Mental Health Services for clients?

Question

Those of you who are familiar with the field of mental health, social work and counseling services, what are most mental health agency's policy regarding the benefit and dangers of placing clients in group homes for counseling services?

Answer 1

i would hope the mental health professional is making the referral only if they think the client can benefit from that service. the worker will believe that there is a decline in the client's overall lifestyle that requires more direct supervision that a group home can provide. group homes can help assist the client from the simple things to the more complex activities. treatment might include keeping their room clean, meal preparation, showering, medication monitoring, overall supervision, and assistance in ADL's. a client's treatment plan is tailored to that person and will be different for different clients.

despite the long list of benefits there might be downfalls to the service. the client may not get along with roommates/housemates. they may constantly break house rules putting themselves, roommates, and staff at danger. they may be susceptible to being taken advantage of by roommates or may take advantage of his/her roommates. mental health may decline further and that person may do better being formally hositalized or being referred to a more intense program.

in some situations the client may not need a group home. if they are currently living independently other services can be started or increased. these services can include nursing, health and homecare, and case management. if these services are already in use, then finding group housing may well be the necessary step in their recovery plan.

an agency's policy will usually have certain requirements that someone will need to meet to be accepted. i.e. an alcohol recovery program will obviously require that the client suffer from alchol abuse/dependance. ultimately, every agency's policy will be different with the one similarilty of having the goal to make the live's of people better.