I feel like that

klmno

Active Member
ticking time bomb right now. Is there some valid reason that our mental health dept. refuses to let me speak with a case manager just to get some questions answered, like the person from the state agency recommended?

All they want me to do is go through their intake process and get in their system, then someone will call me. No, they don't realize it right now, but we are already in their system, just not as active clients. The reason I won't tell them this is because 18 mos ago I tod them that to avoid going thru the process again because I was trying to get an appointment with a therapist for difficult child. They would not let him/us see any therapist other than the one that had seen difficult child had seen about 8 mos. earlier. We were not happy with that therapist- he didn't know anything (he spent 3 mos going over family history, assuring me he could help if I just kept doing this), bs'd me for 3 mos, then finally threw his hands up in the air and said he didn't know what to do and had difficult child tdo'd. difficult child got to the psychiatric hospital and they said difficult child had the flu and should never had been tdo'd. I can't stand these people!! They "lost" all of difficult child's files/records EXCEPT the one saying we were already in the system- and they repetitively told me it is their policy that once you see one therapist out there, you can only make an appointment with that one- no matter how long it has been since you have been an active patient. Do you think difficult child will ever talk to that guy again? Do you think I will ever believe anything he says?
 

Christy

New Member
What happened to free choice? Why can't you see any of the therapist's working in there system. It sounds like a communist country! And if the therapist says he can't help why would they expect you to go back to him? I hope you get lucky and find someone who can look at this rationally instead of just reading off policies and procedures. Good luck finding your way out of this beuracratic maze and getting help for your difficult child!

Christy
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
What happened to free choice? Why can't you see any of the therapist's working in there system. It sounds like a communist country! And if the therapist says he can't help why would they expect you to go back to him? I hope you get lucky and find someone who can look at this rationally instead of just reading off policies and procedures. Good luck finding your way out of this beuracratic maze and getting help for your difficult child!

Christy

Christy, free choice is actually limited to choosing to work within their rules or not use their service. At least, that is what the intake worker will tell klmno, because that is as much as the intake worker knows. She's most likely a dimwit with a GED who answers phones, hands out forms, and takes messages. (Nothing against GED's. I've got one myself ;) )

klmno, if it were me, knowing what I know now, I'd make an appointment with the idiot, go in on my own (or even with difficult child if you think you could get difficult child to be "in on it"), and tell the guy "We know we need help, but you really blew it and here's how. Will you refer us back for assignment to a different therapist? We won't work with you again, and you should be able to swallow your pride and understand that this is not a good fit."

They can change things, but only if you jump through the hoops in the right order. I imagine that they switch Tdocs all the time for Tdocs who don't want to work with particular people. Make him refer you to someone else because he's incompatible with your family's dynamics. After all, it's therapy, not a 3,000 mile oil change.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
Maybe you can give them a bogus name to put into their happy system, if all you need is questions answered.
 

klmno

Active Member
I was ticked this morning (could you tell? LOL) So, I called the state dept of mental health. They gave me the phone number of the asst director of the board at the local jurisdiction. I have a call into him now but they did tell me he would be in a meeting this afternoon. Anyway, the state dept lady gave me the name of another person at the state- child & family services, I think, and told me call this person there if the local asst director didn't return my call within a few days. This lady is giving me direct phone #'s- not the "main" phone number, I guess because I mentioned that the people answering the phone will not let me speak with anyone with the Children Services Board (CSB) or a case manager. (This all happened from work this morning.)

So, I just get home a few mins ago to let dogs out and take a short break before going to get difficult child for today's appointment. Someone calls from the local mental health dept- he is returning my call from early this morning (which was the call I made before I called the state and asst director.) Anyway, I kept trying to get him to tell me which dept he was calling from, finally he says "intake". AARRRGGGHHHH!!! He says he can answer my questions. I say no you can't, thank you, and hung up. If I ever do get to speak with someone about Children Services Board (CSB)/case manager, etc, and they tell me that we would have to get services from that place, well, let's just say, it won't happen.
 

klmno

Active Member
Good idea, Shari! But, when we did go thru intake for real, I went through the whole process of giving info, signing forms, giving insurance doumentation, just to be put on a 3 mo long waiting list.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
That's BS.

Even bigger BS that the guy called and beat around the bush about being from intake.

And they wonder why people say the system is broken.
 

klmno

Active Member
Well, pfffft, as one great Lady on this board has said before.

