Behavioral Health Services

In September 2004, the Behavioral Health Services Division was formed as a combination of the Adult Mental Health and Substance Abuse & Specialized Services Divisions. The merger provides an opportunity to improve the health of individuals by bringing together mental health and substance abuse services. Services will address the health of the whole person and continue efforts to maximize resources.

The Center and the City of Austin’s Primary Health Department (Community Health Clinics) have partnered to create an integrated health care model called the Emerge Program. Both general medical services and behavioral health services are provided within the designated community health clinic. Behavioral health services offered include Individual Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Group Therapy, and Mental Health Education. Referrals to this program are through Community Health Clinic doctors or by requesting appointments at the front desk of the Community Health Clinic.

This page also contains information on the following units: Operational Support; Intake and Crisis Services; Best Practices; Case Management; Psychiatric and Counseling Services; Housing and Homeless Related Services and Community Voice Mail.

Operational Support
The unit offers training and Licensed Professional of Healing Arts, contract monitoring, audit, and quality assurance; and grant writing/housing/vouchers.

HUD Homeless Management Information System (Service Point) - ServicePoint is used by many agencies in the community including the Austin Continuum of Care, HUD funded, Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). ServicePoint is a HIPAA compliant, web-based data collection software program specifically designed to capture client level system-wide information over time on the characteristics and service needs of men, women, and children experiencing homelessness or other social service needs. ServicePoint helps agencies and communities evaluate program effectiveness, identify client needs and gaps in services and promotes improved community social service planning. Click for Privacy Statement.

Intake and Crisis Services

Assessment, Consumer Benefits Office and Financial Assessment
The Consumer Benefits Office (CBO) helps individuals apply for and monitor application status of Social Security benefits. CBO services include screening to determine eligibility, assessment of consumer needs and resources, and providing assistance in filling out applications. Consumers also receive support in monitoring the applications and consultation regarding Social Security related topics, such as payee issues or work restrictions.
PES - Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) is for adults, adolescents and children experiencing emergent or urgent psychiatric mental health problems and in need of immediate evaluation services. Also provided are crisis intervention, individual crisis counseling, individual and family crisis rehabilitative skills training, screening and referrals to appropriate community resources and/or services. These services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (never closes) on a walk-in basis.

Best Practices

Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACT) provides intensive support services for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness in an effort to help each person live safely in the community. Using a team approach, ACT provides psychiatric and rehabilitative services including: medication management, housing support, nursing services, community living skills training, vocational services, group and individual counseling, and 24 hour crisis availability. ACT Team members also work with individuals who are dually diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse. Most services are provided in the consumer’s living environment or in the community.
Vocational Rehabilitation/Supportive Employment - Employment Services are provided by specialists, which include rehabilitative skills training, short-term vocational-oriented therapy with client input and choices regarding service goals. Services also include interviewing practice, resume development, training on networking, self-advocacy, anger control, and successful communication in order to acquire and maintain successful employment.
Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program - The program offers adults addicted to opiates the opportunity to end the dependence with proper medical supervision. The program consists of dispensing Methadone so the consumer can function without other drugs. Counseling, medical supervision, education, and orientation to Narcotics Anonymous are also part of the program as well as extensive education on HIV infections.
Oak Springs - The Oak Springs Program provides substance abuse treatment, education, individual and group services, counseling, life skills training, and disease concept education and case management.
Alameda House is a 90-day transitional living program. The goals of the program are to assist adult mentally ill individuals with developing skills to live independently in the community. Alameda House also serves mentally ill adults who have substance abuse issues and are on probation. Caseworkers and consumers develop a treatment plan together which addresses areas of identified deficits. Consumers work on such issues as anger management, relapse prevention, medication management, leisure skills, budgeting skills, and stress management. The goal is to apply skills learned to transfer to living independently in the community thus increasing community tenure.
ANEW provides intensive services for consumers who are on parole or probation and meet the priority population standard for mental health and/or mental retardation services. ANEW provides Continuity of Care services to link consumers from correctional facilities to ATCMHMR. The program also provides psychiatric medication management services, service coordination to facilitate access to community resources, individual and group rehabilitative skills training, plus individual and group counseling. Court liaison services are available to assist consumers incarcerated in the county jail in receiving treatment alternatives other than further incarceration.
CARE Programs - CARE offers HIV antibody counseling and testing, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), case management, street outreach, referral and assistance to addiction treatment services, mental health case management, relapse prevention counseling, Journey Outpatient Level III and II treatment programs, acu-detox, HIV education and training, liaison to incarcerated HIV+ individuals, and risk reduction materials (condoms, cleaning kits, brochures, etc.) All services and materials are provided to the consumer at no cost.

The C.A.R.E. Program offers a free and confidential Hepatitis C Support Group for anyone who is Hepatitis C Positive, their partners, and/or family members. The meeting is a safe place to talk, receive information and join others who are living with Hepatitis C. Meetings are held every Wednesday from 9:30-11am at 1631 East 2nd Street in Conference Room C (behind the Methadone Clinic). Call (512) 804-3659 for additional information.
Ambulatory Detoxification – the program provides outpatient detoxification treatment from substances with a focus on Alcohol, Benzodiazepine and Barbiturate addiction. Treatment includes assessments, counseling, education, medication and linkage to Intensive Outpatient treatment.
Peer to Peer Support Groups - Held every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:45-6:45pm at The Inn, 56 East Avenue, Austin.

