FOR IMMEDIATE CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES IN BERKS COUNTY, CONTACT 610-236-0530.

If you wish to receive mental health services and you have Medical Assistance (ACCESS), you must obtain authorization through Community Care Behavioral Health.

In order to receive mental health services without insurance, you must obtain authorization through Service Access and Management.

Mental Health Services for Adults in Berks County

Treatment Services

Outpatient Treatment- Outpatient services for adults are provided in groups in a traditional, clinical setting. Individual treatment is only provided when there is clinical justification presented by a therapist as to why group treatment is not appropriate. Some individuals may, by choice, only be receiving medication monitoring on a monthly basis through a psychiatrist.

Outpatient Dual Diagnosis Treatment- Outpatient services for individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse issues. Like the other outpatient services indicated above, group counseling and medication monitoring are services that consumers can request.

Partial Hospitalization Services- Brief, acute, intensive services are available for those individuals whose stabilization needs cannot be met in an outpatient setting. Partial Hospitalization services are often recommended for those individuals who are currently in a crisis (to avoid an inpatient admission) or stepping down from an inpatient admission because of the intensity and structure of the treatment. The number of hours and days a week a consumer attends partial hospitalization is based on individualized need but can be as often as four days a week for several hours a day to two evenings per week for two or three hours.

Acute, Inpatient Hospitalization Services- Voluntary or involuntary, mental health admissions for adults who present in clear or present danger to themselves or others. Treatment provided in an acute facility is highly intensive with efforts mainstreamed toward stabilizing the mental illness and addressing precipitating stressors.

State Hospital Admissions- Consumers who may require inpatient treatment for stabilization beyond what an acute facility is able to provide are referred to Service Access and Management for referral to a State Hospital. Referrals are screened by SAM to determine if a diversion service could be utilized or if admission to a state hospital is warranted. Berks County falls under a mandatory cap for state mental hospital bed days imposed by the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and therefore must manage the utilization of all state hospital days attributed to this county.

CHIPP (Community Hospital Integration Program Project) - CHIPP is a funding resource, which allowed for the discharge and community support of individuals from Wernersville State Hospital who had lengthy or multiple stays in the state hospital system. These individuals receive housing, clinical and other support services tailored to their individualized needs. Other funding was made available through CHIPP to divert state hospital admissions (diversion services), enhance the already existing delivery system and to implement a Consumer Satisfaction Team to collect data on satisfaction with services.

Social Rehabilitation Services- This service is better known in Berks County as the Consumer Drop-In Center. Staff from the Drop-In-Center provides support to individuals who attend the drop-in-center during the daytime hours and limited evening and weekend hours. The scope of service provision is not treatment oriented, but instead geared to developing social and daily living skills. Consumers participate in structured activities at the Drop-In-Center and out in the community. They also have the opportunity to enhance daily living by learning through classes on home and safety, cooking, nutrition, etc. The Drop-In-Center has an advisory council comprised of consumers who provide the vision and mission of the center.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services- The most recent addition to the array of services available for adult mental health consumers, the Clubhouse provides an entirely different focus on service delivery. It is a comprehensive program that offers, vocational and social supports under one roof. Consumers are considered members and help to operate the self-contained program. There are various work units, which comprise the work ordered day. Some of the more visible work units include a kitchen unit, clubhouse maintenance and clerical unit. Members of kitchen unit prepare lunch daily which is available to members at a minimal cost. One of the major responsibilities of the Clerical Unit is to also provide outreach to members who have not been coming or may be hospitalized, etc. In addition to the strong vocational emphasis behind the clubhouse model, there is also a strong support network that develops as boundaries between staff and members are blurred and consumers truly make the clubhouse what it is.

Vocational Rehabilitation- There are several different vocational rehabilitation services available to mental health consumers in the public delivery system. Sheltered workshop services, transitional services and follow-up services are provided for individuals interested in community employment. Individuals receiving the later service will often begin their involvement in community employment through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (who provides assessment, placement and training) and then receive additional follow-up hours through the SAM contract.

CRR (Community Residential Rehabilitation)- This is a service, which provides 24 hour on site staff supervision to mentally ill individuals sharing common living space, and learning skills that will be required to eventually live on their own. Presently, this is a very limited service with only about twenty-four individuals being served at one location.

Supported Living- Residential - Supported living service providers provide hours of staff support to individuals in their own home to teach vital skills such as cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundering, budgeting, etc. Hours of support vary according to individual consumer need.

