6 - Tale of Two Stories: Evaluation of Staff and Residents Experiences in Crisis Residential Treatment Programs

Abstract Information: Crisis residential treatment (CRT) programs provide a critical service to individuals experiencing acute mental health crises in a non-hospital setting. The goals of CRT programs are to stabilize, reduce symptoms, prevent hospitalization, and connect residents to longer-term outpatient programs to support their road to recovery. This presentation will outline an evaluation framework for CRT programs, which aims to understand the experiences of the CRT staff who provide these critical services to residents with high needs as well as assess the effectiveness of CRTs in supporting their mental health and well-being. The evaluation utilized a mixed method approach and includes the use of surveys/questionnaires and administrative data analysis. The findings from the evaluation will tell a story about the experiences of staff and residents at two CRT programs. It will provide valuable insights that can inform future program development and improvement efforts.

Relevance Statement: Crisis residential treatment (CRT) programs are a unique behavioral health program that provides much needed critical services to individuals experiencing acute mental health crisis in a non-hospital setting. Intensive support and treatment are provided to the residents on a short-term basis so that they will be ready for outpatient services and continue to progress on their road to recovery. Past studies have estimated significant cost savings to the local health care system from the use of CRTs (Olmstead, et al., 2021; Thomas, et al., 2013). This economic benefit has increased interest in CRTs as a practical alternative to hospitalizations in many communities. However, funders and program management need to also demonstrate to stakeholders of the quality of services provided and the effectiveness of CRT programs. However, that is only one side of the story, effectively implementing CRTs are highly dependent on program staff. It is vital to assess staff experiences to help retain a stable workforce that can provide consistent, high-quality services. Staff in CRT programs have unique challenges and experiences because of the nature of their work requires working with high acuity residents in a 24-hour setting. Understanding their experiences can provide rich information on the how CRTs are being implemented and inform improvements in staff experiences as well as the programs. The purpose of this demonstration is to outline the evaluation framework that one community mental health center’s internal evaluation team utilized to understand CRT program staff experiences and assess the impact of its two CRT programs. The evaluation incorporated a collaborative and participatory approach by engaging program managers and staff in generating evaluation questions, collecting data, understanding results, and facilitating the use of those results for program improvement and advocacy. Through the demonstration, participants will gain practical information that will help them reflect on their current evaluation practices and gain practical tools and strategies to apply to their own evaluation projects.