Qualified Mental Health Specialist

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health’s case management service is a community-based service designed to provide skill-building for clients and linking families to community resources. A case manager helps children practice skills they learn in a real-life setting.

A case manager works with a client within the environments that the client struggles. Here are a few examples of what a case manager may do at different stages:

If a parent says that they unable to go the grocery store without buying their young child candy because the child makes a scene, the case manager will go with the family to the grocery store. At the grocery story, the case manager will help the family practice the strategies learned in prior sessions so when the child seeks unwanted attention the parent has the tools to diffuse the situation.
If a child is struggling on the playground with a fellow student who is bullying the child by taking the basketball from them, the case manager will go to recess with the child and help them practice social skills, conflict resolution and friendship skills and when and how to appropriately ask for help.
For a high school aged client, the case manager may work on independent life skills. An example may be how to ride public transportation. The case manager will walk the client step-by-step through the process, perhaps by obtaining a copy of the bus route, or linking the client to a training class. The case manager may ride the bus with the client, and then advance to meeting the client at their destination to see how the client is navigating public transportation.

Typically, the case manager works with client as well as any family members, other professionals and even friends who are involved in the client's treatment. Sometimes if the client is 18-years-old or older, the case manager will work with just the client. The intent is to develop as many natural supports as possible to help the client be successful in the community.

A case manager is on-call for their C&A clients. The case manager often will do phone coaching with a client who may be suicidal, homicidal or thinking of doing self-harm.

Depending on the client and the mental health issue, case managers may work in tandem with a clinician. A case manager is typically working with the client in a public setting and not necessarily just at the office.

End goal:
The end goal of a case manager is to increase the client’s skills and improve their level of functionality and develop or enhance their natural supports, ultimately helping the client to be more independent. This is achieved by teaching the client life skills and practicing them in real-life situations. A client is generally with a case manager for 12 to 18 months depending on the severity of the mental health diagnosis.