each program. Included are programs that provide this service online and those that do benefits screening via the telephone or in-person. Some benefits screening programs may focus on specific populations such as older adults and people with disabilities; or specific aspects of benefits eligibility such as the impact that working will have on their benefits as an aid to helping people make informed decisions regarding whether to work. Also included are programs that help people complete the benefits screening form.

Comprehensive Disability Related Employment Programs

Programs broadly available to individuals with disabilities in general (rather than focusing on special groups within the disability population) that provide vocational assessment, job development, job training, job placement, specialized job situations and/or other supportive services that help people with disabilities prepare for, find and retain paid employment.

Disability Benefits

Public social insurance programs that replace income lost because of a physical or mental impairment severe enough to prevent a previously employed person from working. Monthly cash benefits are paid to the eligible individual with a disability and his or her eligible dependents throughout the period of disability.

Disability Related Center Based Employment

Programs that provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to learn and practice work skills in a separate and supported environment. Participants may be involved in the program on a transitional or ongoing basis, and are paid for their work, generally under a piecework arrangement. The nature of the work and the types of disabilities represented in the workforce vary widely by program and by the area in which the organization is located. Individuals participate in center-based employment for a variety of reasons including severity of disability, need for additional training or experience, need for a protected environment and/or lack of availability of community-based employment.

Supported Employment

Programs that find paid, meaningful work in a variety of community-based settings for people who have disabilities and which assign a "job coach" to work side-by-side with each client to interface with the employer and other employees, and provide training in basic job skills and work-related behaviors, assistance with specific tasks as needed and whatever other initial or ongoing support is required to ensure that the individual retains competitive employment. Included are individual placement models in which a job coach works on-the-job with a single individual and group models such as enclaves (which are self-contained work units of people needing support) and mobile work crews, in which a group of workers with disabilities receives continuous support and supervision from supported employment personnel. In the enclave model, groups of people with disabilities are trained to work as a team alongside employees in the host business supported by a specially trained on-site supervisor, who may work either for the host company or the placement agency. A variation of the enclave approach is called the "dispersed enclave" and is used in service industries (e.g., restaurants and hotels). Each person works on a separate job, and the group is dispersed throughout the company. In the mobile work crew model, a small team of people with disabilities works as a self-contained business and undertakes contract work such as landscaping and gardening projects. The crew works at various locations in a variety of settings within the community under the supervision of a job coach.

Case/Care Management

Programs that develop plans for the evaluation, treatment and/or care of individuals who, because of age, illness, disability or other difficulties, need assistance in planning and arranging for services; which assess the individual's needs; coordinate the delivery of needed services; ensure that services are obtained in accordance with the case plan; and follow up and monitor progress to ensure that services are having a beneficial impact on the individual. Case management is a collaborative process characterized by communication, advocacy and resource management to promote high quality, cost-effective interventions and outcomes.

Early Intervention for Mental Illness

Programs that identify and provide treatment for individuals whose personal condition and social experiences could potentially produce mental, emotional or social dysfunctions with the objective of preventing their development; or which conduct general screening efforts to identify and treat children who have emerging problems to ensure the best possible prognosis.

General Crisis Intervention Hotlines

Programs that provide immediate assistance for people who are emotionally distressed with the objective of defusing the crisis, ensuring the person's safety and helping the person to take the next immediate steps toward resolving the problem. General crisis intervention hotlines are available to anyone who is experiencing a crisis rather than focusing on people with particular types of problems such as domestic violence, mental health or child abuse. Hotline staff are often trained volunteers who are available via telephone, email, chat and/or text.

Mental Health Crisis Lines

Programs that provide immediate assistance for people experiencing a mental health crisis such as a psychotic episode with the objective of defusing the crisis, often working closely with mobile crisis teams on standby, and helping the person develop a plan to link with resources for ongoing assistance, if required. A mental health crisis is a non-life threatening situation in which an individual exhibits extreme emotional disturbance or behavioral distress, is considering harm to him or herself or others, is disoriented or out of touch with reality, has a compromised ability to function, or is otherwise agitated and unable to be calmed. Other common indicators include feelings of intense sadness or depression, sleeping or eating problems, anxiety, severe distress, grief, anger or aggression, scattered, unfocused thinking, self-doubt, loss of motivation, lack of patience or irritability and paranoia. The service is generally available via telephone, email, chat and/or text.

