Jane Addams Mental Health Center of Stephenson and Jo Daviess Counties
For some years now, Jane Addams Mental Health Center of Stephenson and Jo Daviess Counties has found its mission to service all its citizens, including those with little ability to pay for mental health services, compromised by stagnant or declining public funding. Simultaneously, the demand for mental health services, especially from those with little ability to pay for these services, has steadily increased with needed treatment unfortunately sometimes provided in an untimely fashion.
The need to maximize stagnant public funding while providing timely treatment has let the Jane Addams Staff and Board of Directors to restructure the way mental health services are delivered.
Effective April 1, 2002, with some exceptions by problem presentation, individual treatment will be limited to eight sessions in any one course of treatment while group sessions will be unlimited.
In the initial assessment and treatment planning sessions, the Center’s “8/unlimited” protocol, including exceptions, would be explained with assistance given the client to make the best decision in each individual’s situation.
Services will be delivered primarily in a class or psycho-educational group format with each class having a curriculum and with each typical participant repeating the 8- to 12-session curriculum at least once. For example, a time-limited anger management class would have a curriculum on the dimensions and management of anger in relationships, while a time-limited class on depression would have a curriculum on the elements of depression and its effective management and alleviation.
The goal of this change is to 1) increase client and community agency satisfation as it clearly defines class/group content in a specific amount of time, 2) improve utilization of scarce resources through education of multiple clients in group/classroom settings, and 3) more clearly focus the individual treatment that will continue to be provided.
For more information, call Jane Addams at (815) 599-7300.