Coordinating Care: How Different Providers Work Together in Mental Health Treatment
Coordinating mental health care is a tricky process. For starters, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to any mental health condition or challenge. In most instances, care requires well-thought-out collaborative mental health treatment that’s layered, evolving, and deeply personal. For many people, effective treatment doesn’t come from a single provider—it comes from a team.
According to The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, in New York’s first year of putting a collaborative care model in place, emergency department use among behavioral health patients dropped by 46%. This drop led to a 26% reduction in monthly costs for mental health emergencies.¹ So, as is clear, when providers work together, patients experience better outcomes and fewer crises.
At Mission Connection, we believe the best care is collaborative. Whether someone is working through anxiety, trauma, substance use, or depression, the treatment process often works best when professionals work together. That’s what coordinated mental health care is all about. In this article by explain collaborative mental health treatment by discussing:
- What coordinated mental health care is
- Who the key players in mental health treatment teams are
- The benefits of collaborative and integrative mental health care
- The challenges faced in coordinating mental health treatment
- Mission Connection’s approach to mental health care coordination
- Treatment centers that prioritize coordinated care
Mental Health Team Care: What Is Coordinated Mental Health Care?
Coordinated care in mental health means bringing together a team of providers to address each part of a person’s treatment. For instance, this could mean a psychiatrist collaborating with a therapist. It could also mean a case manager helping connect a patient to community resources. Team-based mental health treatment can also include primary care doctors, social workers, peer support specialists, and family therapists. Each part of the team plays an important role in creating a stable, sustainable recovery plan.
Mental health providers working together means they share updates, have better communication, patients experience fewer treatment gaps, and the care plans actually make sense.
Key Players in Mental Health Treatment Teams
Each professional in a mental health treatment team is unique, meaning their care will also be unique. While your treatment might not include all of the professionals listed earlier, these are the people with the most common roles in collaborative mental health treatment. Mental health treatment provider collaboration is usually seen between:
- Psychiatrists: These professionals focus on diagnosis, medication management, and coordination of psychiatric care.
- Therapists and Counselors: These professionals provide talk therapy, trauma support, and behavioral tools.
- Primary Care Physicians: Professionals such as doctors help monitor physical health, medication side effects, and refer to specialists.
- Case Managers: A case manager focuses on mental health case management, where they help with treatment coordination, referrals, insurance, and social services.
- Peer Support Specialists: These are people with lived experience who offer emotional support and guidance.
- Social Workers: These professionals assist with housing, employment, and family-related support.
- Family Therapists: These therapists work with clients and their loved ones to improve dynamics at home.
At Mission Connection, we know how to coordinate mental health care that brings these roles together in a way that fits each client’s needs and evolves with the person.
Benefits of Collaborative and Integrative Mental Health Care
With multiple mental health providers working together, patients get more than just good care. They get customized treatment that is specific to their challenges and lifestyle. Patient-centered care creates a treatment environment where providers collaborate intentionally and consistently to support each patient’s needs, goals, and long-term recovery.
The benefits of collaborative and integrative mental health care include the following:
Improved Outcomes
When working with a team of mental health professionals, patients enjoy smoother transitions and a well-rounded care approach. For instance, a patient attending outpatient therapy with medication management appointments will likely get more cohesive support. This can be particularly beneficial during transitions between inpatient and outpatient care.
Several studies show that collaborative care makes treatment more effective and affordable, according to the National Library of Medicine.²
Faster Access to Wraparound Resources
Long-term and complex care often requires wraparound resources, which can be tricky to arrange while currently in treatment. Wraparound resources are a form of care which overarches the client’s life. These resources include the likes of transport, housing, follow-up medical appointments, and similar. It’s less likely that a patient will fall through the cracks when several professionals (social workers, therapists, case managers, etc) are all working on the recovery plan and arranging wraparound resources together.
Better Approach for Co-Occurring Conditions
Integrated care models offer real advantages for people with co-occurring mental health conditions that play out at the same time. A review of 57 trials found that collaborative care models are effective in improving symptoms and quality of life for those with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other co-occurring conditions.³ Due to the complexity of their issues, people with co-occurring mental health issues often require input from several specialists. A coordinated approach ensures that treatment doesn’t overshadow mental health needs (or vice versa), making it more likely that patients will find the process more meaningful and experience long-term recovery.
