OUTPATIENT SERVICES
Individual, family, and group therapy services are offered. Psychiatric evaluations, medication monitoring and management are provided at the Millville site.
The Outpatient Services program provides a range of services to support mental wellness with a multi-disciplined approach to care. These services are designed to preserve or improve current functioning, alleviate symptoms of stress, change troubling behaviors, provide skills to strengthen coping strategies, and offer emotional support resources.
The Guidance Center’s team of mental health professionals strives to develop a collaborative treatment relationship with its patients. This team includes advanced practice nurses, board-certified and licensed adult and child and adolescent psychiatrists, case managers, certified alcohol and drug counselors, licensed clinical social workers and professional counselors, licensed psychologists, registered nurses, and support staff.
Outpatient services provide treatment for:
- Anxiety
- Confused thinking
- Difficulty relating to people and situations
- Depression
- Detachment from reality including delusional thoughts, paranoia, and hallucinations
- Excessive anger
- Excessive worry
- Extreme mood changes in activities and low or slowed activity levels
- Thoughts of self harm
Outpatient criteria:
- Five years of age or older
- Cumberland County resident
- Experiencing an emotional or behavioral issue necessitating behavioral health treatment
Outpatient Access Center:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 261
Fax: (856) 825-0281
EMERGENCY SERVICES (CRISIS)
Crisis intervention and screening for psychiatric admissions/commitments is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Guidance Center’s Emergency Crisis Screening Center provides screening, assessment, referral, linkage, and crisis stabilization services for those experiencing a mental health emergency.
Services are provided in either a secure environment with the availability of intensive medical support or directly in the community in a less restrictive, community-based setting. Our services are delivered in a culturally and linguistically competent manner recognizing the importance of trauma-informed systems of care.
If you, a family member, or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call our 24/7 confidential crisis hotline at (856) 455-5555. If at any time you feel that you are at imminent risk of harm, please call 911 immediately.
Services include:
- Assessment of an individual’s crisis situation and identification of stabilization, diversion, and support services needed, including commitment
- Provision of emergency and consensual treatment including extended crisis evaluation beds
- Crisis and early intervention counseling
- Referral to the most appropriate, least restrictive treatment setting
- Psycho-educational and/or supportive services to consumers and family members who are involved at the time of initial crisis
- Operation of a 24 hour/7 day hotline answered by a certified screener
ADULT PARTIAL CARE (APC)
Adult Partial Care is a full-day program that assists individuals who have severe or persistent mental health issues with developing the skills and support necessary to live their lives with the least amount of intervention from the behavioral health system.
This service is available from 8:30am to 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday at The Guidance Center’s Millville location at 2038 Carmel Road. Transportation to and from the site is provided.
Our goal at APC is to treat people who are challenged with mental health issues to help maximize their independence and improve their quality of life. Our caring team of mental health professionals — doctors, nurses, therapists, case managers, and support staff — provide individual care for a wide range of disorders and work with individuals to create a personal wellness and recovery plan. We accept self-referrals and referrals from physicians, hospitals, other health care professionals, and from families.
Services include:
- Illness Management Recovery interventions
- Group interactions
- Psychoeducation and Pre-vocational services
- Social and leisure time activities
- Medication monitoring
- Transportation to and from the program plus breakfast, lunch and a snack
- AA and NA meetings
- Dual Recovery services
Admission criteria:
- 18 years of age or older
- Cumberland County resident
- Living with a serious mental health diagnosis
- Impaired functioning in the areas of personal self care, interpersonal relationships, school or work, and maintain community living for a least a year
- Multiple interactions with a psychiatric screening center and/or psychiatric hospitalizations
Adult Partial Care:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 224
Fax: (856) 765-0931
MENTAL HEALTH JUSTICE INVOLVED (MHJI)
The Guidance Center’s Mental Health Justice Involved program is designed to serve Cumberland County residents who are diagnosed with a serious mental illness and are involved with the criminal justice system. Its purpose is to provide support and linkage to services in the community in order to decrease relapse. The Guidance Center’s MHJI program is staffed by bachelor’s level case managers who provide support, linkage and advocacy in the county jail, community, probation, and court system.
Successful re-entry from incarceration requires assistance in the transition from a controlled to a non-controlled environment. We assist with the individual’s stability in the community and help ensure safety of all involved.
