Clinical assessments are the gold standard for comprehensive psychiatric assessments. Unlike many of the assessments provided today that are conducted prior to treatment, Ellenhorn’s are conducted within the treatment relationship. We regard the most optimal clinical assessments as a source for subsequent collaboration between existing or new treaters and their clients. At Ellenhorn we offer comprehensive clinical assessments as part of our initial relationship-building process with our clients and as a means of developing a collaborative treatment plan with them in which their voice is the driving force in their care.
We consider ourselves experts on clinical motivation —the force in people that propels them to both seek and use help. And we know from our experience and our knowledge of the research that this form of motivation is powerfully dependent on a person’s sense that they are pursuing their personal dreams. That’s why the assessments at Ellenhorn go beyond diagnoses and the pursuit of symptom reduction, and toward the formulation of a plan to reach these dreams. We also know that a person’s treatment motivation is intricately entwined to social factors: their sense of purpose in life and how they connect with others in the community. In fact, we’re pretty big on connection (not to mention collaboration) here at Ellenhorn—which is where educational consultants come in.
As our Ellenhorn team prepares to assess each new client, we work to gain an understanding of their personal history. Most of our clients are not new to the world of treatment when they arrive at our door. Unfortunately, their previous experiences have often resulted in feelings of failure, frustration and social injury after years of treatments that did not help them reach stability. Indeed, in many cases, these clients now suffer from a lack of hope regarding the helpfulness of future treatment as a result of having been labeled as “difficult to engage” in the past. These are precisely the clients we warmly welcome at Ellenhorn, where we believe that the task of engagement is ours to take on, rather than a burden for a client to overcome.
Ellenhorn’s collaboration with educational consultants begins as a part of the referral process. Collaboration, after all, is really what allows us to get the full picture of a client. We utilize the consultant’s extensive experience with and knowledge of the client in order to ascertain the moments during which they previously lost faith in treatment. As we honor the connection the consultant has already built with their (and now our) client, we enthusiastically engage with them in order to get the bigger picture of a client’s life. Ellenhorn’s clinical-assessment approach treats patients as living systems—complex, layered individuals who are growing and evolving in their needs—and our collaboration with educational consultants enables us to perform an assessment that functions as a living document that allows a client the space to change while, at the same time, be continuously supported.
Ellenhorn’s time-tested and evidence-based treatment model, called the Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT), is the prime model for both psychiatric and psychosocial recovery and creates a vast, highly adaptable environment of care that most effectively meets our clients’ wide range of needs and is endorsed by both the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Many clients come to us having previously experienced only the extremes of treatment options: psychiatric hospitalization and conventional outpatient treatment. Unfortunately, the rigidity of these models often results in clients feeling unstable as they move back and forth between treatment options and experience feelings of failure and frustration with each harsh transition. Instead, Ellenhorn is uniquely able to offer a highly flexible level of care that is molded around each individual client. We truly meet clients where they’re at, whether in their own homes or in their communities, which has proven particularly helpful for clients who struggle to adhere to a strict schedule of meetings. For these clients, the ability to gather in their own spaces makes a meaningful difference of possibility. Our team communicates with one another throughout the day and collaborates to provide each client the best care possible; we offer a level of treatment similar to a hospital but allow clients the freedom to live their own independent lives outside institutional walls. We aim to bridge the gap between the extremes of care options and offer individualized treatment that is best suited to address each client’s unique situation and aspirations. Fundamental to our philosophy is the understanding that people derive meaning from their communities and the things and loved ones they care for within them. Our team at Ellenhorn seeks to preserve and strengthen those connections, and our highly collaborative, flexible approach makes that goal achievable.
Ellenhorn embraces every aspect of the clients we work with, and that begins by leading an assessment process based upon relationship building. In addition to the conversations we have with educational consultants in order to gather information, our team members work directly with each client throughout the process of assessment. While we evaluate symptoms and diagnoses, our prime focus is to get each client where they want to be. This approach encourages clients to locate the motivation to pursue treatment, and, in turn, removes symptoms by keeping them connected to what they feel to be meaningful. Beyond a diagnosis, our team strives to understand what a client is going through on a psychosocial level, which is where this in-depth and ongoing process of assessment is most valuable. We recognize our clients are evolving, complex individuals, and similarly view assessments as the aforementioned living documents that evolve with them. Developing an understanding of each client’s broader circumstances by meeting them in their communities allows them to feel better supported and grants our team valuable knowledge to utilize in treatment.
In addition to the supportive environment we individually tailor for our clients, our team extends this same hospitality to educational consultants. Educational consultants remain a consistent presence throughout our treatment process, though the specifics of what that presence looks like depends on both the clients’ and consultants’ needs. In much the same way we engage with clients’ family members in order to explain the specifics of what we offer as a program, we are open and willing to share the intricacies of our treatment with consultants eager to share in a client’s journey. We invite consultants into the process and keep an open line of communication throughout treatment. We want consultants to understand precisely what we do and how we do it, and we welcome their knowledge of and relationship with the client. In addition, we are happy to clarify our work wherever necessary, which we hope will give consultants still more confidence when it comes to future referrals, and instill a comprehensive understanding of our program should they need to explain it to a client’s family. We collaborate extensively with consultants throughout the assessment process as well as the duration of treatment, because our team values the power of this open line of communication to truly serve a client and foster the best treatment plan for success.
That being said, Ellenhorn does not practice a manualized treatment model. We build around each client’s particular needs to create a treatment plan that is individualized and highly personal, and our collaboration with educational consultants follows the same train of thought. We seek to work closely with educational consultants and allow them to be a constant in the client’s journey if they believe it to be the best course of action. Every client has unique needs, and we recognize that educational consultants are similarly aware of this dynamic. Regardless of how a consultant’s consistent presence manifests, our team will continue to honor their knowledge of the client and the contributions they’ve provided. Educational consultants bring much to the table, and our team at Ellenhorn is proud to utilize the tools they offer to improve our ability to drive treatment with a truly meaningful, personalized touch.