Removes Pressure on the Patient
Coordinated mental health treatment reduces the burden on the patient to manage their care alone. Trying to explain symptoms, treatment plans, or medication histories to multiple providers can be emotionally exhausting, especially while dealing with symptoms of depression, anxiety, or trauma. Yet, in a team approach, providers take on this responsibility, allowing patients to focus more on healing.
Challenges in Coordinating Mental Health Treatment
While coordinated mental health treatment comes with obvious benefits, it can also present some challenges along the way. Some of these include:
- Lack of communication between providers: When different mental health providers use different systems, work for different organizations, or don’t have a coordinated flow of communication, this can lead to conflicting recommendations, confusion as to the treatment plan, or insufficient details on medication.
- Privacy and confidentiality restrictions: Patient privacy is essential, but it can hinder the process. For instance, HIPAA and state-level privacy laws can lead to delays in treatment coordination.⁴ If there’s confusion about what can legally be shared or if the consent forms aren’t correctly submitted, this can affect the process.
- Time and resource constraints: Extra time is needed for coordinated care so that healthcare professionals can discuss treatments, share decisions, and follow up across different systems. Some facilities don’t have the facilities or bandwidth to do this, but the team at Mission Connection makes this all part of the collaborative care approach.
- Issues with insurance and funding: While not always the case, some insurers limit how providers can bill for the same patient or don’t reimburse for collaborative care. This can discourage collaboration, even when it’s in the best interests of the patient. At Mission Connection, we ensure that your insurance covers the treatment plan you require – before treatment.
Our Patient-Centered Approach to Mental Health Care Coordination
Mission Connection prioritises involving patients in their care, as well as respecting patient preferences, cultural needs, and communication styles. We don’t just provide a treatment plan but work with the patient to develop a plan that best suits their situation and lifestyle, for the best possible outcomes.⁵
We strongly believe that choosing the right treatment facility makes all the difference when it comes to long-term recovery. When choosing Mission Connection, you’ll join a community that puts your healing and recovery as a top priority. We go beyond relieving symptoms and help each patient build the life they’ve always wanted. Working together as a team of professionals provides the type of collaborative care that eases the burden on the patient and genuinely makes a difference.
Treatment Centers That Prioritize Coordinated Care
While not all treatment centers offer coordinated care, those that do can make all the difference. At Mission Connection, we work together to connect the dots between service providers, resources, and continued care. Our services include:
- In-person and online therapy for increased accessibility
- Integrated treatment teams across psychiatry, therapy, and case management
- Flexible payment options, including insurance, sliding scale, and private pay
- Comprehensive programs, including outpatient, intensive outpatient (IOP), and partial hospitalization (PHP)
- Clear communication across providers to reduce repetition and confusion
Whether you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, or co-occurring disorders, coordinated care ensures that every aspect of your treatment is aligned and working in your favor.
If you’re ready for a more connected, personalized approach to integrative mental health care, Mission Connection is here to help.
Reach out today to learn more about our programs or to speak with someone who can guide you through the next steps.
References
- National Council for Mental Wellbeing. (2022). Transforming state behavioral health systems: Findings from states on the impact of CCBHC implementation. Retrieved from https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/21.10.04_Transformation-State-Behavioral-Health-Systems_Three-Pager.pdf
- Reist, C., Petiwala, I., Latimer, J., Raffaelli, S. B., Chiang, M., Eisenberg, D., & Campbell, S. (2022). Collaborative mental health care: A narrative review. Medicine, 101(52), e32554. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9803502/
- Goodrich, D. E., Kilbourne, A. M., Nord, K. M., & Bauer, M. S. (2013). Mental health collaborative care and its role in primary care settings. Current Psychiatry Reports, 15(8), 383. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3759986/
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Health Information Privacy. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/index.html
- American Psychiatric Association. (2019, January 24). Choice and control over mental health services can lead to better outcomes. https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/choice-control-over-mental-health-service-outcomes
