What is a Community Support Provider?
A community support provider (CSA) is a member of your team who helps you with strategies and skills to increase the ability to live independently and access community resources. We are team players who promote inclusion, participation, independence, skill-building and recovery from mental health disorders.
Our role as a part of your team is to work with you outside therapy sessions to focus on skill-building, support and interventions that you and your therapist have chosen to be on your treatment plan that will help you achieve your goals. We aren’t therapists, rather we’re your support staff trained to help you implement what you’re learning in therapy. Your team may include a therapist, a CSA, a Targeted Case Manager, a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner, family members, etc.
How does a CSA help?
- Has knowledge about mental health and substance use disorders and symptoms
- Works well within a team to help you communicate your needs and progress
- Assists you in using skills you learn in therapy sessions
- Shares your successes with other team members
- Advocates for and assists you in accessing and effectively using community resources
- Assists you in activities of daily living such as having medication routines, schedules, budgeting skills, etc.
- Assists you in implementing emotion-regulation techniques learned in therapy
- Helps you manage crisis situations through teaching crisis coping-skills
- Teaches parenting skills
- Assists you with developing or improving interpersonal skills…and more
Who is eligible to receive this service?
Medicaid recipients ages 4 and older who have a mental health disorder and need help with skill-building, crisis management skills and other behavior interventions outside of therapy sessions.