Mental Health Evaluation

Programs that provide screening, diagnostic and treatment planning services for people who are experiencing acute or chronic psychiatric problems. Included is a continuum of assessment services ranging from a comprehensive psychiatric or psychological evaluation to the administration of one or a combination of psychological tests to examine a particular personality variable. Services may be provided in a variety of settings including hospitals and community-based clinics.

Outpatient Mental Health Facilities

Programs that provide walk-in, walk-out diagnostic and treatment services for children, adolescents and/or adults who have acute or chronic psychiatric disorders but do not need 24-hour care; and/or provide counseling services for individuals, couples, families and extended family groups who may be experiencing difficulty resolving personal or interpersonal conflicts or making personal adjustments to stressful life situations such as separation, divorce, widowhood, loss of a child, poor health, unemployment, family violence, delinquency or substance abuse.

Psychiatric Case Management

Programs that develop case plans for the evaluation, treatment and/or care of individuals who have mental, emotional or social problems and need assistance in arranging for services; which assess the individual's needs; coordinate the delivery of needed services; ensure that services are obtained in accordance with the case plan; and follow up and monitor progress to ensure that services are having a beneficial impact on the problem.

Psychiatric Emergency Room Care

Psychiatric and health care facilities that are capable of restraining and treating people who are in acute emotional distress on a 24-hour basis.

Suicide Prevention Hotlines

Programs that provide immediate assistance for individuals who are having suicidal feelings with the objective of helping them explore alternatives to self-harm or self-destruction. Suicide prevention workers establish and maintain contact with the individual while identifying and clarifying the focal problem, evaluate the suicidal potential, assess the individual's strengths and resources, and mobilize available resources including paramedic or police intervention and emergency psychiatric care as needed. These programs can also help individuals who are worried about the potentially suicidal behavior of another with the objective of helping them identify warning signs and provide options on seeking further help. Hotline staff are generally available via telephone, email, chat and/or text.

Talklines/Warmlines

Programs that offer a telephone service that enables people who are troubled to talk confidentially about their personal problems with an empathetic listener. These programs are often staffed by volunteers who can offer referrals for ongoing treatment, if needed.

Therapy Referrals

Programs that link people who are in need of counseling services with private therapists who are qualified in the desired area of specialization.

Drop In Centers

Programs that provide an alternative, non-residential environment that people with any of a variety of issues can visit on an informal basis to find mutual support and access to social and recreational activities. People can drop by whenever they like without the need to make an appointment and have the option of participating in whatever activities are currently underway.

Mentoring Programs

Programs that provide companionship, guidance and/or role models for individuals who are disadvantaged because of age, income, physical or developmental disabilities or family environment.

Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Units

Programs offered in special units of general acute care hospitals that provide diagnostic and treatment services for adolescents, usually age 12 or 13 through 17 who have acute psychiatric disorders, require hospitalization for maximum benefit, and who may be a threat to themselves, to their families or to others if left in the community or placed in a less restrictive treatment setting. Services may include a comprehensive evaluation; 24-hour care in a supportive, therapeutic environment; counseling for the patient and family; adjunctive therapies as needed; medication, if required; and an aftercare program following discharge.

Adult Psychiatric Hospitals

Institutions whose primary function is to provide diagnostic and long or short-term treatment services for adults, including older adults, who have acute psychiatric disorders, require hospitalization for maximum benefit, and who may be a threat to themselves, to their families or to others if left in the community or placed in a less restrictive treatment setting. Services may include a comprehensive evaluation; 24-hour care in a supportive, therapeutic environment; counseling for the patient and family; adjunctive therapies, as needed; medication, if required; and an aftercare program following discharge.

