Crisis Team

Mental health crisis response services are a vital part of any mental health service system. A well-designed crisis response system can provide backup to community providers, perform outreach by connecting first-time users to appropriate services and improve community relations by providing reassurance that the person’s needs are met in a mental health crisis.

Rural Nevada Counseling’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) offers:

1.  24-Hour Crisis line which is that first point of contact for a person in crisis or their loved one. Telephone crisis services provide assessment, screening, triage, preliminary counseling, and information along with setting up a referral to our CCBHC. You do not need to be a current client to access our 24-hour crisis line. Our crisis line is designed for those who are experiencing mental health or substance misuse related emergencies.

Rural Nevada Counseling’s Crisis line is: 775-431-0211

If you are having a medical emergency, please remember to dial “911”

2.  Walk-in crisis services, our CCBHC which is centrally located in Silver Springs, Nevada offers immediate attention. They focus on resolving the crisis in a less intensive setting than a hospital, though we do recommend hospitalization when appropriate. Walk-in clinics may serve as drop-off centers for law enforcement to reduce unnecessary arrests. Do you face challenges with transportation or are in Lyon County but not close to our Silver Springs location? No worries, all our Outpatient locations (Fernley, Silver Springs, Dayton, and Yerington) do serve as Walk-in Crisis Centers, and we will meet you at these locations as needed. Your mental health is our top concern.

3.  Mobile crisis teams intervene wherever the crisis is occurring, often working closely with the police, crisis hotlines and hospital emergency personnel. Mobile teams may provide pre-screening assessments or act as gatekeepers for inpatient hospitalization, and we can also connect you with our CCBHC services.

(Courtesy of NAMI and NAMI’s definition of “Effective Mental Health Crisis Services.” https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/Getting-Treatment-During-a-Crisis)

ACT (Assertive Community Treatment)

Assertive community treatment (ACT) is a form of community-based mental health care for individuals experiencing serious mental illness that interferes with their ability to live in the community, attend appointments with professionals in clinics and hospitals, and manage mental health symptoms.

The simple definition of assertive community treatment is an intensive, integrated approach to community mental health service delivery. What this means is that mental health services are provided in a community setting (rather than a more restrictive residential or hospital setting) to people experiencing serious mental illness.

Secondary goals include reducing homelessness and unnecessary hospital stays. In this way, ACT offers treatment in the “real world” and the team of professionals provides help using a “whole team” approach.

Many people suffer from symptoms of mental illness that impact their ability to function in daily life and that land them in the hospital emergency department seeking services. The goal of ACT is to reduce this reliance on hospitals by providing round-the-clock services to the people who need it most. In this way, assertive community treatment could be expected to help to reduce preventable outcomes of mental illness, such as homelessness and substance abuse.

Who Assertive Community Treatment Serves

If you or a family member has been assigned ACT services, you might wonder why you were chosen to receive this type of service. Below is a list of the most common reasons a person will be offered assertive community treatment services:

• Persons with severe symptoms of mental illness.
• People with significant thought disorders such as schizophrenia.
• Young adults experiencing early-stage schizophrenia.
• People with stigmatized mental illnesses.
• Persons with high rates of substance abuse.
• People with a significant history of trauma.
• Those with frequent hospital stays.
• People experiencing homelessness due to mental illness.
• Persons with overlapping physical and mental illnesses (for instance, hard-of-hearing individuals with a mental illness).
• Persons experiencing psychiatric crises.
• People with mental illness in the criminal justice system.
• Refugees with mental illness.
• People unlikely to attend appointments at hospitals or clinics.
• People who have not responded well to traditional outpatient care.

(Cunic, A. (2020, April 7). What to expect from Assertive Community Treatment. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/assertive-community-treatment-4587610)

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