Case Management

AMH, COPSD, and Housing Case Management Programs offer research based engagement and case management strategies. The program offers individual and group services, counseling, life skills training, psychiatric services and medication, rehabilitation services, and intensive case management.
Deaf Services - skills training to hearing impaired mentally ill adults. The goal is to assist clients with developing skills needed to maintain independent living in the community while managing the symptoms of their mental illness.

Psychiatric and Counseling Services

The East 2nd Mental Health Clinic provides individual counseling, office based and community based Service Coordination, community based individual skills training, and psychiatric outpatient services for adult Travis County residents with severe and persistent mental illness. The unit also offers medication monitoring & maintenance, Patient Assistance Program, and individual counseling, group counseling, consumer psychoeducation, Good Chemistry, family psychoeducational, peer counseling and TIMA; psychosocial rehabilitation; geriatric services; and Americorps volunteers.

Housing and Homeless Related Services

ACCESS/PATH - These programs offer the following services: assertive outreach to single diagnosis of substance abuse and dual diagnosis (substance abuse and mental illness); coordination of services; and increase awareness and case finding in the community through information dissemination.
Safe Haven's goal is to ensure a safe and accepting living environment while providing qualified staff to instill trust, and guide the resident to review the choices in his or her life. Safe Haven offers semi-private rooms for up to 16 people per day, 3 meals daily, laundry facilities, meeting rooms for residents and an actual address and phone number for facilitating service entry and correspondence with friends, family, and employers. It is consumer driven and no one will be expelled for not working fast enough. Endangerment of oneself, other residents, staff or property is not allowed.
Supported Housing provides living skills training and service coordination to individuals needing support to obtain or maintain independent housing.
Housing Services provides affordable housing for disabled individuals in the Austin - Travis County area. Eligibility is determined through caseworker referrals and a housing screening process. Various grants and subsidies may provide rental assistance for individuals who meet the criteria. Since 1988, the Housing Division at ATCMHMR has expanded to 20 apartments sites, 5 HUD complexes, 4 co-ops and has also begun a roommate program. The New Beginnings Pantry started in 1999, is completely funded through donations to provide basic items (apartment start up kit) to individuals moving into their new homes. The Pantry is manned by Housing staff and volunteers. Due to the disabilities and extremely low income of our population, many consumers may face a housing crisis in the future, leading to relapse and re-hospitalization. Housing Services provides the basic needs of life, allowing individuals to achieve self-sufficiency and help eliminate homelessness in the community.

Community Voice Mail: The Voice Of Opportunity
Community Voice Mail (CVM) provides free voice mail to community members who do not have access to a telephone with voice message capabilities. It is a free service for people who have a case manager. The Austin Community Voice Mail program is part of the national network of CVM sites, empowering people in crisis and transition by distributing free 24 hour voice mail nationwide – directly linking individuals to jobs, housing, safety and stability.

Users receive a personal phone number (with a 512 area code) and create their own personal greeting. They have the ability to retrieve/receive messages 24 hours a day from any landline phone. Only the user will be able to hear messages. The system sounds like a regular phone with voice mail capacity.

Community Voice Mail users most often seek jobs, housing, safety from domestic abuse, and healthcare. Users include homeless individuals, job seekers, low-income families with children, people fleeing abuse, veterans, senior citizens, runaways and more. Community Voice Mail helps people feel empowered and in control of their lives.

ATCMHMR provides training to case managers on how to instruct their clients to use CVM. Average time for the case manager to enroll a consumer is 10 minutes. Austin is one of 38 cities in 19 states to offer this critical tool to attain independence. Forty-four thousand people were served nationwide in 2005.

Each CMV site funds its program locally; the CVM National Office provides technology, research and development, technical support, and program stewardship. Headquartered in Seattle, WA, the CVM National website is: www.cvm.org.

For additional information call Teresa Jedinak at (512) 440-4064 or send an email.

Funding for the Community Voice Mail project was provided by Impact Austin. Impact Austin was founded by Rebecca Powers to help women develop philanthropic knowledge and skills, has given two grants this year of $100,500 to local non-profits. The women of this organization come from 13 counties in Central Texas and meet twice each year. Since the start of Impact Austin in 2003, the organization has been instrumental in giving assistance to local organizations including LifeWorks. The money given by Impact Austin allowed LifeWorks to start a job training center at a Ben & Jerry’s outlet.

The Austin Travis County MHMR Center partners with other agencies around Austin to provide access to Community Voice Mail. Other agencies include:

AIDS Services of Austin

Any Baby Can

Austin/Travis County Health & Human
Services Dept. Healthy Neighborhood Unit

Blackland CDC Transitional Housing

Caritas of Austin

Children's Home Initiative

City of Austin African American Quality
of Life Initiative Mobile Prevention Team

City of Austin, Health & Human Services

Communities In Schools

Family Eldercare

Foundation Communities