ABA

The psychiatric rehabilitation program is one of the key components of ABA Health Services' public health approach to treating mental illness. Psych rehab, also known as psychosocial rehabilitation, is the process of restoring a consumer’s well-being and ability to function in the community. Psych rehab programs combine pharmacologic treatment with psychological support and training in independent living and social skills. Mental health providers like to say that recovery is a process rather than an outcome – the process of learning to live with the illness rather than being dened by it. Some ABA counselors who provide psych rehab services use the phrase “light touch” to refer to the somewhat informal, less-structured assistance psych rehab professionals give to consumers in community settings. ABA's psych rehab program has structure: adult consumers meet with a rehab counselor at least seven times a month, and minors meet with a counselor three times a month. The ABA staff includes rehab counselors, rehab specialist Sophia Anuforoh RN, MBA, and a rehab director Albertus Njoku, Ph.D. Mike Brown is one of ABA's dedicated psych counselors. Brown’s psych rehab consumers have his cell phone number, so they can call him at any time, Brown says. “If they have a problem they can give me a call and I can 'talk them down' if they feel (problems) coming on. I can get them back down to a level of reality where they are feeling better.” In doing so, the rehab worker can often prevent the need for hospitalization. “We're following what is on their treatment plan. But life is more than just a treatment plan; a lot of different things happen in life. They can bounce things off me and I can help them with whatever they may be going through.” “A lot of the things I do for consumers are not in the plan; they're just what they need to get through life,” says Brown, who has a dual bachelor's degree in community health and social work from Morgan State University, and an MSW degree from the same school. K N O W I N G T H E C O N S U M E R

P S Y C H R E H A B H E L P S C L I E N T S S U C C E E D

”IF THEY HAVE A PROBLEM, THEY CAN GIVE ME A CALL AND I CAN 'TALK THEM DOWN.'” – Mike Brown, ABA Health Services counselor

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