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General Adult Ambulatory Mental Health Services (GAAMHS)

GAAMHS services are designed to serve the following populations

• Recently discharged LHSC mental health inpatients;
• Patients being served by other in-hospital treatment programs;
• Community patients

Referrals to adult outpatient mental health services at LHSC must go through Coordinated Intake; a service that triages all calls for GAAMHS (and other LHSC mental health programs) and directs patients to the most appropriate service for treatment.

GAAMHS Treatment Services:

• Day Treatment Program
• Transition Support
• Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Skills Program
• IPT/CBT (Interpersonal Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) Stream

*All services have access to medication consultation.

Day Treatment Program

Our Philosophy and Mandate

• Day Treatment Services provide outpatient programs to individuals diagnosed with a mental illness (age 16-64), helping them through their recovery process.  We provide group therapy with supportive community linkages.

• We respect that our clients are responsible and have a choice in the treatment process.  Our practice is client centered, evidence-based and goal-oriented.

• We aim to reduce length of hospitalization by providing continued treatment after an in-patient stay, or providing a non bed-based alternative to full hospitalization.

• Our goal is to maximize the client’s current level of functioning and help with reintegration into the community through support, education and linkage.

Group Format and Content

Core Program

The Adult Day Treatment program is a six week, Monday to Friday  (9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) program for those recovering from a variety of mental illnesses with the exclusion of psychotic disorders.  Clients attending this program are usually motivated and committed to participating in the program.  The program is group-based with limited individual support.  Most groups are psychoeducational based using adult education skills and are interactive.  Topics such as anger management, conflict resolution, assertiveness, problem ownership and problem solving are some of the skill-based groups offered.  Supporting the client with a holistic approach, we also offer groups on sleep hygiene, wellness, nutrition, and understanding the grieving process.  Clients are assigned to a primary therapist who is either a registered nurse or an occupational therapist.  They are also followed by an in-house psychiatrist.  During the program time, clients may discover an area of their lives which needs further treatment and the team will facilitate referrals to other in-house services or to one of our community agencies.  Clients are informed at the beginning of the program of ground rules, which include regular attendance, avoiding alcohol or drugs, and maintaining their personal safety, i.e. No self-abuse.

Our Team

• Our multidisciplinary team consists of registered nurses, an occupational therapist, and an art therapist.  We are supported by a physician team leader as well as pharmacists, psychologist, dietitian, pastoral care chaplain, social worker and visits by our community partners such as Family Services Thames Valley, London Mental Health Crisis Center, Leads Transition to Employment Services, and Canadian Mental Health Association.

Research

• The Day Treatment Service has a commitment to evidence based-practice and we support ongoing evaluation of our programs and participation in outcome oriented clinical research.

• Community referrals are accepted through Coordinated Intake (see below for information).  An intake interview is mandatory.

•  Clients require coverage by an inpatient psychiatrist during their program stay.

• Clients referred to Day Treatment are required to have stable housing arrangements.  They must not be currently abusing alcohol, prescription or street drugs. They must be able to maintain their safety after program hours, and they must be comfortable in a group setting.

Transition Support

The Transition Support Group is ten sessions over five weeks to help transition inpatients to the community. Over the ten sessions, clients receive information on such topics as relapse prevention, nutrition and exercise, medications, relaxation techniques, self-esteem, managing change and community supports. Clients with psychotic disorders are not suitable for this program.

Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Skills (ERPS)

ERPS services are focused on treating patients (age 16 – 64) with complex life problems that include emotional regulation problems in combination with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.  The primary mode of treatment is group psychotherapy.  Referral to ERPS in most cases automatically guarantees the patient a place in a series of introductory sessions.  These sessions are designed to provide information to patients about general processes and demands of psychotherapy (e.g., the idea of regular scheduled appointments, the idea of working alliance etc.) as well as help patients choose a therapy that is most suitable for their needs.  Many of the patients seen in the introductory meetings could benefit from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).  In the introductory sessions these patients are provided with specific information about DBT and the demands that participation in DBT would place on them.  If at the end of the introductory sessions, it is evident that an individual patient will benefit from other treatment modalities, the patient will be referred to an available clinician with experience in the modality.

Our Team

Our current multidisciplinary team has training in the disciplines of psychology, occupational therapy, social work and nursing, with consultation available from Psychiatry.

Referrals

We accept referrals from within LHSC and the Coordinated Intake Mental Health Service.

Interpersonal Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (IPT/CBT)

The CBT/IPT service provides acute, time-limited care to adults (age 16 – 64) with major anxiety disorders, major depression and bipolar mood disorder. Intervention is focused on acute symptom management and relapse prevention.  Emphasis is placed on comprehensive assessments delivered in a group-based program. 

How to contact GAAMHS:

• Your family doctor or walk-in clinic are able to access and/or contact the Coordinated Intake Mental Health Service on your behalf. They may make a referral by completing a Coordinated Intake referral form with a comprehensive history summary and faxing it to the Coordinated Intake Mental Health Service.
  
  
• Self referrals are not accepted.

If you are in crisis, depressed, or thinking of suicide you have options.