Crisis Mitigation

Seeking Help for mental health or addiction?  Who can help?  Who needs to make the call?  Why this is important?

If you are offering to help, be prepared to offer critical information about the person who needs help:

1. What is your relationship with the client
2. Know name, age, and gender
3. Describe symptoms and behavior – be specific
4. Has the client experienced negative consequences from the symptoms and behavior:  legal, domestic, work
5. Have symptoms appeared abruptly or worsened gradually over time
6. Are you aware of any traumatic event or experience that might have contributed?
7. Do you know if there has ever been a diagnosis
8. Has this person ever been to treatment.  If so where and when
9. Was there any effective change?
10. Is the person willing to get help?
11. Does the person have insurance, if so what.  Financial resources?  You will need DOB and Insurance Provider and Member number.

Good to know:

1. Just because you run benefit verification does not mean you are making a decision about that treatment center
2. When thinking about treatment options, it’s good to consider more than one.  Priority consideration should be given to clinical excellence and fit.  Does this treatment consideration actually address the client’s issues?
3. Other considerations include:  cost, insurance coverage, location

Disclaimers:

1. Be wise in your research.
2. There are treatment centers that tell you they treat mental health issues along with addiction.  Look at Staff Credentials on their website.  Ask someone who has had experience with that treatment center before you decide.
3. Some marketing people who work for a single treatment center over-promise on their treatment center’s capabilities.  They are paid for admissions to that treatment center.  Not all are like that and accurately represent the center they work for, offering referrals to other treatment options when the client is not a fit.
4. If the person you are concerned about is resistant, unwilling to seek help, don’t waste your time and money trying to convince them.  Treatment requires a person to engage and do the work of healing in an environment that offers resources and modalities to facilitate that.  “You can lead a horse to water, but…..”
5. Seek help from consultants or treatment industry experts with experience with multiple treatment facilities.  Some, like Educational Consultants and Interventionists, charge for their service; others do not.  Vet your sources of information.  How long have they been in the industry, what are their credentials, will they give you access to clients they have referred?

Dr. Sherry Young, PhD, CSAT, Founder of Right Fit Collaborative / rightfitcollaborative.com has been committed to recovery for twenty-seven years and has worked in the treatment industry for 18 years; she does not charge individuals or family members for treatment consultation, assessment, referral, or placement.  She does not receive any payment for admissions.  RFC’s business model is based on collaboration and the highest ethical standards of referral and placement.  She receives a monthly consulting fee from her clients for education and consultation with individuals and families.  She often refers outside the scope of her clients and is transparent with them about referrals to other programs.  This has resulted in the creation of a trusted network of relationships that can refer to one another when the fit is not the best for them.