Why Integrating Mental Health and Substance Abuse is Hard and What to Do About It

David Mee-Lee, M.D.

Workshop Overview:

The addiction and mental health treatment fields have arisen from very different roots. This has accounted for the ongoing fragmentation that has been aggravated by different training, systems and funding. Clients and clinicians are separated by ideology and treatment orientations that do not serve well those affected by co-occurring disorders. Too often children, families, adults and older adults fall between the service and system cracks.

This workshop will present an integrated treatment model that incorporates evidence-based practices that have been found effective for people suffering from mental health and substance use problems. Even though many are committed to integrated co-occurring disorders treatment, it is difficult to actually change clinician attitudes and skills to provide truly integrated services.

This workshop will also focus on ways to change assessment, services and systems to make integrated treatment really work in daily practice. One of the goals of the training is to help participants identify how well they are serving those with co-occurring disorders and to assist in planning how to move to the next stage to change services for the better.

Workshop Objectives:

1. Review the context and background of the behavioral health field that has created attitudinal and values differences contributing to fragmentation.

2. Identify specific practices for integrated services with demonstrated effectiveness in services research.

3. Define ways to increase the flexibility of services to better meet the multiple needs of people with co-occurring disorders.

4. Assist counselors, therapists and agencies to develop an individualized staff and agency development plan that honors each person and program's readiness and stage of change.

_________________________________________________________________

Why Integrating Mental Health and Substance Abuse is Hard and What to Do About It

Workshop Agenda