Facilitating Social Integration for People With Severe Mental Illness Served by Assertive Community Treatment.

PURPOSE

This article explores the experience of workers on Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams surrounding their efforts to facilitate social integration for their clients.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Sixteen workers were individually interviewed and eight additional workers participated in two focus groups.

FINDINGS

The formation of caring relationships between worker and client was an important first step towards social integration for ACT clients. Community activities offer opportunities for social interaction.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The frequency of community based activities should be increased. Social integration should be a targeted focus of service by structurally embedding a social integration specialist onto the ACT model.