What Is Case Management?
Case management is a collaborative process between a case manager and client to build a plan of action for the client’s care. A case manager can find support services to help clients achieve not only their mental health care goals, but also their life goals. Finding support services can be complicated and confusing if you are trying to navigate making a recovery plan for yourself or a loved one. However, a case manager can relieve some of those stressors because they are well trained in finding resources and building a plan that will best support your needs.
The Case Management Society of America (CMSA) and other networks have broken case management down into six core elements:
- Client identification and eligibility
- Assessment of the client and their needs
- Care planning and goal setting
- Implementation of a care plan
- Monitoring care plan progression
- Transitioning out of the case management process
What Do Case Managers Do?
Beyond the six core elements of case management, a case manager’s job is to connect with the client and work collaboratively to build and support a plan for the client’s recovery journey. The scope of a case manager’s work can also extend to the family and friends of the client. Working with a client’s loved ones is an important part of a case manager’s work. Aftercare in recovery focuses on healing the whole person, including the valuable relationships in a client’s life.
A case manager’s work can include:
- Shared decision-making with a client
- Advocacy for the needs and goals of a client
- Helping clients learn to set goals
- Finding and making referrals for resources
- Supporting clients in building life skills
Why Is Case Management Important in Recovery?
Experiences with substance use disorder (SUD) can have an impact on every area of your life, such as education, work status, and basic life skills. With these realities in mind, your case manager advocates for you on your recovery journey. According to an article from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), your case manager can provide a well-rounded continuum of care that supports goal setting, skill building, and the development of healthier behaviors and patterns. If you are struggling to achieve your needs and goals, a case manager can help you take the necessary steps to discover and build those long-term goals for your body, mind, and spirit.
How Can a Case Manager Help Me?
A case manager can help you:
- Set long-term goals
- Pursue education
- Identify and develop skills
- Attend interviews
- Find employment
- Schedule appointments
Your case manager will work with you on the essential tasks needed to support your life. However, your case manager’s work goes beyond helping you develop skills for survival. The collaborative work between you and your case manager focuses on supporting you in the creation of a life you do not want to risk. A case manager will walk with you as you discover the person you want to be and the life you want to lead. Together, you will build a foundation that covers the eight dimensions of wellness for a sustainable and long-term life in recovery.
Eight Dimensions of Wellness in Recovery
According to SAMHSA, the eight dimensions of wellness are:
- Financial
- Social
- Physical
- Intellectual
- Emotional
- Spiritual
- Environmental
- Occupational
Grace Recovery TX’s Approach to Case Management
At Grace Recovery TX, we believe in a ten-pillar approach to supporting your journey toward a life worthy of your commitment and joy in sobriety. We know how important a support team in aftercare is to the development of healthier habits. Therefore, we connect Grace members with a case manager and recovery coach to help you build the necessary life skills you need to support your life in long-term recovery.
When you become a Grace member, you are given a 20-minute coaching and case management assessment to help us learn about you and your goals and how we can best support you. Next, you will meet regularly with your case manager at our other center, Emerge Recovery TX. Your case manager will also update your family or other support people on your progress routinely by email. Working in collaboration, your case manager will help you set long-term goals and commit to taking steps toward achieving those goals during and beyond your time with us.
Some of the ten pillars of our approach to case management include:
- Leisure
- Hobbies
- Nutrition
- Work
- School
- Volunteering
- Relationships
- Legal issues
To learn more about the interconnected work we do at Grace Recovery and Emerge Recovery, visit our Resources page.
Setting Goals With a Case Manager
Our approach to case management in recovery focuses on your development as a person in sobriety with skills and goals that support healthy behaviors and thought patterns for lifelong recovery. With your case manager at Grace Recovery TX, you will develop six of your own business-related goals to support your personal growth as you find joy and excitement in the life you are building for yourself.
Some examples of business-related goals include:
- Returning to school
- Seeking higher education
- Building a resume
- Job research
- Budgeting
To learn more about our approach to recovery, visit our Home page.
Case management is a stepping stone toward lifelong recovery as you work collaboratively with a case manager to reach your goals. Our work at Grace Recovery TX is built upon developing an individualized support team to help you build skills and form goals that will support you in leading a life you are excited about. Call us today at (737) 237-9663 to learn how you can start taking steps to build the life you deserve in long-term recovery.