Treatment planning is a process in which the therapist adapts, to the greatest extent possible, the application of available treatment resources to the individual goals and needs of each client. A comprehensive multidimensional evaluation is essential for individualized treatment planning. The purpose of a treatment plan is to guide the patient towards achieving their goals. A treatment plan also helps counselors monitor progress and make adjustments to treatment when needed.Treatment plans and progress notes tend to go hand in hand because progress notes must incorporate one or more treatment goals.
Mental health treatment plans are versatile and multifaceted documents that enable mental health professionals and the people they treat to design and monitor therapeutic treatment. The example above shows how treatment plan software, such as Quenza software, is used to combine interventions and create a mental health treatment plan for the patient. As treatment progresses, she works with clients to change or change treatment goals to go beyond symptom control and focus on problems that are below their original concern. Staff in a treatment program can emphasize the importance of discretion in this situation by informing the interpreter of strict laws regarding confidentiality in the treatment of substance use disorder. It is key to the treatment planning process that the treatment provider knows how well a person understands their disability.
The Minnesota Chemical Dependency Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has found that deaf and hard of hearing people have less access to prevention and intervention programs and less knowledge about addiction and recovery than non-deaf clients entering treatment. However, because counselors will often be included in treatment plans for clients with those types of diagnoses, they need to be competent enough to understand any DSM diagnosis and its treatment best practices, even if they don't diagnose the client on their own, says Karl. Fear of abandonment and betrayal on the part of friends—perhaps on the part of the counselor and treatment program—can be a major problem that prevents you from participating more deeply in treatment. Early in the treatment planning process, conversations about how a person with a disability uses avoidance strategies in daily life will be beneficial to both the person and the treatment provider. Given the prevalence of people with physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities who require treatment for substance use disorder, treatment providers should be better informed about the particular needs of this segment of the treatment population. Therefore, long-term treatment may be necessary for them to have a level of knowledge similar to that of non-deaf patients when they stop treatment (Guthmann et al.).Successful treatment for all clients must involve all levels of treatment staff; changes at the systemic level will be reflected at the organizational level and, most importantly, at the client-counselor level where recovery begins. The substance use disorder treatment provider should not make these decisions alone, but in consultation with the rest of the treatment team and the client.
Mental health treatment plans often highlight important evaluation information, define areas of concern, and set concrete goals for treatment.