Each jurisdiction has its own terminology, so the job description of a case manager may be called something else in other areas.  In our experience, a “case manager” is a social worker who assists a person with mental illness. Case managers may work in conjunction with a therapist or psychiatrist, as part of a mental healthcare team and they work for the Department of Mental Health directly or through an agency that is contracted with the Department of Mental Health.

Case managers may be part of the FSP (Full Service Partnership) program as well as the AOT (Assisted Outpatient Treatment) program. The FSP and AOT programs are not available in every U.S. city, but hopefully they will be one day. A case manager often has a master’s degree in Social Work. Some jurisdictions require it.

A case manager may meet with their client weekly or more often if needed.  They may assist in helping a person find housing, obtain disability benefits, or take care of any other matters that a mentally ill person needs and has difficulty handling alone.  This can include “ADL’s” which stands for Activities of Daily Living.  They are not therapists, but may literally drive their client to see a therapist or any doctor. They may help a person get clothing, a bus pass, a new I.D., take care of some financial matter, or even something as basic as getting food. A case manager may also do recreational things with their client, which could include trips to the beach, movies, out to lunch, physical exercise or shopping.

It all depends on how high-functioning the client is and whether or not they are stable.  A case manager may help their client find employment or register for classes. A normally high-functioning person may hit a difficult time in their life and need extra help, companionship, or even emergency care; some case managers are authorized to get their client hospitalized if it’s needed.

Depending on the jurisdiction, a case manager might work with their client for a year or more, but if the client moves to another area, there is a limit to the range of the “service area” and the client might need to obtain a different case manager if they move far enough away.  A good case manager will get to know their client on a very personal level and they may be able to help their client problem-solve, negotiate communication problems with house mates or authority figures and make better choices in their life, such as staying away from drugs.

Case managers with different training and skill sets will be assigned to minors versus adults or a client who has entered the criminal justice system versus one who does not have those additional challenges.

 

Written by Kartar Diamond, author of Noah’s Schizophrenia: A Mother’s Search for Truth