An integral component of psychosocial rehabilitative day treatment is illness management. The focus of recovery is to help individuals accomplish their goals, which can include improving socialization, working or volunteering in the community, living independently, re-establishing relationships, having a voice, being part of a community, and experiencing a sense of belonging. Psychosocial groups and activities occurring in day treatment is built upon the concepts of illness management:
- Coping skills for symptom management
- Medication education
- Skills for managing symptoms in the community/society
- Problem-solving regarding stigma and relating about mental illness to others
- Progress toward successful integration/reintegration into the community
Birch Tree Communities structures program activities to focus on illness management and its components. Members are provided with educational materials to help with skills development in these areas. Illness management services are provided by trained and experienced program personnel, and related activities are provided off-site when possible. Some examples of psychosocial groups and activities include:
- Community Integration
- Development of Self
- Medication Management
- Illness Management
- Recovery
- Pre-vocational Skills
- Co-Occurring Disorders
- Communication and Social Skills
Spirituality in Mental Health
Recovery-oriented services take into consideration an individual’s spiritual and religious needs. Although spirituality in treatment is often considered a holistic approach, opposed to traditional clinical approaches, concepts related to spirituality in mental health recovery are not new. Integrating issues relevant to spirituality in mental health treatment can help treatment providers facilitate recovery and person-centered treatment. Spirituality can provide guidance, social support, opportunities for celebration, and can offer meaning in life. A holistic approach to treatment now accepts faith and prayer as effective health treatments. Recovery-oriented treatment focuses on self-determination, choice, and self-defined needs.
Birch Tree Communities facilitates a respectful and individualized approach to each member’s spiritual needs. Individual and group services focus on spirituality and their impact on recovery. For those individuals who wish to have spiritual concerns or goals included in treatment, services target utilizing strengths related to spirituality to enhance empowerment, coping, hope, community integration, purpose, connection to others, and personal enrichment.
