Suicide Outreach Program

Mental Health and Substance Related Co-Occurring Disorders Programs EMPACT-SPC provides an array of mental health and substance related disorders services for adults and adolescents. The programs are designed to individualize treatment services to meet the specific needs of each client and his or her family. At the present time, there are a number of treatment programs available. Adult services include Adult Substance Abuse Treatment Program (A.S.A.T.) for clients with co-occurring and substance related issues.  This includes standard outpatient (S.O.P.), and intensive outpatient (I.O.P.) levels of care. Anger management is also available to adults. All treatment programs use Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Multi Dimensional Family Therapy (M.D.F.T.). The T.S.A.T. Program is a four month program for adolescents (ages 12-17) with mental health and substance related disorders. The program offers group counseling three times per week. EMPACT-SPC staff transports the clients to and from group sessions. Family night is held one time per month. Bi-weekly random oral swab drug testing is also a component of the program that takes place during one of the group sessions. Two weeks after a client begins services, a child and family team (C.F.T.) staffing is held to identify and gather all natural supports together and set up an individualized treatment plan for the client and family.
C.F.T. meetings are held every thirty days for the duration of the T.S.A.T. program. Treatment focuses on assessing what stage of change a client is presently in and working toward increasing his or her awareness regarding the benefits of living a clean and sober lifestyle. Topics include, but are not limited to: skills training related to values clarification, relationship issues, career goal exploration, medical effects, consequences of drug and alcohol related disorders, denial and other defenses, relapse management and prevention, signs and symptoms, connection to self help and community based programs, and aftercare services. Treatment modalities include motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy (MI/CBT), solution focused therapy and a family systems perspective to treating substance abuse, to enhance coping, communication, appropriate behavior, self-esteem, and conflict resolution. The Adult Substance Abuse Treatment Program (A.S.A.T.) includes a four month Intensive Outpatient Program (I.O.P., 9 or more hours per week) for adults with co-occurring mental health and/or substance related disorders, and a Standard Outpatient Program (S.O.P., 3-9 hours per week). Services include, but are not limited to: group, family, individual, and couples therapy, Motivational Enhancement therapy, psychiatric evaluation and medication monitoring, transportation services, case management, stress management, life skills training, family support services, anger management, coping skills, awareness of triggers, drug education, relapse management and prevention, connecting the client with community resources, and aftercare services. Staffings with the client and treatment teams are held every thirty days to review the client’s treatment progress and assess the client’s needs to determine how the assist the client in obtaining his or her goals. Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. is one of our referral sources to the A.S.A.T. program. This program is a contractual partnership with TERROS to provide Intensive Outpatient (I.O.P.) and Standard Outpatient (S.O.P.) services to clients with substance related disorders and mental health issues who have been referred by Child Protective Services (C.P.S.) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (T.A.N.F.) systems. Magellan Co-Location Project began in early 2005 as a partnership with Value Options (the RHBA at that time) Tempe clinic. The goal of the program is to provide expertise in Co-Occurring Disorders and Motivational Interviewing Services to S.M.I. (Seriously Mentally Ill) consumers who have traditionally been difficult to engage into services. EMPACT-SPC has placed two full time therapists at the Tempe Choices site who are providing consultation to the Choices Case Management staff as well as direct Substance Abuse services to clients based on the Motivational Enhancement Model. There are two ‘Stages of Change’ groups currently being facilitated. The program has become an approved service by the Maricopa County Mental Health Court to fulfill court order to case managed SMI consumers. A.S.A.T. and T.S.A.T./I.O.P. programs are offered at both the Tempe and Glendale locations. Co-Location services and A.S.A.T./S.O.P. are offered only in Tempe.  EMPACT-SPC staff are required to implement best practice guidelines and consult with their direct supervisors on a regular basis for supervision. Our staff is dedicated to providing the best care to their clients and families.

Further program description and outcome data is available on the following websites:

and in the book Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment in the United States, Exemplary Models from a National Evaluation Study by Dr. Sally Stevens and Dr. Andrew R. Morral. The T.S.A.T. Program manual is published and available for purchase.

Conexiones Sanas (Healthy Connections) is an additional service included in the adolescent treatment programs at EMPACT-SPC. This program is in partnership with University of Arizona and EMPACT-SPC and is a research study funded by CSAT/SAMSHA as part of a targeted expansion capacity grant to provide outcome measures as well as health education to at-risk-youth at EMPACT-SPC. As a result of this study, Conexiones Sanas (Healthy Connections) was developed. In addition to EMPACT-SPC and the University of Arizona working together, another partnership was formed with the Arizona Department of Health to provide testing to clients who are at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases.

