We are working on building out a program to reach out to people who are being discharged from psych or substance use hospitalizations to try to get them into the right follow up care. What kind of skills or support should the staff have to be successful? It will probably be a combination of social workers and nurses.

Know how to deescalate a situation when it arises and watch out for their own safety. Have them go through behavioral health scenarios so they are better prepared and know how to handle a situation. Utilize security for the staff’s safety

Provide a supportive environment.For the patients utilize harm reduction methods, have a team readily available to help that can be a resource if they need something (access to medications, need help finding doctor appts, etc, emotional support, finances, housing if needed)

Wow this would be so great because I work at a psych hospital and we see the same patients over and over because they don't do their follow up care and end up right back with us. I think the person would have to be empathetic, understanding, and have really good communication skills.

Understand the disease/diagnosis of the patient-
Understand the the drug used (behavioral presentation can be different from drug to drug)
Group work experience
CPI training can be scheduled after hire/mandatoty
Sense of humor

Deffinately some social work skills as they will need to know where to refer the client after discharge, especially if the client doesn't already have a mental health provider. The person will need to coordinate the care as well and follow up, my experiance as a case manager for 6 years showed me that sometimes we got referrals for people that discharged and it would be suggested they follow up with psychiatrist, a lot of times they would drop or reschedule the appointment constantly until they had an episode again that sent them back into hospitalization. This wasn't the case every time but often enough and especially with those untrusting of the system and medication (such as some native american populations). The person you hire with need good communication skills, an understanding of the diagnosis and the people being worked with, organized and able to handle a crisis should it come up, as the area I'm in they are short on providers as everyone has huge case loads, so sometimes its weeks or months before they are able to be assigned, though a followup psych visit should be scheduled within a week there are times the clients reschedule as they are nervous about it so it doesn't happen, so follow up with the place referred and client is necessary to monitor them. Hope that helps.

Empathy. I know that’s not a hard skill, but you’re dealing with people who are going through a big transition in their lives.

Hi there. I love that this question is being asked. This is a highly needed avenue in the industry. Pulling from my experience working as a Behavioral Health Tech, and moving on to work as a Case Manager and Program Director in the substance abuse treatment field, I feel that it is crucial to have staff that are outgoing and strong minded, who aren't afraid to jump right in and get out there doing the footwork to find skilled aftercare facilities, the ones with a background in case management or social work. Staff should not be easily discouraged and should be willing to think outside the box and go above and beyond every day. While RNs and LPNs are crucial to the field, I personally think their time is better spent focusing on nursing duties because us case managers and directors are not qualified to do their amazing jobs. I'd prefer the nursing staff care for the patients medical needs and monitor them as they do along with a strong support bht staff. As a Case Manager I have spent countless hours on the phone calling places, sometimes repeatedly, as well as insurance companies, probation officers, etc, to get clients where they will truly find the aftercare they need to be successful. Its not a one size fits all approach either. It just take a compassionate person who is willing to listen to the needs of the clients and who can properly interpret not only their observations of clients, but take into account all staffs observations and notes, who doesn't feel defeated easily by the word NO, and who is naturally extremely organized and willing to make call after call and gather resources along the way. But that's just my take on the matter. Hope this provides some help to better the industry. Thanks for taking the time to ask such a great question. Have a beautiful day.

Something to consider would be education, resources, and support for family and close friends of the patients as they are closest to the patients. They would be able to help staff with early interventions and crisis deescalation. While this is started while patients are in the inpatient setting, there is a lot more work that can be done in the outpatient setting. I would love to hear more about your program and help where I can. I have 5 years psych nursing experience and 2 years as a corrections nurse.

Very important to also have people to help them with every day tasks (support),

I have been in phsch/ drug abuse industry for 10< years.
Your heart has to be 100 percent in it.
Not only do you have to have compassion and understanding. The clients needs stability with the staff, they need to feel safe that when the do speak the are being listened to. Also the staff needs to know the clients habits, personality so if thier is a change in thier normal interactions you know that somethings is going on. I love this field unfortantly it is not for everyone.

Nurs for fifty years I was told by my instructors that I should think about psyc nursing. I would like to be a part of your team. Will u be close to wabash in?

Compassion will be very important, and empathy skills

You are absolutly right about the skills needed for staff. I worked in discharge planning for a hospital based psych unit and we had an RN that was also a LCSW. Great if you can get it!

I would suggest building in time and an expectation that your staff will tour and network with local programs and providers a few times per month. It makes a tremendous difference in their ability to sell aftercare if they're familiar with the resources they're talking about. More importantly, you want those matches to be good financial, clinical, and personality fits the first time around - people are reluctant to do aftercare off the bat, their tolerance for trying goes down exponentially with each rejected placement. The more your people know the staff and the programs they're referring to, the higher your odds of making a quick and successful placement.

I work on a Level 1 psych unit. The key is hiring empathetic staff that has real world experience whether that be themselves or in their family. PRACTICAL experience. They also should be able to speak what I call " English sub-languages". You have to be able to talk to people in a language they can understand.

Check this link out

https://www.crisisprevention.com/Find-Training?ref=resource-download-lp&_gl=1*1cs4tvs*_ga_X93D657BSK*MTcyNDgwMTQ4My4xLjAuMTcyNDgwMTQ5MC41My4wLjA.

They need a mentor and to discharge to a rehab facility with a therapist to work with them on the reasons for their SA. Most have some sort of trauma that has not been addressed. CBT is helpful to a lot of patients. They shouldn't discharge and go back to the same scenario/friends that they used with.

Have you thought about employing a staff member or two who had multiple years of recovery and lots of networking experience with local AA/NA and possibly church halfway houses? It will help you to navigate socioeconomic issues

Make sure they’re certified for FIRST AID/ CPR/BLS etc. I’m an instructor and have been in multiple situations where I needed to jump into action. Knowing life saving procedures and skills is a huge plus.

Wonderful idea! Perhaps include some certified peer support specialists too. I feel that their personal lived experience could really benefit your team and patients/consumers. Also maybe some career coaches or resume writers with recruiting experience as well might help😊 good luck! 🫶