We (Nancy and I) have experienced the workings of mental health services in California from a number of angles. We have seen it from the perspective of administrators, as a practitioner (Nancy), and as vendor/consultants via Sites Professionals. Our work with Sites Professionals has only broadened our understanding of the complexities of providing good care to clients.
By interfacing with agencies, practitioners, Department of Mental Health administrators, and many others in the local mental health ecosystem we have gained a new perspective on all of the layers of services from top-level funding sources (and their objectives) down to the outcomes of individual clients. In this full-stack of care, there are many different approaches. Especially at the provider level there are differences in team configuration, record keeping and EHRs, treatment philosophies and modalities of care.
There are, it turns out, many ways in which a team can consistently meet the treatment goals of clients while successfully executing the administrative work of billing and coordinating the efforts of individuals within the organization. The most successful are also skilled at planning for and managing change.
How do you do it? How do you maintain a system in which practitioners and staff come and go; in which the treatment goals for individuals are unique and subject to revision? What experiences and lessons would you share with your peers and what questions would you ask?
I believe we are all servicing a common cause, and we have much to learn from one another.
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