The Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) is an interdisciplinary team that provides comprehensive, community-based psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and support to persons who experience serious and persistent mental illness or concurrent issues that are complex and cause significant functional impairments.
This person-centered, recovery-oriented program helps people achieve their goals, improve their health and quality of life, and live as independently as possible.
Our ACT Team
Our interdisciplinary ACT team is comprised of the following:
- Psychiatrists
- Registered nurses
- Social workers
- Occupational therapists
- Addictions counsellors
- Housing Support Coordinator
- Peer support workers
The team works closely with other care providers including family physicians, staff from other agencies, and inpatient teams to facilitate individualized treatment goals.
How Our Services Are Delivered
ACTT provides clinical services, ongoing assessment of mental health concerns, treatment, monitoring, and promotes medication compliance as required.
Our services are most often delivered in the person’s home or locations within the community that promote comfort and convenience to the individual. Direct client services are available daily, seven days per week.
Who Does Assertive Community Treatment Serve?
ACTT services are designed for adults 18 years of age and older, and priority is given to people with long-term mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. These illnesses often cause long-term disability, frequent and lengthy psychiatric hospitalizations, and disrupt community living and the individual’s potential to recover.
Additionally, persons living with serious mental illness may have coexisting substance abuse disorders, difficulty with basic survival needs, and may be unable to participate in traditional, office-based or case management services. In these situations, highly-integrated and individualized services are required.
Persons living with a serious mental health illness often have complex needs and find it difficult to engage in other mental health services, therefore an assertive approach to care is required.
Step-Down Program
For those individuals who have experienced enhanced recovery over time, the Thresholds ACT program has a Step-Down component to the service. Individuals in Step-Down were previously supported by ACTT and are now being transitioned to a Housing Support Coordinator for ongoing support.
If the need should arise, they can be moved up to ACTT level support at any time. Typically, in the Step-Down program, people are supported in a less intensive/less frequent manner.
Referral Process
An ACTT Referral form for Waterloo Region needs to be completed and can be accessed by contacting Here 24/7 at 1-844-437-3247. New referral applications are reviewed by a Community Intake Group.
Each referral is assessed to confirm that ACTT is the appropriate level of support required. Consumers referred to the Assertive Community Treatment Team from other less intensive teams or services when they require more frequent contact that only an ACTT can provide.