The purpose of the project is to decrease the risk of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), Hepatitis B and C, and Tuberculosis (TB) transmission amongst high-risk youth. Conexionas Sanas services are included in the A.W.A.R.E. and T.S.A.T. Programs. Services include three group sessions and four individual sessions per quarter. An evaluation of treatment outcomes is conducted. Baseline studies are conducted within the first two weeks of a client’s participation in the program. Further evaluations occur at three, six, nine, and twelve months.

Topics covered in the Conexionas Sanas curriculum include: anatomy, reproductive anatomy, puberty, Hepatitis B and C education, Tuberculosis education, STD education, alternative methods of birth control, condom demonstrations, sexual negations role play, STD and HIV transmission education, and sexual risks associated with drug use.

The Adult Substance Abuse Treatment Program (A.S.A.T.) is a four month Intensive Outpatient Program (I.O.P.) for adults with co-occurring mental health and/or substance related disorders. Services include, but are not limited to: group, family, individual, and couples therapy, Motivational Enhancement therapy, psychiatric evaluation and medication monitoring, transportation services, case management, stress management, peer support and mentoring, life skills training, family support services, anger management, coping skills, awareness of triggers, drug education, relapse management and prevention, connecting the client with community resources, and aftercare services. Staffings with the client and treatment teams are held every thirty days to review the client’s treatment progress and assess the client’s needs to determine how the assist the client in obtaining his or her goals.

Families F.I.R.S.T. is one of our referral sources to the A.S.A.T. program. This program is a partnership with TERROS to provide Intensive Outpatient Services (I.O.P.) to clients with substance related disorders and mental health issues who have been referred by Child Protective Services (C.P.S.) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (T.A.N.F.) systems.

The A.W.A.R.E. (Adolescents Winning at Recovery Education) Program is a 12 week program for adolescents (12-17 years of age) in need of less intensive substance abuse and behavioral health services. The program offers twelve weeks of group counseling (one time per week for two hours), individual and family therapy every other week, psychiatric evaluations and medication monitoring. The focus of this program is to enhance the adolescent’s resiliency, and in turn, decrease their risk of substance abuse. Topics of treatment include, but are not limited to; basic drug education, identifying feelings, goal setting, disputing negative self-talk, dealing with negative messages from others, coping skills, communication skills, and dealing with loss. A Child and Family Team (CFT) meeting is scheduled within two weeks after the adolescent is referred to the program in an effort to pull all support persons together to work on setting and achieving the client’s goals. Prior to completion of the program, another staffing is held to assess progress and potential future needs to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

The C.O.O.L. (Correctional Officer/Offender Liaison) Program was established in and effort to serve the needs of high-risk offenders on parole from the Arizona Department of Corrections (A.D.C.) with substance abuse and mental health needs. Funding from A.D.C. goes through the Arizona Department of Health Services (A.D.H.S.) to the Regional Behavioral Health Authority (R.H.B.A.). The Value Options C.O.O.L. Staff Liaison coordinates with EMPACT-SPC, a network provider and Parole Officers to ensure the clients receive substance abuse and mental health treatment services as ordered by the terms and conditions of their parole. EMPACT-SPC offers substance abuse treatment and anger management services for these clients, though the primary focus is on substance related issues.

The program is ten weeks in duration and services offered include, but are not limited to: group and individual therapy, aftercare, and psychiatric services. Services are tailored to meet individual needs. At the end of ten weeks, clients are individually evaluated to determine readiness for transition into aftercare services.

Value Options Co-Location Project began in early 2005 as a partnership with Value Options Tempe clinic. The goal of the program is to provide expertise in Co-Occurring Disorders and Motivational Interviewing Services to S.M.I. (Seriously Mentally Ill) consumers who have traditionally been difficult to engage into services. EMPACT-SPC has placed two full time therapists at the Tempe V.O. site who are providing consultation to the V.O. Case Management staff as well as direct Substance Abuse services to clients based on the Motivational Enhancement Model. There are two ‘Stages of Change’ groups currently being facilitated. The program has become an approved service to fulfill court order to V.O. consumers.

All programs listed above, with the exception of Value Options Co-location, are offered at both the Tempe and Glendale locations. EMPACT-SPC staff are required to implement best practice guidelines and consult with their direct supervisors on a regular basis for supervision. Our staff is dedicated to providing the best care to their clients and families.

If you would like further information on one or all of the programs described in this paper, please feel free to contact Erik Shaffer, Manager of Substance Abuse Services at 480-784-1514 X1215 at any time. You may also contact Nathan Lamberth, Substance Abuse Program Coordinator at X1009.

Training:

EMPACT-SPC's Training Department and the Southwestern Schools for Behavioral Health Studies are dedicated to providing high quality, affordable educational opportunities to individuals in the human service field as well as those in the private business sector. We offer a variety of training and development experiences from training in Suicide Assessment and Intervention to Leadership Development. Please take a moment and explore the menu and links found in the Training section of the web site. If you are interested in attending one of our in-house trainings or would like information about EMPACT providing training at your worksite, please contact us! [More]