Crisis Team <\/a><\/strong>helps stabilize individual and family psychiatric emergencies and\/or homicidal ideas; high-risk behaviors involving self-harm; substance abuse and\/or aggressive behaviors; and acute psychotic episodes. They also provide support in the community\u2014if there is a death or trauma that impacts a whole community or school, for instance\u2014and they assist the police with crisis situations.<\/p>\nScreening, Assessment and Support Services (SASS), which are provided by various agencies throughout the state, are there to support youth experiencing a mental health crisis and their families. Our SASS team screens to see if an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization is needed. If hospitalization is recommended, we work with the family, the client, and the referral source to find a psychiatric hospital that best meets the client\u2019s clinical needs as well as family preference and continuity of care. Once the client is hospitalized, a SASS worker is assigned to work with the family and the hospital staff to provide ongoing support services.<\/p>\n
As a program we have kept youth out of the hospital at a rate higher than the state average–about 65-70 percent remain in the community. We always hope for the least restrictive option.<\/p>\n
Our team here is composed of masters-level SASS clinicians and outpatient clinicians. Everyone on the team can do both crisis calls and SASS. Crisis and screening calls are answered by both groups of clinicians, whoever is on call. (We are on call even on holidays and weekends.) When they\u2019re not on call, the crisis clinicians are providing outpatient mental health services, and the SASS clinicians are providing the 90-day follow-up with their clients.<\/p>\n