MHSS - What it is and what it is not

I work in the field of mental health.  For a year, I was a clinician.  Now, I am a team leader (supervisor to clinicians).  In both roles, I have often explained Mental Health Skill-building Services (MHSS) to community members and those with whom I work.  (Disclaimer:  These are my own opinions and thoughts, not necessarily those of the company for which I work.)

I think this analogy is the best description I have created:

A psychiatrist is the one who prescribes medications to address chemical imbalances in a person's brain.

A counselor is the one who helps a person work through previous trauma, family relationships, and all the other things that lay heavy upon a person's heart.

A MHSS clinician is the one who helps you learn how to do the things you need to develop a healthy life by reducing impact of mental illness.  MHSS clinicians also teach skills which were not otherwise developed - for example, communication skills, social skills, independent living skills like maintenance of hygiene, budgeting, cooking, household maintenance, etc.  MHSS clinicians train your hands how to work.

A Case Manager helps coordinate all other mental health and physical health providers and links people to community resources to meet a person's needs.

A treatment team means all the mental health providers and medical providers work together in order to provide appropriate treatment.


What MHSS is not... based on medicaid requirements and purview of services.

MHSS is not a taxi service or a companionship service - clinicians accompany clients to appointments when there is MHSS justification for doing so.  If the clinician is not needed, then developing independent transportation becomes an skill upon which client and clinician works.

MHSS is not a counseling service.  While many MHSS clinicians have Master's Degrees, not everyone does.  Further, counselors must hold a counseling license.  MHSS clinicians have a different criteria/qualification.  In Virginia, clinicians must be Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) and specified for adults (QMHP-A) or chidren (QMHP-C).

MHSS is not a butler or maid service.  While clinicians often work with a client, it does no good (and often causes harm) if clinicians work harder than the client or "take over" tasks the client is able to complete.  Further, MHSS focuses on teaching skills, which means the client should be doing the work with assistance from the clinician.

MHSS is not a crisis service.  Because MHSS is not a counseling or therapy service, it would be inappropriate to attempt to provide crisis intervention and stabilization services - which have a fairly significant amount of therapeutic components.

MHSS is not a forever service - once goals are accomplished, discharge occurs.  The focus of MHSS is training people to be independent as much as possible.  Progress is tracked on a regular basis and treatment plans are tailored to the needs of each client.