Adult Psychiatric Inpatient Units

Programs offered in special units of general acute care hospitals that provide diagnostic and treatment services for adults who have acute psychiatric disorders, require hospitalization for maximum benefit, and who may be a threat to themselves, to their families or to others if left in the community or placed in a less restrictive treatment setting. Services may include a comprehensive evaluation; 24-hour care in a supportive, therapeutic environment; counseling for the patient and family; adjunctive therapies as needed; medication, if required; and an aftercare program following discharge.

Children's Psychiatric Inpatient Units

Programs offered in special units of general acute care hospitals that provide diagnostic and treatment services for children from infancy through age 12 who have acute psychiatric disorders, require hospitalization for maximum benefit, and who may be a threat to themselves, to their families or to others if left in the community or placed in a less restrictive treatment setting. Services may include a comprehensive evaluation; 24-hour care in a supportive, therapeutic environment; counseling for the patient and family; adjunctive therapies as needed; medication, if required; and an aftercare program following discharge.

Children's/Adolescent Psychiatric Hospitals

Institutions whose primary function is to provide diagnostic and long or short-term treatment services for children and adolescents from infancy through age 17 who have acute psychiatric disorders, require hospitalization for maximum benefit, and who may be a threat to themselves, to their families or to others if left in the community or placed in a less restrictive treatment setting. Services may include a comprehensive evaluation; 24-hour care in a supportive, therapeutic environment; counseling for the patient and family; adjunctive therapies, as needed; medication, if required; and an aftercare program following discharge.

Geriatric Psychiatric Inpatient Units

Programs offered in special units of general acute care hospitals that provide diagnostic and treatment services for older adults who have acute psychiatric disorders which may be complicated by medical or neurological problems and who require hospitalization for maximum benefit. Services may include a comprehensive evaluation; 24-hour care in a supportive, therapeutic environment; activities compatible with their current abilities; counseling for the patient and family; adjunctive therapies as needed; medication, if required; and an aftercare program following discharge. Locked facilities may be available for patients with serious behavior management problems.

Psychiatric Case Management

Programs that develop case plans for the evaluation, treatment and/or care of individuals who have mental, emotional or social problems and need assistance in arranging for services; which assess the individual's needs; coordinate the delivery of needed services; ensure that services are obtained in accordance with the case plan; and follow up and monitor progress to ensure that services are having a beneficial impact on the problem.

Psychiatric Day Treatment

Programs that provide a therapeutic environment for individuals who have acute or chronic mental or emotional disturbances, who do not require full-time hospital care but who can benefit from a structured environment for some portion of the day or week. Services may include individual, group and/or family therapy; social and recreational activities; and a range of adjunctive therapies. Psychiatric day treatment programs may be offered by freestanding day treatment facilities, by psychiatric hospitals or by psychiatric units in general acute care hospitals.

Psychiatric Medication Monitoring

Programs that provide ongoing medication management services for children and/or adults who have been evaluated to determine the need for psychiatric medication to manage their symptoms and received a prescription for an appropriate drug. Medication monitoring services include periodic follow-up to evaluate the effectiveness of the medication in modifying the individual's behavior, provide for early recognition and minimization of undesirable side effects, make necessary dosage adjustments, provide educational interventions, as needed, and ensure that medication is, in fact, being taken as prescribed. Some programs may conduct special outreach to help homeless mentally ill individuals or other groups initiate and follow through with treatment.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Programs that integrate treatment strategies associated with psychiatry, occupational therapy and psychiatric case management to help severely mentally ill individuals stabilize their clinical status, increase their ability to function within their environment with as little ongoing professional intervention as possible, and improve their overall quality of life. Services are provided within an intensive case management system and may include medication and supportive psychotherapy to alleviate symptoms; training in interpersonal and independent living skills with a focus on personal care and management, leisure skills, social interaction skills and vocational preferences and aptitudes; cognitive retraining; family psychoeducation; peer support; and assistance in gaining access to the resources and benefits to which they are entitled. The individual is actively involved in developing the treatment plan and selecting the types of training that will be relevant to his or her ongoing roles and relationships.