HOW OUR “PROGRAM WITHOUT WALLS” IS REACHING YOUTH WITH THE MOST CHALLENGING MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS.
This spring marks two years since The Home opened our Program for Assertive Community Treatment for Youth or PACT-Y. The program is one of The Home’s newest offerings, and one of five in the state designed to support youth with serious mental illness who haven’t found success in any other program. Our PACT-Y team, comprised of a nurse, prescriber, clinicians, case workers, occupational therapist, peer mentor and family partner, provides complete, coordinated care to youth in extreme distress—within their homes, in inpatient care and hospital units.
A WORLD IN UPHEAVAL
Many youth served by PACT-Y haven’t had previous mental health issues. One day, they are typical teenagers, with friends and future aspirations; the next, their lives are upended by the debilitating onset of a serious mental health diagnosis. “We’re working with kids who hit adolescence and suddenly they’re having auditory and visual hallucinations that are impacting them so greatly they become suicidal or they’re experiencing mood dysregulation that is so acute they can’t function,” explains Program Director Jenn Medeiros, LCSW. “Their whole world—what they knew—is gone.”
FULL-SCALE SUPPORT
The seismic shift is terrifying, not only for youth, but for parents and siblings struggling to make sense of what’s happened, and it is isolating. Illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are profound but unseen. “You’re really alone with it,” says Jenn. Not with PACT-Y. The multidisciplinary team visits four to five times per week to provide services to help teens stabilize, build the skills they need to grow and navigate what will likely be a lifelong mental health issue. PACT-Y’s presence shows youth, regularly, that there are people who care and wish them success, and their methods help kids manage symptoms and risks, build supports and self-esteem, and envision a path forward.
HOPE REGAINED
Two years in, PACT-Y is seeing transformation. Youth are staying out of the hospital for longer stretches of time, and returning to school, to work, and their lives. The strides made by Amani*, PACT-Y’s first client, illustrate the power of the program. Eighteen months ago, the 16-year-old was hospitalized for catatonia, and she could barely communicate. With PACT-Y’s support, Amani went from speaking one or two words to playing charades with our staff. Gradually, she reentered the community, with the help of her clinician and outreach case worker, and headed back to high school. Today, she is applying to college, and she has crafted an essay so beautifully expressed it brought tears to the eyes of her team. It’s a remarkable turnaround. “The confidence she has found in herself is incredible,” says Jenn. “Amani is very resilient; she isn’t allowing her illness to define her.”
HOW WE’RE DIFFERENT:
- Exclusive, comprehensive care by providers who work in unison
- In-home nursing and prescriptions
- 4-5 points of contact per week
- Integration and therapy with youth and families
- Cultural sensitivity and education
*The youth’s name has been changed for privacy.
