Behavioral Health Services – Innovations:
Innovations Waiver Services
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy’s North Carolina Innovations Waiver Services (NC Innovations) is a resource for finding services and supports for Medicaid beneficiaries with intellectual and other related developmental disabilities who are at risk for institutional care in an Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF-IID) (Please see Clinical Coverage Policy 8E for requirements for ICF-IID level of care.). NC Innovations is authorized by a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver granted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under Section 1915 (c) of the Social Security Act. Our services allow these individuals the opportunity to be served in the community instead of residing in an institutional or group home setting. Based on an assessment of each consumer’s needs, the following Innovations Waiver Services may be provided by our staff of experienced professional caregivers:
Community Living and Support
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy’s Community Living and Support is an individualized service that enables the waiver beneficiary to live successfully in his/her own home, the home of his/her family or natural supports and be an active member of his/her community. A paraprofessional assists the person to learn new skills and/or supports the person in activities that are individualized and aligned with the person’s preferences. The intended outcome of the service is to increase or maintain the person’s life skills or provide the supervision needed to empower the person to live in the home of his/her family or natural supports, maximize his or her self-sufficiency, increase self- determination and enhance the person’s opportunity to have full membership in his/her community.
Community Networking
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy’s Community Networking services provide individualized day activities that support the waiver beneficiary’s definition of a meaningful day in an integrated community setting, with persons who are not disabled. If the beneficiary requires paid supports to participate/engage once connected with the activity, Community Networking can be used to refer and link the individual. This service is provided separate and apart from the beneficiary’s primary private residence, another residential living arrangement, and/or the home of a service provider. These services are intended to offer the beneficiary the opportunity to develop meaningful community relationships with non-disabled individuals. Services are designed to promote maximum participation in community life while developing natural supports within integrated settings. Community Networking services enable the beneficiary to increase or maintain their capacity for independence and develop social roles valued by non-disabled members of the community.
Day Supports/ Developmental Day
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy‘s Day Supports is a group, facility-based service that provides assistance to the individual with acquisition, retention, or improvement in socialization and daily living skills and is one option for a meaningful day. Day Supports emphasizes inclusion and independence with a focus on enabling the individual to attain or maintain his/her maximum self-sufficiency, increase self-determination and enhance the person’s opportunity to have a meaningful day. Day Supports must provide the opportunity to discover his or her skills, interests, and talents in his or her community.
Respite
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy‘s Respite services provide periodic or scheduled support and relief to the primary caregiver(s) from the responsibility and stress of caring for the individual. This service enables the primary caregiver to meet or participate in planned or emergency events, and to have planned time for him/her and/or family members. This service also enables the individual to receive periodic support and relief from the primary caregiver(s) at his/her choice.
Supported Employment Services
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy‘s Supported Employment Services assist with choosing, acquiring, and maintaining a job for beneficiaries ages 16 and older for whom competitive employment has not been achieved and /or has been interrupted or intermittent. The intent of Initial Supported Employment is to assist individuals with developing skills to seek, obtain and maintain competitive employment or develop and operating a micro-enterprise. The employment positions are found based on individual preferences, strengths, and experiences.
Behavioral Health Services – Enhanced:
Enhanced Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy’s Enhanced Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services are services that must be medically necessary for meeting specific preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative needs of the beneficiary.
Comprehensive Clinical Assessment (CCA)
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy‘s Comprehensive Clinical Assessment provides an intensive clinical and functional face-to-face evaluation of a beneficiary’s presenting mental health, developmental disability, and substance use disorder. This assessment results in the issuance of a written report that provides the clinical basis for the development of the beneficiary’s treatment or service plan.
Outpatient Behavioral Health (OPT)
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy‘s Outpatient behavioral health services are psychiatric and biopsychosocial assessment, medication management, individual, group, and family therapies, psychotherapy for crisis, and psychological testing for eligible beneficiaries.
Intensive In-Home Services (IIHS)
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy’s service is a team approach designed to address the identified needs of children and adolescents who, due to serious and chronic symptoms of an emotional, behavioral, or substance use disorder, are unable to remain stable in the community without intensive interventions. This service may only be provided to beneficiaries through age 20.
Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PRS)
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy‘s service is designed to help adults with psychiatric disabilities increase their functioning so that they can be successful and satisfied in the environments of their choice with the least amount of ongoing professional intervention. PSR focuses on skill and resource development related to life in the community and to increase the participant’s ability to live as independently as possible, to manage their illness and their lives with as little professional intervention as possible, and to participate in community opportunities related to functional, social, educational and vocational goals.
Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program (SAIOP)
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy’s service is designed structured individual and group addiction activities and services that are provided at an outpatient program designed to assist adult and adolescent beneficiaries to begin recovery and learn skills for recovery maintenance.
Outpatient Plus (OPT Plus)
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy‘s service is a combination of best practice outpatient therapy services, monitoring, support, and management of care interventions to be provided for individuals with complex clinical needs that traditional outpatient cannot adequately address. OPT Plus is a home and community-based treatment service focused on decreasing psychiatric and behavioral symptoms in order to reduce the need for higher levels of care or increase the likelihood of a successful transition to Outpatient Therapy from higher levels of care.
Adult SAIOP Services
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy’s Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program (SAIOP) services are structured individual and group addiction treatment activities provided by addiction specialists to assist adult consumers to begin recovery and learn skills for recovery maintenance. SAIOP rendered by S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy will be offered at least 3 hours per day, 3 days per week.
Therapeutic Models/Approaches:
MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING – Motivational interviewing is a directive, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping individuals to explore and resolve ambivalence. Compared with nondirective counseling, it is more focused and goal-directed. The examination and resolution of ambivalence is its central purpose.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – This form of psychotherapy fits nicely into a person-centered approach, identifying problems and developing goals to deal with these. By identifying and modifying problematic cognitions, perceptions, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs, CBT tries to adjust and improve subsequent emotions and behaviors. Cognitive interventions, such as education about problems or cognitive restructuring, are combined with behavioral exercises like approaching avoided situations or trying out new behaviors, with the resulting resolution of identified problems/symptoms.
Gentle Teaching – is a non-violent approach to interacting with people with challenging behaviors and/or special needs. Gentle Teaching is an approach to human relationships in general. It can be applied in the family, at school, at work, etc.
Recovery:
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy utilizes the concept of “recovery” as the foundation for a best practice model for individuals receiving mental health services. S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy implements recovery-oriented supports and services to facilitate a process whereby consumers define their strengths and goals and create meaningful lives and roles beyond that of psychiatric patients. S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy embraces, supports, and facilitates movement towards the key concepts of recovery, including:
- Hope
- Personal
- Responsibility
- Education
- Self-advocacy
- Support
Person-Centered Planning:
S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy understands that Community Mental Health services require best practices. S.T.E.P’s Developmental Academy utilizes person-centered planning as a life planning method (process) of determining real-life outcomes (ends) for individuals and developing strategies (means) to achieve these life outcomes. The process as defined:
- Will be driven and owned by the individual
- Involve a sustained commitment to the life of the individual
- Be strengths-based
- Include a crisis contingency plan
- Include reasonable assurances of
- health and safety
- Contain strategies that reflect the most natural, durable and sustainable methods of achieving the outcomes
- Be “real life” outcome-oriented