Case Management Services

Administrative Case Management- Consumers receiving this level of case management services are on general caseloads and may require some resource assistance occasionally, but otherwise are fairly stable with treatment and services. Case managers with general caseloads have no cap on the number of cases assigned.

Resource Coordination- Caseload sizes for consumers assigned to a resource coordinator are capped at 75 individuals. Individuals receiving housing services in addition to treatment services are assigned to this level of case management.

Intensive Case Management- Individuals with chronic and persistent mental illness who have had a history of multiple institutional placements (hospital, prison, etc.) are eligible for intensive case management. ICMs caseloads cannot exceed twenty consumers and there is a least bimonthly face-to-face contact.

Outpatient Counseling- Individual and family sessions provided in a typical, agency based setting (most often 1 time per week for a limited time period, unless otherwise specified in the service plan). Outpatient counseling services can be secured through private resources or through the public mental health system.

Intensive Outpatient Dual Diagnosis Program – Intensive therapy is offered on a time-limited basis for children/adolescents who have co-occurring disorders (mental health and drug/alcohol). There is also a school component.

Student Assistance Program- Assessment services provided to children in the school setting to identify mental health and/or drug and alcohol issues. Contracted providers vary by school district. Based on the assessment, referrals are made to the appropriate public or private delivery system.

Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services (BHRS)- Services provided to a child and family across any setting needed. This might include in the child’s home, at school, in community activities, etc. It encompasses three levels of service, Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS), Mobile Therapy and a Behavioral Specialist. An individual service plan is developed for each child indicating medical necessity for each service and the hours needed.

Family Based Services- An intensive, in-home treatment intervention designed to prevent out-of home placements. Services are delivered via a team approach, have the capability to respond to emergency situations and provide respite services when indicated.

Partial Hospitalization- This is a treatment service utilized to offer more intense service for a time limited scope. Typically, a child in need of this service is not functioning well in many domains but does not require inpatient hospitalization. Ultimately, the goal is to help to child come to a mental health baseline so that they can move into a least restrictive level of care. This type of program integrates academics into the child’s day treatment program.

Acute, Inpatient Hospitalization- Voluntary or involuntary admissions for children and adolescents, who present with clear and present danger to themselves or others. Highly intensive treatment utilized to stabilize a child’s mental illness so that they may return to community life

Residential Treatment Facility- Mental Health Residential Treatment Facilities are utilized for children and adolescents that have had previous community based, mental health treatment interventions that have not been successful and presently require extended, out-of home care to stabilize their illness. In order to secure Medical Assistance reimbursement for this service, a prior authorization process must occur. This includes among other records a documented justification (medical necessity) provided by a psychiatrist and an interagency meeting with child, family and all other systems involved indicating agreement with the recommendation. Contact is then initiated by a county agency to each independent RTF for a potential admission.

Case Management Services- Case management services for Children in Berks fall into the categories of Administrative, Resource Coordination or Intensive and are provided by Service Access and Management and Treatment Access Service Center.

Administrative Case Management Services are delivered to a wide disparity of children and adolescents. Children on this caseload may be in outpatient services and fairly stable or they may be children in other community-based services that are not having success and require a different treatment intervention.

Intensive case management services and Resource Coordination are for children and adolescents with a history of multiple hospitalizations and/or community interventions with serious and persistent mental illness. Intensive Case management face-to-face contacts are at least bi-monthly and occur throughout the child’s community life (i.e.: home, school, etc.).

MISA Case Management Services are delivered to adolescents who have co-occurring disorders.

Family Support Services- This is a very limited funding resource that is utilized to secure family supports such as planned and emergency respite, summer camp, inclusion in community activities. Resources are allocated by individual situations and as funding is available through SAM (Service Access and Management).

CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES

The County of Berks subcontract its Crisis and Emergency Services to Service Access and Management, Inc.  The telephone and walk-in component operates from 19 North 6th Street, Reading, PA  19601.  The 24-hour crisis telephone number is 610-236-0530.  The mobile component of the operation operates where the Crisis is occurring.

Included in this service is the delegate service.  This service is evaluation of dangerousness and involuntary hospitalization.  In addition, a forensic component is available to assist in aftercare planning for individuals leaving forensic facilities.  Contact Service Access and Management Forensic Unit for more information.  In addition, juvenile offenders have access to counseling and psychiatric services through a local out-patient provider who provides services on site at the Youth Center.

Disability Rights Network of PA

National Alliance for Mentally Ill

NAMI-Berks County

Department of Public Welfare

Suicide Resource Directory