Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a team treatment approach designed to provide comprehensive, community-based psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and support to persons with serious and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, bi-polar disorder, & major depression.

Program details

Assertive Community Treatment is a team treatment approach designed to provide comprehensive, community-based psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and support to persons with serious and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia.

Assertive Community Recovery employs a team of professionals whose backgrounds and training include social work, rehabilitation, counseling, nursing and psychiatry provide community based treatment and recovery services throughout the Atlanta Metropolitian Area. Among the services Assertive Community Recovery ACT teams provide are:

• case management
• initial and ongoing assessments
• psychiatric services
• employment and housing assistance
• family support and education
• substance abuse services
• Other services and supports critical to an individual's ability to live successfully in the community.

Our ACT services are available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

An evidence based practice, ACT has been extensively researched and evaluated and has proven clinical and cost effectiveness. The Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) has identified ACT as an effective and underutilized treatment modality for persons with serious mental illness.

Principles of ACT

Assertive Community Treatment services adhere to certain essential standards and the following basic principles:

• PRIMARY PROVIDER OF SERVICES: The multidisciplinary make-up of each team (psychiatrist, nurses, social workers, rehabilitation, etc.) and the small consumer to staff ratio, helps the team provide most services with minimal referrals to other mental health programs or providers. The ACT team members share offices and their roles are interchangeable when providing services to ensure that services are not disrupted due to staff absence or turnover.

• SERVICES ARE PROVIDED OUT OF OFFICE: Services are provided within community settings, such as a person's own home and neighborhood, local restaurants, parks and nearby stores.

• HIGHLY INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICES: Treatment plans, developed with the consumer, are based on individual strengths and needs, hopes and desires. The plans are modified as needed through an ongoing assessment and goal setting process.

• ASSERTIVE APPROACH: ACT team members are pro-active with consumers, assisting them to participate in and continue treatment, live independently, and recover from disability.

• LONG-TERM SERVICES : ACT services are intended to be long-term due to the severe impairments often associated with serious and persistent mental illness. The process of recovery often takes many years.

• EMPHASIS ON VOCATIONAL EXPECTATIONS The team encourages all consumers to participate in community employment and provides many vocational rehabilitation services directly.

• SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES: The team coordinates and provides substance abuse services.

• PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL SERVICES: Staff work with consumers and their family members to become collaborative partners in the treatment process. Consumers are taught about mental illness and the skills needed to better manage their illnesses and their lives.

• FAMILY SUPPORT AND EDUCATION: With the active involvement of the consumer, ACT staff work to include the consumer's natural support systems (family, significant others) in treatment, educating them and including them as part of the ACT services. It is often necessary to help improve family relationships in order to reduce conflicts and increase consumer autonomy.

• COMMUNITY INTEGRATION: ACT staff help clients become less socially isolated and more integrated into the community by encouraging participation in community activities and membership in organizations of their choice.

• ATTENTION TO HEALTH CARE NEEDS : The ACT team provides health education, access, and coordination of health care services.

PERSONS SERVED BY ACT

Individuals served by ACT are individuals with serious and persistent mental illness or personality disorders, with severe functional impairments, who have avoided or not responded well to traditional outpatient mental health care and psychiatric rehabilitation services. Persons served by ACT often have co-existing problems such as homelessness, substance abuse problems, or involvement with the judicial system.