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Information on Treatment Options

Information on Treatment Options

Information on common conditions is provided by The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) lead agencies for information and advocacy on evidence-based mental health treatments, providing basic information on types and availability of mental health treatments.

It is not the intention of these resources to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health and potential ways to receive support. Consult with a qualified health care provider for diagnosis, treatment, and answers to your personal questions.

Please Note: Links to other websites are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement.

ADULT REHABILITATIVE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES (ARMHS)

Adult rehabilitative mental health services (ARMHS) is a range of services that helps an individual develop and enhance psychiatric stability, social competencies, personal and emotional adjustment, and independent living and community skills. Whether the person is returning home from a State hospital or working to improve their skills at independent living, ARMHS meets each person with mental illness where they are at with services tailored to them.

Some ARMHS services include:

  • Basic living and social skills
  • Functional assessment
  • Individual treatment plan
  • Community intervention
  • Medication education
  • Certified peer specialist services
  • Transition to community living services
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Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) offers intensive services at home for individuals with a serious mental illness. Services are customized to fit each person’s unique set of needs, strengths and preferences. This may include any area affected by the mental illness, including symptom management, employment, housing, finances, education, medical and dental care, substance abuse, family and social life and activities of daily living.

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Living well with a complicated health condition (physical or mental) can require working with a number of medical providers and support resources. Case management can help individuals coordinate these services.

A case manager has knowledge of local medical facilities, housing opportunities, employment programs and social support networks. He or she is also familiar with many payment options, including local, state and federal assistance programs. This person can serve an important role in helping you or your family member get the best treatment possible.

A case manager will assess your needs and explain what resources are available in your area. He or she will explain the process of applying for services and help you collect the necessary documents to prove eligibility. A case manager will then keep in touch with you to ensure that you continue to have your treatment needs met. How to fill out official forms, how to get transportation to appointments—these are all questions a case manager can help with.

Mental Health Targeted Case Management (MH-TCM) is a more intensive case management service that helps adults with serious and persistent mental illness get medical, social, educational, vocational and other services related to the person’s mental health needs.

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Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on exploring relationships among a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors. During CBT a therapist will actively work with a person to uncover unhealthy patterns of thought and how they may be causing self-destructive behaviors and beliefs. By addressing these patterns, the person and therapist can work together to develop constructive ways of thinking that will produce healthier behaviors and beliefs. The core principles of CBT are identifying negative or false beliefs and testing or restructuring them. Oftentimes someone being treated with CBT will have homework in between sessions where they practice replacing negative thoughts with with more realistic thoughts based on prior experiences or record their negative thoughts in a journal. Studies of CBT have shown it to be an effective treatment for a wide variety of mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia.

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Members have the opportunity to gain skills, locate a job, find housing, and pursue continuing education. Members work side-by-side with staff to make sure the program operates smoothly. Members also have the opportunity to take part in social events, classes and weekend activities including: 

  • Organized and informal recreational and social activities
  • Finding and keeping housing
  • Assistance understanding and accessing transportation in the community
  • Using art to manage anxiety and stress
  • Learning computer and resume building skills
  • Help finding and keeping employment
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These masters-level health care professionals are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health and use therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs. They operate under a variety of job titles—including counselor, clinician, therapist or something else—based on the treatment setting. Working with one of these mental health professionals can lead not only to symptom reduction but to better ways of thinking, feeling and living. These professionals can practice under a number of different titles, including:

  • LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor
  • LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
  • LCADAC, Licensed Clinical Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor

All counties in Minnesota have crisis response teams. A mental health crisis responder assesses the crisis, assists the recipient in coping with the crisis and follows up with the person to assure that they receive longer-term support and services as needed. Services include:

  • Mobile Crisis Response Services: One or two trained crisis responders who will come to your home or a meeting place that you designate to help you cope,
  • Residential Crisis Service: Services in a facility where you can stay for a few days until the crisis is under control, and/or
  • Crisis Stabilization service: Services following either Mobile Crisis Response or Residential Crisis Response that help you connect with other service providers and bolster your skills in order to avoid future crises.

