The Advantage Program came together through a series of discussions and dialogs with members of our Advantage Program Team. We designed each component to address specific needs and to work in cooperation with the others. The contributing authors have written what they hope will become a model for integrated care, including why their component is an important part of it. Each chapter describes their contribution to assessment and treatment while working cooperatively with each other.
This section of the book can serve as a guide in putting your team together. It will provide a basic understanding of how each professional contributes to wellness and how they might interact with the other members of your team. Some of these services will not be covered by insurance or fall under one office or clinic. Creatively assembling an integrated team and following the model will be worth the effort.
For mental health professionals, we hope this section will provide a model program to establish integrated care for the clients you serve. Again, while it is tempting to site that one's own professional offerings include guidance on a number of topics listed here, it is more important to offer the client a variety of viewpoints and expertise from different sources that are cooperative and complimentary to the others.
The following chapters provide an outline of what the components are and how they contribute to the overall program. Written by actual team members, the descriptions follow a common pattern. Point of View describes the unique perspective that the practitioner of that component provides. Integration With Teamcovers how the component fits in with the rest of the program. Assessment Process looks at the logistics of how assessments are made. Goal Setting discusses how this component helps in creating the Life Plan. Finally, Treatment outlines specific treatment protocols for that component.
There are many other components that exist which could help individuals with specific needs and backgrounds. Your individual plan may include additional components not listed here. All components lead toward the final goal of having Bipolar In Order.
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