Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

them to available resources, provide supportive counselling, and monitor and evaluate
the effectiveness of the services provided. This task includes coordinating services
mandated by any Community Treatment Orders—an order from a doctor that requires a
person to receive treatment while living in the community. 13 Case management services
are provided by mental health support organizations, such as CMHA Toronto and Cota
Health, among others. 14
(e) Assertive Community Treatment Teams
19. Some hospitals and community treatment organizations operate Assertive
Community Treatment Teams (ACT Teams), which coordinate professionals from
several care-giving disciplines, such as social workers, nurses, vocational specialists,
occupational therapists, psychiatrists, peer support workers, and addictions specialists.
These professionals provide proactive outreach, individualized psychiatric treatment,
medication, and ongoing and continuous mental health services to individuals,
including monitoring and evaluation of patients. These ACT Teams aim to support
individuals in their recovery, and to help these individuals develop the ability to live in
the community. There are 13 ACT Teams in Toronto.
(f) Peer-support and self-help
20. One of the themes frequently expressed over the course of this Review is the
importance of enabling people who experience mental health issues to help themselves
through their own crises, and for them to play an active role in their own treatment and
recovery.
21. Mental health-focused clubhouses, drop-in centres, and other organizations that
promote self-help, support people with persistent mental illnesses by bringing people
together through restorative activities that focus on their strengths and abilities instead
of their illness. 15 These organizations vary in their formality, structure, and
membership, as some require an application and evaluation, while others are casual
meeting places open to everyone.
22. People who have experienced mental health issues often work proactively
alongside staff, rather than as passive patients who receive services. This model seeks to
demonstrate to members that people with mental illness can lead productive lives and
make a contribution to the community. 16 These organizations may provide a range of
services, including: community support and case management services; a structured
13
Mental Health Helpline, “Services”, supra note 11.
14
Canadian Mental Health Association Toronto, “Case Management Services” (2014), online: Canadian Mental Health Association
Toronto ; COTA Health, “Mental Health Case Management”,
online: COTA Health .
15
It is my understanding that, in the mental health context, a “clubhouse” is an organization with a defined membership that usually
provides psychosocial rehabilitation services across a range of social, vocational, housing, and recreational services and activities,
and helps members liaise with other mental health service providers. A “drop-in” is usually a less formal organization, without a
defined membership, but which may provide some or all of the same services that a “clubhouse” does, on a more ad hoc basis.
16
Clubhouse International, “How Clubhouses Can Help” (2014), online: Clubhouse International .
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