Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to elicit client perspectives on the Los Angeles County Full Service Partnership (FSP) program - an adaptation of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 FSP clients. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Two major themes were identified from the interview data: (1) Clients’ acknowledgement of the material benefits of the FSP program; and (2) FSP’s impact on restoring and stabilizing clients’ social and treatment relationships. Interviewees greatly valued the material (i.e., basic needs, housing assistance) and relational (i.e., relationships with providers, restored personal relationships) aspects of the program, but did not ascribe the same degree of value to mental health treatment. Interviewees’ emphases on material and relational aspects reflect the status of assertive mental health treatment as an intervention on intermediary determinants of health in the lives of persons diagnosed with serious mental illness.
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Acknowledgements
Dr. Erickson - Grant (R25 MH086466) support from the National Institutes of Health R25 Research Education Program. Dr. Marti – None. Dr. Choi – None. Dr. Eberhart – None. Dr. Ashwood – None. Dr. Zima – None. Ms. Montero – None. Dr. Kataoka – None. Dr. Bromley – None.
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Blake Erickson: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis and investigation, Writing – original draft preparation, review and editing; F. Alethea Marti: Methodology, Formal analysis and investigation, Writing – review and editing; Kristen Choi: Methodology, Formal analysis and investigation, Writing – review and editing; Nicole Eberhart: Methodology, Formal analysis and investigation, Funding acquisition, Resources; J. Scott Ashwood: Methodology, Formal analysis and investigation, Funding acquisition, Resources; Bonnie Zima: Methodology, Formal analysis and investigation, Writing – review and editing, Funding acquisition, Resources; Alanna Montero: Writing – review and editing; Sheryl Kataoka: Methodology, Formal analysis and investigation, Funding acquisition, Resources; Elizabeth Bromley: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis and investigation, Writing – original draft preparation, reviewing and editing, Funding acquisition, Resources, Supervision.
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The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests, or other conflicts of interest, in completion of this study. This work was supported by the California Mental Health Services Authority, with funds provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, who had no involvement in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; or in the decision to submit the article for publication. This study, which involved human participants, was approved by the RAND Institutional Review Board. The study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed Consent was obtained from all interview participants or their legal guardians, if applicable, prior to the interview. All authors certify their responsibility for this manuscript.
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Erickson, B.R., Marti, F.A., Choi, K. et al. “They Just Helped Save My Life:” Client Perspectives on the Los Angeles County Full Service Partnership (FSP) Program for Serious Mental Illness. Community Ment Health J 59, 1227–1234 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-023-01096-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-023-01096-z