Program Description
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a trans-disciplinary team approach that assumes responsibility for directly providing acute, active and ongoing community-based clinical services, psychiatric treatment, assertive outreach, rehabilitation and support.
The program team provides assistance to individuals to maximize their recovery, ensure consumer-directed goal setting, assist the persons served to gain hope and a sense of empowerment and provide assistance in helping the persons served become respected and valued members of their community. The program provides psychosocial services directed to adults with severe and persistent mental illness who often have co-occurring problems such as substance abuse or are homeless or involved with the judicial system.
The team is the single point of clinical responsibility and is accountable for assisting the person served to meet his or her needs and to achieve his or her goals for recovery. Multiple members of the team are familiar with each person served to ensure the timely and continuous provision of services. The majority of services are provided directly by ACT team members, with minimal referral to outside providers, in the natural environment of the person served. These services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Services are comprehensive and highly individualized and are modified as needed through an ongoing assessment and treatment planning process. Services vary in intensity based on the needs of the person served.
Program Philosophy
- Recovery is building a sense of self that is not illness dominated.
- Recovery is an integrated and comprehensive process.
- Work and education generate purpose and accomplishment, which in turn, create connections to the community.
- Medication can be a powerful tool when informed individuals join with empowering physicians to choose treatments that will effectively maximize functioning.