Mental Health Justice Involved:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 295
Fax: (856) 825-6342
Goals of MHJI:
- Establish contact with individuals with mental illness and engage them in
services if they become involved in the criminal justice system - Advocate for a decrease in incarceration time or treatment in lieu of
incarceration when appropriate - Follow individuals into the community immediately upon release from
incarceration with the establishment of a consumer-driven re-entry program - Help divert these individuals from ongoing justice involvement and enhance
their community functioning
Assess addiction issues and coordinate drug and alcohol rehabilitation
Assist individuals in obtaining linkage to services that will support them in the
community such as housing, employment, family, healthcare, mental health
providers, and financial services.
Integrated Case Management Services (ICMS)
The purpose of Integrated Case Management Services is to assist adults with serious and persistent mental illness to better manage their illness, increase their mastery of life skills, and improve their sense of well being. This is achieved through personalized, collaborative, and flexible outreach. This outreach is designed to engage, support, and integrate people with mental illnesses into the communities of their choice by facilitating their use of available resources.
ICMS provides a full range of case management services including assessment, service planning, service linkage, psychoeducation, advocacy, crisis intervention assistance, direct assistance in obtaining the basic necessities of daily living and in performing daily living tasks, symptom management, and substance abuse education and intervention.
A person is automatically referred to ICMS upon admission to the State Psychiatric Hospital at Ancora. Other referrals may be made from the local Short-Term Care Facility in Bridgeton, Crisis Screening, County hospitals or directly from the community.
Integrated Case Management Services:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 295
Fax: (856) 825-6342
Services Include:
- Making contact with individuals during hospitalization and participating in
discharge planning - Linking individuals with mental health community-based services
- Providing support for mental health and non-mental health appointment followup,
for example appointment reminders, transportation arrangements, etc. - Offering consumer advocacy and family consultation
Our commitment is to:
- Provide a full range of case management services for those individuals living
with severe and persistent mental illness living within the community Be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to and provide for support in emergency situations, should they emerge - Facilitate a smooth transition into the community after a period of hospitalization
with a view toward increasing the individual’s level of functioning in his/her own
home environment - Foster stability and maximal integration into community life
Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)
The Program of Assertive Community Treatment provides comprehensive, integrated treatment and support services to those individuals with serious and persistent mental illnesses who live in Cumberland and Salem Counties. Established in 1997, PACT is the most intensive program element in the ambulatory continuum of community mental health care.
The purpose of PACT is to assist individuals with mental illnesses to achieve their greatest degree of independence in the community.
PACT utilizes a multi-disciplinary service delivery team approach to address the various needs of consumers and provide individualized and ongoing treatment. This team consists of fifteen experienced and skilled professionals including a psychiatrist, nurse specialists, an advanced practice nurse, dual recovery specialists, a vocational specialist, mental health advocates, a community advocate, a clinician, an administrator and a bookkeeper/secretary.
The philosophy of PACT is to provide ongoing and continuous treatment with no predetermined endpoint, given the persistent and severe nature of the individual’s symptoms. However, as program goals are achieved, and as the individual has remained in the community and has learned to utilize community support services, the number of direct contact hours will decrease and a disengagement process could occur.
Eligibility for the PACT program includes individuals at least 18 years of age with serious and persistent mental health illness as evidenced by repeated hospitalizations, and who have a mental health diagnosis of at least one-year duration. These individuals must meet one of the following primary psychiatric diagnoses: schizophrenia/psychotic disorders, schizoaffective
disorders, major depressive disorders, bipolar disorders and/or delusional disorders. And, the individual must show impairment in personal self-care, interpersonal relationships, ability work and/or maintain housing.
Referrals to PACT are accepted from screening centers, clinical case management providers, other mental health agencies, and inpatient settings, as well as the community at large. Initial referral information is gathered to determine the eligibility of the individual.
Direct services are provided daily and based on individual needs. These direct services include but are not limited to:
- Psychiatric symptom assessment, management and supportive counseling
- Medication prescription self-administration and monitoring
- Crisis intervention
- Assessment of medical needs and referral
- Direct assistance to obtain daily living needs (housing, food, etc.)
- Direct assistance with daily living activities/skills
- Assisting individuals to obtain and utilize community support services
- Substance abuse services
- Vocational/employment services
- Development and support of recreational and social activities
- Support and consultation to family and significant others
- Collaboration with the criminal justice system
- Emergency phone access after hours and weekends
- Serving as a liaison for local and state hospitals
Program of Assertive Community Treatment:
(856) 455-8316
Fax: (856) 765-0931
Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH)
Our Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness program provides outreach services to homeless adults with a serious mental illness with the goal of linking them to housing and mental health treatment. PATH program directors work tirelessly to engage homeless adults by visiting local shelters, transportation centers, parks, waterfronts and tent cities located in the greater Cumberland County area. Just one outreach can mean the difference between a person lost and the possibility of giving that individual an opportunity at a full, meaningful, productive life.
