Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
Mohawk Opportunities’ Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team is a proven treatment program. It involves a mobile, diverse team of staff who provide flexible, comprehensive treatment, support, and rehabilitation services to individuals with serious mental illness living in the community. This program is designed for people who have a history of frequent psychiatric hospitalization and emergency room visits, who have not engaged with or have not benefited from traditional outpatient services, or who have been involved in the criminal justice system and/or struggle with alcohol/substance abuse.
ACT aims to help individuals achieve stability in the community, progress in their recovery, and transition to a lower level of care.
A Holistic Approach to Recovery
The purpose of ACT is to promote hope, independence, self-efficacy, wellness, and recovery using three main ongoing and interacting service processes. These processes include engagement, self-management, and community integration. ACT teams assist individuals in taking on life roles by exploring and participating in one or more of the following areas: occupational, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, financial, recreational, and involvement in social groups.
The ACT model emphasizes a comprehensive approach to services, addressing illness management, medication management, housing, finances, and other key aspects of an individual’s community integration. These services encompass help with everyday practical issues like shopping and using public transportation. By prioritizing the client’s immediate needs and personal goals, and by delivering services in community settings, there has been a significant increase in client engagement and satisfaction with mental health services.
ACT Services
The ACT program offers person-centered services where the individual and the team work together to plan for the individual’s recovery. This planning includes setting goals related to life roles, identifying choices and options, determining action steps, and securing the necessary services. The services provided are intensive and non-traditional, delivered by a multidisciplinary team instead of an individual clinician. Clients are assessed and monitored by the team each morning to address their current functioning and needs. The frequency of contact is determined based on identified need, with most contacts taking place in the clients' home or a community setting. Outreach is a key component of the service model.
Individuals are referred to ACT through a Single Point of Access (SPOA) process within a county. The Local Government Unit (LGU) or SPOA oversees high-need populations and helps them access behavioral health services, including ACT. These referrals may involve individuals who are under a court order for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT).
ACT Services Include:
Comprehensive Assessment
Service Planning and Coordination
Individual Treatment
Medication Management
Substance Abuse Treatment