Assertive Community Treatment
What Is Assertive Community Treatment?
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) provides intensive community-based treatment to adults living in Shiawassee County with a serious, persistent mental illness and who may have co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. Services are individually designed through the Person Centered Planning process to assist consumers in reaching their desired outcomes. Services are intensive and frequent enough to assist consumers in staying out of the hospital and finding ways to stay in their communities.
- What Can I Expect?
- Where Are The ACT Meetings Held?
- How Often Will We Meet?
- Who Can Benefit From ACT Services?
- What Type of Services Are Available?
ACT is a supportive program. Consumers receive on-going assessment and monitoring of their symptoms as well as medication to help reduce symptoms. Emotional and educational support is provided. A person taking part in ACT will create and work on their Person Centered Plan. This plan will also identify smaller steps and activities that will help you reach your desired outcomes. The contacts you have with ACT will focus on those steps and activities or on things you need to do to stay safe and healthy. Sometimes ACT will drop off medications to help consumers be sure they are taking them according to their doctor’s directions. The treatment team is available 24-hours a day by telephone and on-site, when appropriate.
ACT services are usually provided at a person’s home, in the community, or in a setting that is convenient for that person. Meetings with a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner are held at the ACT office. ACT can provide transportation if needed.
The frequency of contacts varies depending on the need and the outcomes in your Person Centered Plan. Most consumers meet at least weekly with ACT staff. When you first start working with ACT you may have more frequent meetings. If you are taking medications, you will be scheduled to see the psychiatrist or nurse practitioner at least every three months or sooner, if needed.
The program services are for adults over the age of 18 with chronic mental illness. People who have a serious mental illness along with substance use disorders can also benefit. If a person has serious problems in daily functioning such as psychotic symptoms, behavior problems, and social isolation, they may also be helped by these services.
Staff will help you develop a Person Centered Plan where you can decide how you want to plan for your future. Treatment is provided through a team approach using a variety of professionals including social workers, nurses, peer support specialists, substance abuse specialists, and a psychiatrist. ACT will support you in areas of living, learning, working, and socializing. This may involve teaching you about your medication and side effects, how to recognize symptoms of your mental illness, and how to manage and prevent relapse so that you can take more control of your life.
Our Purpose
- Help individuals with serious mental illness understand their illness and control their symptoms and behaviors.
- Help those with co-occurring substance use disorders and serious mental illness understand their illness, control their symptoms and behavior, and avoid substances.
- Help people be as independent as possible and be an active, productive part of the community.
- Prevent psychiatric hospitalization and residential placement whenever possible.