A behavioral health consultant is uniquely positioned to help an organization with their business challenges. Whether the role is administrative, clinical, financial, or programmatic, the consultant is considered the expert in solving the organization's problems. But this position as an advisor comes with some pitfalls if the organization does not take accountability during a consulting project to own the project.
When a project starts, each side has its own duties and responsibilities. The consultant conducts their project based on interviews and information gathered and submits deliverables at agreed-upon times. The client has specific responsibilities. Among them are providing the information needed, being upfront about their needs, and communicating with the consultant when the project needs to meet expectations. But what may be missing is that, when the project is done, the organization must embrace the deliverables and make them their own. Because if something happened to the consultant, would they know what to do?
Here's a hypothetical example of what can go wrong. Suppose a residential program wants to become accredited. The program hires a behavioral health consultant to do the work; the policies and procedures, training, and operations review; everything necessary to pass the accreditation. And the program receives its three-year accreditation. But one thing needs to be added. The program's Executive Director delegates too much responsibility to the consultant. They believe that no continued work is necessary once the accreditation is completed. Years pass without any policy updates or yearly reports to the accreditation agency. When it comes time to conduct the recertification for the organization, the program is unprepared. The Executive Director thought the accreditation was a "one-and-done" process.
It could be argued that the consultant was responsible for informing the organization about the ongoing renewal process (which might have happened). However, it is the Executive Director's (in this case) role to own and be accountable to their board from the beginning on the role of accreditation. It is the same process as an RFP. Although the consultant may write the RFP, it is still the role of the Executive Director to read it through and ensure the document reflects accurately before sending it to the funding entity.
Ensuring you understand the behavioral health consultant's project from beginning to end saves you from future grief.
Praxes Behavioral Health offers consulting on program development and more. Feel free to contact us for more information.
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PRAXES is a nationwide behavioral health software, consulting, and training company. No one in the behavioral health industry has a better reputation, and if you give us the chance, we’ll show you why! At PRAXES, our services improve the efficiency and structure of behavioral health agencies serving children and families nationwide. PRAXES brings over 45 years of administrative and clinical expertise. With more than 100 client companies nationwide, we offer the expertise to advance the quality of behavioral health services. We accomplish these goals through our new clinical decision software, our training of best practices, and helping companies meet regulatory standards. At PRAXES, we believe in being creative and fostering new ways to serve children and their families. Our vision is to empower the families our agencies serve with skills that not only improve their functioning, but help them to thrive in their everyday lives. When you give us the chance, you’ll be connected directly to our friendly staff, so you can expect immediate attention to your inquiry. So, don’t wait, call now!
Dan Thorne has unique perspectives on the field of mental health. As a clinician, he has had over 40 years of experience working with clients in the Southern California area. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine, he worked with children in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. Here he honed his earliest techniques on at-risk children. After that, he obtained his Master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton.
In the 1990’s, Dan turned his attention to the clinical and administrative side of behavioral health organizations. For three years, he was the Assistant Administrator of Starting Point, a chemical dependency facility in Costa Mesa, CA. In 2001, he took an opportunity to be the Director of Harbor View Community Services Center in Long Beach. When he arrived, the Center had only 80 clients and 13 staff. When he left, there were over 400 clients and 75 staff. Dan created several programs through their contract with the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. Under his guidance, Harbor View became one of the leading providers of children’s services in Los Angeles County.
While improving the results of the client’s parents at the Center, Dan reflected on his experiences as a parent. His children themselves had special needs such as mental and intellectual challenges, and Dan knew the toll it takes on the parent. In order to help the child, the parent has to be healthy. From this concept, he created his parenting program. After years of refining it, teaching it to his staff at the Center, and then taking the results and comments from these efforts, he became the developer of the current PRAXES program. It is a culmination of Dan’s personal trials and tribulations as a parent along with empirical results and research of over 40 parenting programs.
Our vision at PRAXES is to advance the strength of parents and caregivers of children with special needs (mental health, intellectual, or physical) through education, support, and empowerment. Thus, they can live healthy and functional lives while caring for the child.
Apogee is a clinical decision software designed to help behavioral health practitioners with their treatment and patient engagement. It provides evidence-based and research-based components. Not only do they consist of elements from such practices as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Functional Behavior Analysis, but also the Intensive Models for Parents, Youth, and Children.
PRAXES has over 30 years of accreditation experience. We know what it takes to get your organization accredited. Whether it’s Joint Commission, CARF, or COA, our team can provide an evaluation of your current status and review the standards which need improvements. We will assist you with the policies, documentation, and training required to be accredited.
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