Evidence-Based Practices: Shaping Mental Health Services Toward Recovery

Workbook for Clinical & Practical Supervisors

About this workbook 1

Prepare program-specific information
In addition to the materials in this workbook, team leaders will need to be prepared to provide program staff with information about the specific policies and procedures that pertain to the program being implemented. These include:

criteria for admitting people to the program
the limited conditions under which people will be discharged or ‘stepped down’ to other services
the assessments team members will complete and the timeframe for completing them
the criteria upon which the program’s fidelity to the assertive community treatment model will be assessed
the outcomes that will be monitored

Prepare agency-specific information
In addition to the areas addressed in this workbook, team leaders will need to develop a plan for training members of new teams about other policies and procedures that may be relevant to the agency in which the team operates. These might include:

safety– many agencies with existing community-based programs will have materials related to safety. If training in this area is not already available, the team leader will want to plan for training in de-escalation techniques. A local law enforcement agency may also be able to provide training in personal safety and crime prevention strategies.
emergencies–team members must know the procedures to follow if an emergency occurs while they are in the community
billing procedures– team members will need to know how to document their activities and bill for services
vehicles–team members need to understand the policies about the use and maintenance of vehicles
mandated reporting–team members must know how to report suspected abuse and neglect
consumers’ rights–team members should be aware of State and Federal consumer rights requirements, especially the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The human resource office of the agency in which the new program is operating may know of other program, agency, or state policies the staff need to be aware of.

Visit an existing team
We suggest that the staff of new programs visit and observe an experienced assertive community treatment team after they have processed the information in this workbook. Being familiar with the materials in this workbook prior to visiting a team will make the visit more productive. Rather than the hosting team having to take time to explain the basics, they will be able to spend time showing the new program staff how the basics are applied in the ‘real world.’ To locate a team to visit in your area, contact:

Assertive Community Treatment Association
810 E. Grand River Ave., Suite 102
Brighton, Michigan 48116
phone: (810) 227-1859
email: CheriMSixbey@actassociation.com
http://www.actassociation.com

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
2107 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
(866) 229-6263
ACT@nami.org
http://www.nami.org/about/PACT.htm

Arrange for didactic training
After the staff of a new program have reviewed this workbook and visited an experienced team, the program is ready to bring in a trainer. The trainer’s job is to help the team take what they have seen and read and put it into practice. The initial training takes 2-3 days. If help with locating a trainer is needed, the Assertive Community Treatment Association and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill can provide you with names of people experienced in training new teams (see contact information on previous page).

Recruit a mentor or consultant
After the initial 2-3 day training, the team leader and psychiatrist are responsible for assuring that the team follows the assertive community treatment model in their work with consumers. This can be a challenge. What has to happen is that the team leader has to facilitate a team development process, apply what they have just learned about assertive community treatment in their own clinical work with consumers, AND at the same time assure through clinical supervision that team members follow the model.

It is very easy to get off track and do something similar to, but not quite the same as, assertive community treatment. Sometimes this happens because teams believe they are diligently following the assertive community treatment model, but have missed some of the more subtle aspects of it. In other cases, teams do well at the start, but as more consumers are admitted to the program and there is more pressure on the team, they revert to older, more familiar ways of working. To assure that a new program implements and follows the assertive community treatment model, it is important that new team leaders work with a mentor or consultant throughout the first year of operation. A mentor or consultant can provide ongoing telephone and in person support to help the team leader with this challenging leadership role.

Invite the advisory group
The more information members of the team’s advisory group have about assertive community treatment, the better they will be able to support the team and its mission. Training is also an opportunity for team members and advisory group members to become familiar with each other. Make sure that the advisory group members and team members are introduced to each other and that team members are familiar with the role of the advisory group.

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