I called the first state agency on Monday morning due to financial mess and medication insurance and, basicly, the whole problem. She is the one who told me to talk with a case manager at our local Children Services Board (CSB) (community services board) so we could get this turned around- ie, medicaid questions answered and how to get enough help so I could return to work full-time or wouldn't need to right away. Well, I guess when I talked to state dept of mental health today, I didn't explain all those details- I just said that the rep from the state office for disabilities told me I needed to contact a case manager and get Children Services Board (CSB) information. So, this person gave me contact names and numbers so I could bypass the receptionist. that is still a good thing.

However, I happened to think this might not be completely accurate. So, i've been looking up stuff on the web. You actually have to apply for medicaid or the state insurance through social services. You can't get any help from Children Services Board (CSB) if you are not on some approved list from DSS. This might be why no one from Children Services Board (CSB) will speak with me (You would think they could have just gotten on the phone and told me that.) Anyway, it looks like I need to talk to DSS first. The Children Services Board (CSB) is for services like in-home help and things above and beyond outpatient therapy. (Sounds great but I'd bet money there is a 6 mo waiting list and they rule your life if you get it.) We could end up needing this, but right now, I'd be happy to get the basic help. It appears that if you don't need the "extra" help, you wouldn't have to use the tdocs and psychiatrists at the local mental health agency.

Now, at DSS, will they have a separate dept. for medicaid and state insurance applicants- or will I have to deal with the social worker for family assessments that told my bro how to file for custody of my difficult child last year and who threatened me with removal of my difficult child for no reason at the courthouse? (have I mentioned how I feel about her?) She kind of made up for a little of it- she told me before the "big" hearing last year that no one in this county or state could do more for my difficult child than I was already doing and just keep doing it and advocating for him. Then, she told the judge that she couldn't find a placement (meaning Residential Treatment Center (RTC)) for difficult child. I never knew if she said that to eliminate the option for the judge and keep difficult child at home- or worse- I heard from one attny that she couldn't get an Residential Treatment Center (RTC) for difficult child because there are only about 2 in the state and they won't accept kids that have set any kind of fire- even a brush fire- misdemeanor or felony. Leaving no option- if difficult child ever had to be placed out of home- it is either in detention (state or local) or out of state. (Another reason I figure I might as well consider moving now- although- I would prefer to wait until next summer when he is between middle school and high school.)
 

amazeofgrace

A maze of Grace - that about sums it up
I can relate, certain "goverment" services have been a God send to me. My In home therapist should have a halo on her head and MY CMO worker is awesome. But on a whole the system is so very very flawed! I refuse to take him for another emergency psychiatric evaluation EVER unless I am legally forced to, I do not care how many knives he is pulling on me, it's a joke to spend 12 hours in a waiting room, re-telling everything you have in place for difficult child and then being sent home at 1am, and told to call mobile response (which is a bigger joke then the ER) if you have a nother problem.
 

klmno

Active Member
Now- see I have found the opposite experience here! LOL! The ER is mine (and really his) salvation. That in-home therapist they sent over here made me cringe- he wanted to accompany me to every therapist and psychiatrist appointment, sd meeting, etc., pertaining to difficult child and tell me parental decisions to make and give us a behavioral contract. That was it. No real "therapy" (at least by my definition). I had to go to court to get him out of our lives- I couldn't stand it. He evn wanted to dictate the treatment plan for difficult child, yet he didn't know **** about mood cycling or BiPolar (BP) or any anxiety/stress related stuff that is normally addressed with cognitive therapy of some sort.
 

klmno

Active Member
Thankk you, SteelY!

Oops- I missed Witz's post earlier. Witz- that therapist happened to also work part time with the individual therapist that difficult child was seeing for the past year (until a month ago). Everytime I saw him, I cringed. He must have known because he never acknowledged either of us at all. You could tell he knew who we were though. I still get so steamed about it- I wouldn't be able to speak half-way civil to him. They don't seem to understand that it isn't just that they were "NO HELP". The time spent with them is time that could be spent with a different therapist who maybe could have helped. And difficult child was seriously a danger to himself at that point in time (not that day- nut period of time). When this therapist had difficult child tdo'd, he said he would explain to difficult child what was going on so he wouldn't flip out. He didn't- never said a word to him- he called the cops and went home because his work day was over. Left me and difficult child sitting there waiting.
 
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