Adult Mental Health Community Services

For help accessing adult mental health services, contact your regional field office.

Core Services
Core Services are designed for people with a diagnosed mental illness, and/or co-occurring substance use disorder, whose level of functioning is significantly affected by the behavioral health illness. Services may include nursing assessment, medication administration, case management, peer supports, psychological
testing, individual, family or group counseling.

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
ACT is an intensive, community-based service for individuals whose severe and persistent mental illness has significantly impaired functioning in the community and for whom traditional outpatient treatment has shown minimal effectiveness. A multi-disciplinary team provides a variety of interventions 24/7 including: psychiatry, nursing, case management, peer support, skill building, housing support, alcohol/drug counseling, employment and vocational supports, and other recovery-oriented services.

Community Support Teams (CST)
CST provides community-based support for individuals living in rural areas who have a history of hospitalization or incarceration and require more than a traditional outpatient setting to remain in the community. CST assists with: access to necessary services, managing psychiatric and co-occurring diseases, developing community living skills, achieving stable living arrangement, and setting and attaining recovery goals.  CST will collaborate with an outpatient psychiatrist and other resources to ensure comprehensive care.

Disaster Mental Health Services
DBHDD promotes and provides continuity of care to individuals receiving services and crisis counseling to the general population during and following disasters. Go to www.georgiadisaster.info for information on how you can prepare.

Peer Services
DBHDD provides a variety of Peer Support services for persons diagnosed with a behavioral health illness.  Certified Peer Specialists are trained to use their lived experience with and in recovery to provide hope, encouragement, understanding, knowledge, and support to others living with similar diagnoses and
situations.  Individual and group Peer Support services are available in treatment agencies and non-clinical community settings, as well as via 24/7 warm phone lines. To learn more, look up “peer support” at www.gmhcn.org.

SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR)
SOAR is a grant funded program designed to increase access to SSI/SSDI disability benefits for eligible adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have a mental health challenge and/or co-occurring substance use disorder. The Department makes available SOAR trained staff in each region to assist with completing entitlement applications for individuals enrolled in DBHDD services.

Supported Employment (SE)
Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is available to eligible individuals, who express a desire and have a goal for competitive employment; and who, due to the impact and severity of their mental illness have recently lost employment, or been underemployed or unemployed on a frequent or long term basis. Services include supports to access benefits counseling; identify vocational skills and interests; and develop and implement a job search plan to obtain competitive employment in an integrated community setting that is based on the individual’s strengths, preferences, abilities, and needs.

Peer Support, Wellness, and Respite Centers
These centers are peer-run alternatives to a traditional mental health day program and a diversion from psychiatric hospitalization. Centers have three respite beds each which can be occupied by a participant who is not in crisis, but who needs extra support for up to 24-hours a day, and does not require a hospital setting.  A person can use a respite bed for up to seven nights. The Peer Support, Wellness, and Respite Centers of Georgia are projects of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network in partnership with and funded through a contract with DBHDD.

Intensive Case Management (ICM) / Case Management (CM)
ICM and CM services are community-based team approaches that support individuals through provision of case management, the goal of which is to support individuals in their journey of recovery while assisting with care coordination, linkage and referral, enhancing life skills, addressing physical health and behavioral health needs, engaging in meaningful activities and building social and community relations.

Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH)
PATH is a grant funded program designed to support the delivery of outreach services to individuals with serious mental illness and those with co-occurring substance use disorders who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. PATH’s homeless outreach teams in Atlanta, Marietta, Columbus, Augusta, Valdosta, and Savannah outreach into the streets and homeless shelters to identify people who are chronically homeless and highly vulnerable to health risks. The teams use assertive engagement strategies to help people access housing and resources needed to end their homeless cycle.

Mental Health Treatment Court Services
DBHDD supports services for some criminal offenders with a behavioral health illness who are accepted into a local Mental Health Court program and agree to seek treatment as an alternative to incarceration. Eligibility for mental health court treatment depends on the crime and is offered at the discretion of the presiding judge for that court. Individuals participate in assessment and treatment and peer support, along with monitoring and other supervised requirements.

Forensic Peer Mentor Program
Forensic peer mentors are people in recovery from mental health and substance use diagnoses and who also have lived experience within the criminal justice system. They operate from the perspective that everyone who lives with behavioral health diagnoses and criminal justice involvement has the capacity to recover and live successful lives of meaning and purpose in the communities of their choice, free from further criminal justice involvement. Forensic peer mentors engage in role modeling and perform a wide range of tasks aimed at creating mutual relationships with returning citizens/Day Reporting Center (DRC) participants in hopes that an individual regains control over their own life and over their own recovery process. 

“From Prison to Purpose” This video highlights how the Forensic Peer Mentor Program plays an integral role in interrupting the cycle of recidivism amongst Georgia’s returning citizens and features instrumental stakeholders responsible for the program’s inception, development and growth. Produced by DBHDD in partnership with the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), the Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS), and the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN). 

Transition Services
Enhanced transition services are available for individuals in our state hospitals who have had inpatient stays exceeding 45 days or for individuals who have complex needs that result in barriers to discharge.  DBHDD Regional Field Office, Transition Specialists and/or Community Case Expeditors support each state hospital in transition planning. The regional field office staff collaboratively coordinate care between the individual, hospital, regional field office and the community service provider with the goal of facilitating a successful transition back into the community.