The program places individuals with a serious mental illness in appropriate housing and links them to mental health treatment and systems to improve mental health functioning. Individuals are referred to PATH by community agencies, shelters, crisis
centers, faith-based organizations, and soup kitchens, as well as through outreach.
PATH representatives will advocate for benefits on behalf of the homeless individual offering linkage that supports mental health and housing stability. Staff will assist those who are eligible for funding to find long-term housing.
Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 295
Fax: (856) 825-6342
SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT SERVICES (SES)
The Supported Employment Services program at The Guidance Center provides individuals with mental health challenges the opportunity to develop vocational skills, and choose, secure, and retain employment in today’s workforce within the community.
SES offers employment opportunities to the participant both on and off the job site as desired. The program is a collaborative effort involving the participant, employer, employment specialist, and other members of the individual’s support team such as counselors, case managers, family and co-workers.
Supported Employment provides individuals with pre-placement activities, job seeking skills, interviewing skills and job placement.
Guidance Center employment specialists visit potential employers in the community in order to hear of available postilions. Other employment sources are researched regularly. A listing of job openings is kept current and available for individuals to choose a job that matches their interest and skills.
Individuals are offered help establishing the supports necessary for job retention. If a specific accommodation is needed on the job, an employment specialist works with the individual and employer to make sure such needs are met.
Supported Employment Services:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 295
Fax: (856) 825-6342
COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES (CSS)
Community Support Services at The Guidance Center can help you or your loved one learn to manage mental illness and enjoy the best quality of life possible. Our program is offered to individuals currently living in the community with diagnosed psychiatric disorders. Case managers assist each individual to help achieve their highest level of independence. Supportive services includes assisting with daily living skills, financial management, good health practices, socialization, and vocational development.
Services Include:
- Comprehensive needs assessment
- Individualized rehabilitation planning
- Rehabilitative skill development within the eight domains of life
- Illness management and recovery support
- Crisis intervention
- Coordination and managing of service
- Emergency phone access after hours and weekends
Community Support Services:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 295
Fax: (856) 825-6342
RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
The Adult Residential Services program’s primary goal is to provide individuals who are psychiatrically disabled with supervised housing and clinical treatment services.
Our services help individuals maintain stability within the community and help them avoid potential hospitalizations. We focus on helping individuals with mental health needs become more self-sufficient, independent and integrated in the community.
The Adult Residential Services program’s staff of skilled mental health professionals utilizes the team concept approach — offering constant interaction and communication to address the day-to-day tasks of serving its consumers.
The program centers on three types of individuals in the following priority: those ready for discharge from the state psychiatric hospital, those ready for discharge from the community psychiatric hospital, and those living in the community who receive services at The Guidance Center.
Individuals in the Adult Residential Services program receive:
- Linkage with and referrals to mental health and community-based services
- Individual services coordination
- Case management services
- Consumer advocacy
- Consumer and family consultation and education
- Assistance with money management and budgeting
- Adult daily living skills education and training
- Crisis intervention
- Psychoeducation and support
- Group activities
- Individual support and encouragement
Residential Services:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 256
Fax: (856) 825-6342
INTENSIVE FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES (IFSS)
The Intensive Family Support Services program provides a focused, educational and supportive approach to enhancing the overall functioning of families with a loved one who has a mental illness. The program is available to all families in need of its services within Cumberland County and is not contingent upon a family’s ability to pay or the loved one being in a treatment program.
IFSS provides a wide range of supportive activities that are designed to improve overall function and quality of life for families who have mental health needs. Services are targeted to the needs of relatives and others who are closely involved with and concerned about their loved one’s daily functioning and whose lives are significantly impacted by the illness.
Guidance Center mental health professionals reach out to families in need in our community. Our goal is to provide families in need with knowledge, skills, and support, to enhance their quality of life at home.
We Offer:
- Psychoeducation for families in the community, providing them with information on mental health issues and treatment options including teaching families about the symptoms and effects of medications
- Family stabilization services
- In- and out-of-home respite care
- Medication education
- Family needs assessment for our clients
- Referral to mental health and community-based support programs
- Family support when a loved one is hospitalized
- Family consultation and advocacy
- Support groups for caregivers
- Help in fostering an improved quality of life for family and loved ones by creating a supportive and understanding environment
Intensive Family Support Services:
(856) 825-6810 Ext. 276
Fax: (856) 825-6342
Cell: (856) 392-2392
