Module 6: Case Planning
Module 6: Case Planning describes the components of a participant’s case plan, including conditions of supervision and terms of an individual’s treatment plan.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what a case plan is and what its main components are
- Describe the relationship between the treatment plan and supervision conditions
- Understand how to develop treatment plans and supervision conditions based on comprehensive assessments and available supports
- Item 1: Council of State Governments Justice Center, A Guide to Mental Health Court Design and Implementation, pp. 52-61, 2005.
- Item 2: If possible, obtain a sample treatment plan (e.g., a deidentified plan or blank treatment plan form) and/or a sample court order that includes supervision conditions or a probation case plan.
- Item 3: Council of State Governments Justice Center, National Reentry Resource Center, Webinar: Effective Reentry Case Planning Strategies for Practitioners: From Pre-Release Preparation to Post-Release Supervision, February 2, 2012. Available online here. Estimated time for completion: 90 minutes.
Presentation
Quiz
Reinforces your knowledge of the concepts you learned in the module. You will need access to a computer to complete this step. Estimated completion time: 10 minutes
Questions
6.1 Which of the following factors is NOT essential to consider when designing a participant’s treatment plan?
6.2 True or False: Program staff should assess participants only once toward the end of their time in the program to avoid disrupting their progress.
6.3 Which of the following accomplishments may be required to “graduate” from mental health court? Check all that apply.
6.4 True or False: Employment may be a long-term (or “distal”) goal for mental health court participants who are severely impacted by their illnesses.
6.5 Of the following mental health court team members or program partners, who may be involved in developing a participant’s case plan, which includes both treatment and supervision components? Check all that apply.
Answers
6.1 Correct answer: b. The focus of the treatment plan is to manage the participant’s mental illness (and other behavioral health needs) and encourage recovery. The plan should be based on factors identified through an assessment process, which would identify strengths (c), level of impairment (e), motivation (a), and may lead to a diagnosis (d). While charges may be relevant to the duration of the program, they are not helpful in crafting a treatment plan.
6.2 Correct answer: False. To best gauge and support a participant’s progress, team leaders should perform assessments throughout an individual’s participation in the program at regular intervals following the initial assessment that is used to develop the case plan.
6.3 Correct answer: a, b, d, and e. Adhering to the treatment plan (e), achieving the goals in the case plan (a), completing the final program phase (b), and complying with the conditions of supervision (d) are all reasonable requirements for graduation from a mental health court program.
6.4 Correct answer: True. For individuals who experience severe impairment from their illnesses, it may take time to achieve sufficient stability for employment to be a realistic goal. Other distal goals may include consistent medication management, development of pro-social behaviors, established community networks of support, and stabilization of mental health needs.
6.5 Correct answer: a, b, c, d, and e. It is customary and important for the case plan to be informed by both the mental health court team and the participant; family members, significant others, and representatives from other supports may also be included if deemed appropriate by the team.
Activities Guide
Gives you an opportunity to apply the knowledge you acquired from this module’s Prep Work and Presentation and develop resources and processes tailored to your program. You will view videos of an actual court team, discuss issues with your teammates, complete worksheets, and more. Some of the Activities will be completed on your own and others as a group. You may want to print the Activities Guide, although you will also need access to a computer (with Adobe Flash Player installed) to view the accompanying videos. Estimated completion time: 2-3 hours
These Activities are designed to prompt discussion among your team about how you will interact as a single unit. Each Activity contains questions and worksheets to complete. One of the Activities in this module requires that you watch short video segments of a mental health court team in action. The Activities include components you will complete on your own and others to be completed as a group. At the end of the Activities, you will be asked to list three main issues that the Activities have raised for your own program planning.
Video
This video features members of the Bonneville County (ID) Mental Health Court team, a real mental health court team and a Bureau of Justice Assistance Mental Health Court Learning Site, engaging in a simulated team meeting and discussing a hypothetical program participant. The Bonneville team is not shown as a “model;” for example, some may note the absence of a defense attorney at team meetings. Rather, the Bonneville team represents real people facing real challenges in a mental health court setting.
Meet the mental health court case study team members.
You will be prompted to view this video in the Activities Guide. You may also link directly to each video from the Activities Guide.
Additional Resources
Policy and Practice Guides
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Comprehensive Case Management for Substance Abuse Treatment: Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 27. (Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2000). This publication provides an overview of case management for substance abuse treatment providers.
Available here
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Screening, Assessment, and Treatment Planning for Persons With Co-Occurring Disorders (Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Center for Mental Health Services, 2006). This paper discusses integrated treatment planning, screening, and assessment for individuals with co-occurring disorders.
Available here
Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans: Addressing Criminogenic Risk and Behavioral Needs. The National Reentry Resource Center’s web-based tool on Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans demonstrates how criminal justice and behavioral health professionals can better integrate critical behavioral health and criminogenic risk and needs information into comprehensive case plans.
Available here
National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations: A Research-Based Guide” (Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health, 2014). This guide identifies effective treatment interventions for criminal justice-involved individuals with substance use disorders.
Available here
Fred Osher, Henry J. Steadman, and Heather Barr, A Best Practice Approach to Community Re-entry from Jails for Inmates with Co-occurring Disorders: The APIC Model (Delmar, NY: The National GAINS Center, 2002). The National GAINS Center, 2002. This manual presents the APIC model approach to transitional case planning for persons with co-occurring disorders.
Available here
Roger Peters, “Addressing Co-occurring Disorders in Adult Court-Based Programs,” Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project Webinar, August 16, 2012. This webinar gives problem-solving court practitioners an overview of mental health and substance use screening and assessment practices, as well as evidence-based interventions for individuals with co-occurring disorders who are participating in court-based programs.
Available here
Seth J. Prins and Fred C. Osher, Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of Specialized Probation Initiatives (New York: CSG Justice Center, 2009). See esp. Element 5, “Developing an Individualized Case Plan.” Element 5 of this guide provides mental health court professionals with recommendations for developing individualized case plans for those transitioning to probation supervision.
Available here
Kathy Rowings, County Roles and Opportunities in Reentry Planning (Washington, DC: National Association of Counties, 2017). This issue brief outlines a few of the many strategies counties can employ to assist individuals returning to their communities, including improving access to stable and affordable housing, providing physical and behavioral health treatment, offering training and workforce development and increasing transportation options.
Available here
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Screening and Assessment of Co-occurring Disorders in the Justice System, HHS Publication No. PEP19-SCREEN-CODJS (Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015). This publication provides an overview of screening and assessment tools for persons with co-occurring disorders, as well as related challenges.
Available here
Michael Thompson, Fred C. Osher, and Denise Tomasini-Joshi, Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Mental Health Court (New York: CSG Justice Center, 2008). See esp. Element 6, “Treatment Supports and Services.” This publication identifies ten essential elements to consider when planning and implementing a mental health court. Element six highlights case planning and case management.
Available here
U.S. Department of Housing and Development, “Housing Discrimination Under the Fair Housing Act,” n.d. This webpage offers an overview of the federal Fair Housing Act.
Available here
Program Examples
Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, “Transitional Case Management,” n.d. This brochure details the program’s efforts to address and treat clients’ mental health and substance use needs through case management services.
Available here
Nathaniel ACT Team, “Nathaniel ACT Team: An Alternative to Incarceration for Adults with Mental Illness,” Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, n.d. This program brochure describes The Nathaniel Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team’s treatment and supervision approach for adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses who are charged with felony offenses.
Available here