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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Linda Frisman, PhD and Eleni Rodis. Connecticut Dept. Of Mental Health and Addiction Services, 410 Capitol Avenue, PO Box 341431, MS #14 RSD, Hartford, CT 06134, (860) 418-6788, frisman@uconnvm.uconn.edu
The Connecticut Homeless Families Initiative, one of eight interventions of the CMHS/CSAT Homeless Families Initiative, involves outreach to substance abusing homeless mothers at risk for losing custody of their children because of failure to attend treatment. In an effort to engage clients, case managers trained in Motivational Interviewing techniques and trauma-sensitive approaches contact participants where they live (shelters, the homes of family members, unsafe buildings, etc.) to offer assistance with basic needs such as housing, entitlements, legal help, etc. As this presentation will highlight, case managers are trained in using techniques that are especially mindful of the clients’ cultural context, and that allow clients who want to incorporate spirituality into their recovery to do so. These techniques appear to be particularly effective when peers in recovery are part of the team. Once engaged in case management, the clients are encouraged to enter treatment, and any barriers to regular attendance are addressed by the case manager. The study is comparing this outreach based, intensive, culturally-competent form of on-going case management (6-12 months) to a less intensive case management model that does not incorporate regular supervision in cultural competency training (including the use of spirituality in recovery) and examines the extent to which it assists project participants in maintaining custody of their children, completing treatment and reducing substance use, and achieving housing stability, among other outcomes.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to
Keywords: Homelessness,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.