Service Description

Crisis Intervention: (this is often called “emergency services”). If you have a mental health or alcohol or other drug emergency, you should get help right away. A situation is considered an emergency when a person is at immediate risk of harm to self or someone else. This service is provided by New Horizons staff that are located in the Fairfield Medical Center (FMC) emergency room. This service is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week to you and to any community member who is experiencing an immediate and serious mental health crisis. Persons in crisis may call the special emergency services number (687-8255). Due to funding reductions, this phone line is not currently available for general telephone support or counseling. Persons in crisis may also go directly to the FMC emergency room. Everyone who comes to the Emergency Room is examined by FMC emergency room staff before being seen by our crisis intervention staff. If you think you may ever need to use this crisis intervention service, please ask your clinician any questions you have about how to seek this service.

Diagnostic assessment: This is referred to as “the intake.” This is an individual session with a therapist to determine your current mental health and or alcohol and other drug needs and desires, and to come up with initial treatment recommendations. Because an accurate diagnosis is so important to the success of your treatment, every new client and every re-admitted client starts with a diagnostic assessment. After the assessment, the therapist may recommend other New Horizons services to you, or you may request other services yourself. The therapist may also suggest other services outside of New Horizons that you could benefit from.

Psychological Evaluation: This is a specialized, one-time, extensive evaluation that you may request or we may recommend. It is performed by a licensed psychologist or a psychology assistant who is under the supervision of a psychologist.

Counseling/Psychotherapy (C/P): This is sometimes called “therapy” or “counseling.” Individual therapy involves only the client and the therapist. In group therapy several clients participate in therapy at the same time. Clients are able to share experiences and learn that others feel the same way, and have some of the same experiences. Marital or couples therapy helps partners and spouses work together on relationships and mental health issues. Family therapy often involves several family members so that your family system can function better for each of the family members. Intensive home-based therapy is a specialized service for families who are experiencing multiple difficulties. This program seeks to provide a level of care that is sufficient to safely prevent any out of home placement of the child.
In all forms of therapy for mental health and/or alcohol or drug issues, the therapist works with you to identify and then resolve issues that are leading to your current life difficulties.

Medication-Somatic Service: This is psychiatric care. It starts with an evaluation by a psychiatrist, who is a medical doctor. Should the doctor recommend that you take a specific medication, and you decide to take that medication you will then be seen periodically by the doctor to help you manage the medication. An agency nurse will help you with medication management as well.

Community Psychiatric Supportive Treatment (CPST): This may also be known as case management. We try to make a CPST Specialist available to those children and adults who have severe and chronic mental health disorders and/or alcohol and other drug disorders. The purpose of CPST is to assist in your recovery by helping you to learn daily living skills, to manage your illness, to seek assistance in other places, and to find employment or to initiate other meaningful life activities.

Early Mental Health Intervention: This service takes place in selected city and county schools, not in the agency. Generally a teacher or other school official refers specific children to our intervention specialists who are licensed counselors or social workers. We then seek parental permission to work with the child in the school setting. Children who are experiencing academic, behavioral, emotional or social difficulties in school are eligible for the service. Only those schools that contract with the agency have access to this service.