Innovative Mental Health Care

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Hi there,

I've been working in mental health for the last 10 years or so and am pursuing a degree in nursing to be a psychiatric nurse and later an NP. I've worked for a good number of different organizations working with adults and kids with mental health issues. Some organizations addressed peoples needs better than others and generally did a better job of helping people with MH disorders. My question is about organizations or schools that take new, innovative, and effective approaches to mental health. Does anyone work for an organization or go to a school that they feel is on the cutting edge of care for people with mental health disorders? or at the very least do a really good job of it? I'm curious to know.

Looking to find successful institutions,

Michael

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Specializes in Forensic Psychiatry.

Yes! My home institution (I say home because no matter how many detours I make in life... acute care, other areas of nursing, graduate school) I always somehow come back there (and even when I'm gone... I'm not truly gone, it's becomes like a second job that just doesn't pay me ha ha) is absolutely amazing. Hands down... I've worked a few different places (both as a Nurse and as a general mental health worker, prior to nursing) and "my" hospital is amazing. I love my job there so much that I legit would buy a trailer and park it in the parking lot and work 100 hours a week if I could. My absolute passion in life (to an unhealthy obsessive extent is long term forensic psychiatry) and it's ALL because of this place, it's absolutely amazing:

  • We have a "treatment mall": my patients get a list of "class" choices (concentration skills, anger management, CBT, Legal skills, GED education, current events ect) that THEY get to choose to take. It's like college classes - but for mental illness. They get to decide which skills they want to work on and plan their classes. It's awesome.
  • On unit classes: too unstable to go to class? We come to you! My patients learn instruments, foreign languages, financial management and teamwork.
  • We're a team: In acute care nursing there is this huge hierarchy of staff - MD, Residents/NP, Management, RN's, LPN's, and then CNA's. We don't have that. Everyone has a say in our team. Everyone is trained in certain skills. My CNA's? They do DBT and run groups. Our MD's? They go hands on and communicate with everyone... RN, LPN, CNA ect. It's awesome.
  • Employment: My patient's can actually get employed by the hospital. They can make money by stamping towels and making furniture.
  • Part of the treatment team: Our patients have the option to take CPR and medical classes so they can help peers and staff members. Patient's have even gone hands on with other patients (not encouraged but it's awesome when they save a staff/other patient).
  • We do off campus outings: Our transition patients have the ability to go camping, kayaking, rock climbing. attend community college ect.
  • Incentives: Attending groups gets the patients points... points can be traded in for items (Clothing, food, books ect). Which enhances group compliance.
  • Our patients had a part in planning our new hospital: when we rebuilt... the patients got to name the units and help with the design.
  • Their "Thank You" letters and comments mean more than any other place I've ever worked... we don't get many (everyone is involuntary) but when you work maximum security in the violent behavioral unit... you don't expect many "thank You's". When you get them... they're incredibly special. The life you've changed is incredible... our end product (with the right patient engagement) is incredible.
  • Sometimes it's our entire unit that gets acknowledged... patient's and staff. We had an incredibly unstable patient stabilize and leave successfully... the other patients were so happy for him... and so sad that he left. He thanked them all for helping him with his recovery. I couldn't have felt more proud as a nurse to have a group of patients so willing to help their peer (most were significantly more stable than this patient). Their support of him was very touching and made me feel very blessed to be their nurse. My team and I couldn't have stabilized this person without the support of this patient's peers.
  • It showed me the difference between what milieu therapy is is theory (a place where patients get a structured environment where they can learn coping/pro social skills) to what it should be (a place where nursing staff and the patient's peers all work proactively to help one another reach recovery).
  • My doctors were amazing. No one was so "beneath them" that they wouldn't share their knowledge. All of them were DO's and loved to teach. Any decisions they would make would be discussed with everyone... from the psychologist to the security staff. Which was awesome cause it helped us all be on the same page... they were doctors and also leaders.

Now: not all units at the hospital worked as well as mine. We had the right patients, the right staff, with the right management at the right time. So much of mental health is getting everything "right" to align. I'd also say my hospital isn't perfect. However... no place is. I think I just got really lucky in life and no matter what... they were the first place to show faith in me and hire me as a new grad. No matter what I do in life they'll be "my" hospital.

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Thank you.

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Specializes in mental health.

OMG! Where is this wonderful unit you speak of? Sounds great!

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That's what i was curious of.

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Specializes in Forensic Psychiatry.

I really love the treatment mall model for mental health. The hospital is far from perfect - but I don't believe you can ever find one that is. I just feel that mine is really trying to focus on recovery rather than housing people forever. I guess in many ways it's perfect for me. Here are some examples of places that have similar programs in place:

ESHC - treatment - Eastern Shore Hospital Center in Maryland

DSH - Metropolitan LA: Treatment Programs - Metropolitan LA State Hospital

Building a treatment mall - Oregon State Hospital

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Thanks for that.

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