Mental Health Services

Acute Day Treatment

Goals of the Program

• Acute Day Treatment (ADT) is an outpatient group-based program designed to teach clients skills to recover from and/or cope with mental health and addiction issues
• Clients will have the opportunity to learn about and connect with community resources
• Clients are strongly encouraged to direct their own learning; by doing so, clients will have the opportunity to create specific goals to better meet individual needs

Structure and Format of Program

• Length of program: Six weeks, Monday to Friday (except for statutory holidays)
• Format of program: Three groups per day between 9:30am and 2:00pm with scheduled breaks
  • Largely group based support
  • 1:1 individual support is available as an adjunct to group participation
  • The following are examples of group topics:
    • Mental Health Diagnoses
    • Self-Talk & Affirmations  
    • Mindfulness Skills
    • Self-Esteem
    • Activity Engagement
    • Healthy Relationships
    • Communication Styles

Who would benefit from this program?

• Adults 16 years or older who are experiencing mental health issues
• Before participating in groups, all clients meet with a regulated health care professional for an initial assessment which will help clients determine how the ADT program may support them in their recovery journey
• If, for some reason, the ADT Program does not meet the specific needs of an individual, staff will attempt to connect this individual to other community resources/services

How to get referred

• Clients require admission by a psychiatrist in order to participate in the ADT Program

Staff of Acute Day Treatment

• ADT Program staff include:
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Recreational Therapists
  • Social Workers
  • Clerical staff
  • Medication Clinic Nurse (by consultation)
  • Consulting psychiatrist and will briefly meet with clients during the course of the ADT program
  • Please note all clients are encouraged to continue attending appointments with their psychiatrists in the community

Inpatient Treatment

Assessment

An assessment is started immediately by the nursing staff. An initial assessment by a psychiatrist will be done within 24 hours of admission. The psychiatrist will direct your relative/friend's daily care through ongoing assessment and communication with team members. The mental health team consists of: family, pharmacist, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, therapeutic recreationists, family doctor and the psychiatrist. Any or all may be included in your relative/friend's care.

Family doctors will be kept informed of your relative/friend's progress and will visit on a regular basis or as needed. Your relative may be referred to one of several treatment programs offered here. You may be contacted by that program if appropriate.

Talk to us

Nursing staff will attempt to make contact, via telephone or interview, with family/friends shortly after admission. If you have information that you wish to share with the psychiatrist or the team, please contact nursing staff.

Nursing staff will be glad to talk to you about your relative's condition/progress and to answer questions related to hospitalization. Mental Health workers are bound by codes of confidentiality and it may not be appropriate or possible to share all information with you.

To contact nursing staff you may ask at the nursing station when you are visiting or you may telephone the unit at 519-751-5544, ext. 2424.

Visiting hours are designed to match our program and are different from the main hospital. If you are unable to visit during regular visiting hours please discuss this with your relative/friend's nurse.

Counselling

"The counsellors are very helpful. They don't make you feel unimportant. They make you feel good about yourself. The workers make you feel that you can trust them. They talk down to earth and not all medically so you don't understand what they say and don't need a dictionary. They are very friendly and understanding and never push you to do anything. They give suggestions but you make the choices." Client

Mental health problems affect people of all ages, cultures, ethnic backgrounds and walks of life. We believe that the negative stigma that is sometimes associated with mental health concerns is unfounded.

Moreover, we believe that people can be helped to effectively enhance their own mental well-being. Through counselling, people can be helped to increase their self-esteem, improve their coping skills, enhance the ways that they communicate and relate to others and effect change within the social systems and communities in which they live.

Our Service

Our service is delivered by a group of highly skilled professional therapists. Therapists work in partnership with their clients to define the problem to be addressed and the people to be involved in counselling. Therapists are trained to work with individuals, couples, families and groups. Therapists are able to assume counselling, advocacy, education and consultation functions.

Referral Process

Our service is appropriate for residents of Brant County who are sixteen (16) years of age or older and who are seeking assistance for a mental health related problem.

Consult your family physician or psychiatrist for a referral to our service. Once referred, our Secretary will contact you to set up an initial interview. The Intake Worker will help determine if our service is the most appropriate one to meet your needs.

Fee

The service is offered free of charge as part of the Brant Community Healthcare System's Mental Health Program. However, there is a cap on the number of sessions that we can provide due to the enormous demand for service.

Clients are seen by appointment. We do have an Attendance Policy, so please notify us in advance if you are unable to keep an appointment and make arrangements to reschedule.

Confidentiality

The Brant Mental Health Counselling Program uses a team approach to treatment. Information is shared with members of the multidisciplinary team involved in your care. Information will not be shared outside the treatment team without your prior knowledge and consent except as required by law.