In the early 1970s a new method of providing services to individuals living with serious mental illness was developed: Assertive Community Treatment. ACT has been extensively researched and and proved to have the best results for helping individuals engage in treatment and recovery, avoid hospitalization and live in more stable housing. WestBridge’s Community Integration Program (CIP) is based on the ACT Model.
WestBridge’s CIP team is accessible 24/7, and has a comprehensive client-to-staff ratio. Our CIP model provides a team of providers from a variety of disciplines, including medicine, mental health and substance counseling, vocational coaching, and peer counseling. This team works collectively with individuals who otherwise have difficulty engaging in support and remaining in the community.
In addition to offering individual, group and family support and medications, our CIP team provides outreach to individuals in their homes and other community settings. The team supports them in finding and keeping safe housing, food shopping, budgeting, transportation, accessing medical care, education, volunteerism and employment.
An important aspect of CIP is the team’s ability to engage individuals whose illness prevents them from seeking help. CIP helps individuals create and nurture important relationships that foster personal growth. These relationships – with family members, medical providers, landlords or employers – help heal the isolation that can occur for someone experiencing a mental illness, with or without substance use.