STEPPS in The Netherlands

2016 ◽  
pp. 51-67
Author(s):  
Horusta Freije
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Treatment ◽  
Mental Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Community Mental Health Agencies ◽  
Dutch Language

This chapter describes the introduction and implementation of STEPPS (and STAIRWAYS) in The Netherlands, starting in 1998. The program was translated into the Dutch language (VERS I and VERS II) and has been gradually implemented nationwide. Apart from the United States, The Netherlands has the largest number of STEPPS programs. Research conducted in The Netherlands on STEPPS is reviewed, including controlled and uncontrolled studies. Several STEPPS-based training formats have been developed, including those for adolescents, family members of patients, and patients who are parents. The basic VERS I program has also been implemented as a part of assertive community treatment for patients with psychotic disorders and comorbid personality problems, and it is used in community mental health agencies, forensic facilities, and addiction clinics. A brief version of STEPPS has also been developed.

Computers and process description for community mental health care

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (S1) ◽  
pp. 81-90
Author(s):  
Rob Bale ◽  
Matthew Fiander ◽  
Tom Burns
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Assertive Community Treatment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Treatment ◽  
Practice Characteristics

The focus of mental health care has seen a significant shift from institutional care to community based care and has been well described (Thornicroft & Bebbington, 1989). This shift has necessitated the development of new and flexible models for ensuring that patients' needs are met. Mental health professionals have to operate across a wide range of community contexts dealing with a complex range of needs. Intensive Case Management (ICM) also known as Assertive Community Treatment is a model of service provision to the long term mentally ill in the community. The Programme of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) developed by Stein & Test (1980) in the United States has a number of Key elements (figure 1).ACT-based ICM is unusual in that it has been extensively researched (principally in the United States of America), and programmes are relatively well described. Such descriptions, especially of programmes outside America, often focus on underlying principals and philosophies and do little to measure practice. Teague et al. (1995), however, devised clear criteria for measuring practice components and McGrew et al. (1994) asked ACT “experts” to rate the “key” elements of PACT and related a number of these to levels of hospital use. In the United Kingdom, Thornicroft (1991) listed twelve axes for describing the central practice characteristics of case management (a broad concept including ICM). These UK ‘practice characteristics’ also focus more on macro-level programme description rather than on the practices of programme staff. There is a pressing need for research into exactly what teams do.

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