Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) delivers a full range of services to adults over the age of 18 who are living with a Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI). An SPMI is defined as someone who has been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that causes serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with, or limits, one or more major life activities.

ACT may provide intervention to those most struggling to meet their basic needs in a community setting as a result of their SPMI. The ACT team is geared to assist clients secure and maintain services to meet their basic needs such as housing, food security, or routine medical care that may be jeopardized due to instability of SPMI management while also working to promote mental and behavioral health.

Following an evidence based practice, ACT clients will often have more stable housing and living environments, stronger self-efficacy and independence, and create the tools to meet goals set within their personal lives. ACT clients will also tend to experience less psychiatric hospitalizations due to the wrap around support and services they receive in an outpatient setting.

Continuous, Flexible Care through a Team Approach

The ACT team is comprised of a number of members, with varying backgrounds and skillsets, which allows for a wide variety of services and schedule availability.

Through the ACT program a psychiatric provider, clinician, nurse, case manager, and peer specialist join together to provide ongoing, individualized care for each client.

Personalized Care

Working directly with the client, in a one-on-one rapport, the ACT team is able to provide personalized care that is unique to the client’s needs.

Services

ACT clients receive services where and when they are needed, such as in their homes, where they work, or in other settings within the community. Clients can count on receiving the services and support they need, for as long as they need them.

Services may include but are not limited to assertive therapeutic intervention, medication management, medical intervention, community resource navigation, developing readiness for employment, coping and life skill development.

Who is Eligible for ACT?

Clients may be referred to ACT by their current psychiatric provider, therapist, or case manager.

Clients 18 years of age and older
Diagnosed with a Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) with major symptoms currently present. Priority is given to people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders or bipolar disorder.
Clients with primary diagnosis of substance use, personality disorder or significant developmental impairment are not appropriate for ACT.
Two or more hospitalizations in the last 12 months for diagnosed SPMI
Having failed traditional outpatient services, secondary to SPMI

Other Contributing Factors may also include:

Intractable, persistent and pervasive symptoms of psychosis.
High utilizer of the ER system
Difficulty meeting basic survival needs independently in community (homeless, self-care, etc.)
High risk of criminal involvement due to the SPMI
High risk of homelessness due to SPMI
Ratings of 2 or 3 (Moderate to Severe) for at least 4 of the 6 Assessment Items on the Locus Assessment
Necessity for supervised / inpatient living environment due to SPMI

For questions about the referral process in the Grand Junction area, please reach out to:

MEAD SERRA, MA, MFT:
O: 970.683.7009 M: 970.852.1837
515 28 3/4 Road, Grand Junction, CO 81501