mn mental health crisis line

Call or Text "HOME" to 741741

Hours: 24 hours | 7 days a week | 365 days a year

Adult day treatment is an intensive psychotherapeutic treatment provided with the goal of reducing or relieving the effects of mental illness and providing training to help the person live in the community. Adult day treatment is a short-term, community-based mental health program consisting of group psychotherapy, rehabilitative services and other therapeutic group services provided by a multidisciplinary team. Adult day treatment services are linked to goals and objectives identified in an individual’s treatment plan, which will lead to improvement in the person’s mental illness.

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A diagnostic assessment is an evaluation of a person’s current life situation and sources of stress. The result is a recommendation for needed mental health services.

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Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was originally developed to treat chronically suicidal individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Over time, DBT has been adapted to treat people with multiple different mental illnesses, but most people who are treated with DBT have BPD as a primary diagnosis.

DBT is heavily based on CBT with one big exception: it emphasizes validation, or accepting uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and behaviors instead of struggling with them. By having an individual come to terms with the troubling thoughts, emotions or behaviors that they struggle with, change no longer appears impossible and they can work with their therapist to create a gradual plan for recovery.

The therapist’s role in DBT is to help the person find a balance between acceptance and change. They also help the person develop new skills, like coping methods and mindfulness practices, so that the person has the power to improve unhealthy thoughts and behaviors.

ECT is a non-invasive medical treatment that is most often used with individuals who have a serious mental illness, such as major depression or bipolar disorder. It’s performed under anesthesia and involves using small electric currents to trigger a brief, controlled seizure in the brain. ECT appears to create changes in brain chemistry that can quickly improve certain mental health symptoms. As with any treatment approach, the goal is to provide the highest benefit with the least amount of risk, and ECT has since emerged as a safe and effective option.Treatment with ECT occurs in a series, usually a couple of times a week. People are asleep during the procedure and wake up about 5-10 minutes after it has finished. They are able to resume normal activity in about an hour.

Exposure therapy is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that is most frequently used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and phobias. During treatment, a person works with a therapist to identify the triggers of their anxiety and learn techniques to avoid performing rituals or becoming anxious when they are exposed to them. The person then confronts whatever triggers them in a controlled environment where they can safely practice implementing these strategies.

There are two methods of exposure therapy. One presents a large amount of the triggering stimulus all at once (“flooding”) and the other presents small amounts first and escalates over time (“desensitization”). Both help the person learn how to cope with what triggers their anxiety so they can apply it to their everyday life.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is used to treat PTSD. A number of studies have shown it can reduce the emotional distress resulting from traumatic memories.

EMDR replaces negative emotional reactions to difficult memories with less-charged or positive reactions or beliefs. Performing a series of back and forth, repetitive eye movements for 20-30 seconds can help individuals change these emotional reactions.

Therapists refer to this protocol as “dual stimulation.” During the therapy, an individual stimulates the brain with back and forth eye movements (or specific sequences of tapping or musical tones). Simultaneously, the individual stimulates memories by recalling a traumatic event. There is controversy about EMDR—and whether the benefit is from the exposure inherent in the treatment or if movement is an essential aspect of the treatment.

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There may be times when a person is admitted to the hospital for intensive treatment. Private psychiatric hospitals, general hospitals with a psychiatric floor or state psychiatric hospitals are designed to be safe settings for intensive mental health treatment. This can involve observation, diagnosis, changing or adjusting medications, ECT treatments, stabilization, correcting a harmful living situation, etc.Inpatient care units and programs evaluate and treat adults, adolescents, and children with a broad range of psychiatric conditions that need immediate attention. In the hospital, psychiatrists work in integrated teams with nursing, social work, pharmacy, and recreational and occupational therapy professionals to provide comprehensive, coordinated care tailored to the needs of each patient.

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Intensive Residential Treatment Services provide a safe and supervised environment in a community based residential program setting. These intensive mental health treatment services may be needed following a hospital stay or to prevent hospitalization. Services are designed to help with stability, personal and emotional adjustment, self-sufficiency, and skills and strategies for living as independently as possible. Programs have 24/7 mental health staff and range in size from five to 15 beds. Individuals who have participated in these services share how developing caring, trusting relationships with staff is crucial to their recovery. They also note that safety and comfort – both from the physical space and the predictability of access to getting their basic needs met — promoted recovery. Participants are often able to stay in touch with friends, family and other professionals during their treatment, providing them with a sense of belonging in the community while also giving them a chance to practice various skills they might be working on. IRTS provides stays usually less than 90 days, allowing individuals time to develop skills needed for successful transition to outpatient services and supports in their home communities. This Includes:

  • Individualized assessment and treatment planning
  • Illness management and recovery skills
  • Assessment and services for co-occurring substance abuse and disorders
  • Family education opportunities
  • Crisis assistance, development of health care directives and crisis prevention plans
  • Nursing services including medication education
  • Living skills development
  • Assistance with transition to community based services and housing.
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Clinical social workers are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health and use therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs. They are also trained in case management and advocacy services.

Medication management is a service provided by licensed psychiatrists or psychiatric nurse practitioners. Treatment helps the individual evaluate medication responses and modify treatment, manage medication reactions and drug interactions, and provide education about medications.

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Outpatient services are mental health services offered outside of a hospital setting. Services can include: individual, group and family therapy; individual treatment planning; diagnostic assessments; medication management; and psychological testing.

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Peer Support is offered by certified peer specialists. These specialists have lived experience with a mental health condition or substance use disorder. They are often trained, certified and prepared to assist with recovery by helping a person set goals and develop strengths. They provide support, mentoring and guidance.

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Psychiatrists are licensed medical doctors who have completed psychiatric training. They can diagnose mental health conditions, prescribe and monitor medications and provide therapy. Some have completed additional training in child and adolescent mental health, substance use disorders or geriatric psychiatry.

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Psychiatric or mental health nurse practitioners can provide assessment, diagnosis and therapy for mental health conditions or substance use disorders. In some states, they are also qualified to prescribe and monitor medications. Can also include PMHNP for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

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Often called talk therapy, psychotherapy is when a person, family, couple or group sits down and talks with a therapist or other mental health provider. Psychotherapy helps people learn about their moods, thoughts, behaviors and how they influence their lives. They also provide ways to help restructure thinking and respond to stress and other conditions.

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Self-help and support groups can help address feelings of isolation and help people gain insight into their mental health condition. Members of support groups may share frustrations, successes, referrals for specialists, where to find the best community resources and tips on what works best when trying to recover. They also form friendships with other members of the group and help each other on the road to recovery.

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For people with a mental health condition, research has shown that time with pets reduces anxiety levels more than other recreational activities. Pets also provide a non-judgmental form of interaction that can motivate and encourage people, especially children. Veterans with PTSD have also found therapy pets helpful. Therapy animals are not the same as service animals, who receive a higher level of training and learn specific tasks for assisting one person on a long-term basis. Service animals are considered working animals, not pets. They have shown some promise in helping people with mental health conditions, particularly PTSD and panic disorders. It is important to know the difference between highly trained service animals, and other forms of therapeutic supports. Learn more here.

Work can be an essential step on the path to wellbeing and recovery, but challenges that come with mental illness can make it more difficult. There are programs, however, designed specifically to help with work readiness, searching for jobs and providing support in the workplace.

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Professionals can now provide many treatments virtually. Most visits in this way require a camera on a smart phone or computer—but not all. This therapy can be delivered by phone. Your therapist or health plan will be able to answer your questions on their use of this technology. The literature strongly suggests that the quality of teletherapy care is as effective as in-person sessions for most people with most conditions. It is not ideal for everyone, however, as some people strongly prefer talking in person, in a safe space dedicated to healing.

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