Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services DeKalb Community Service Board provides substance abuse services for adults and offers mental health services to children, adolescents and adults. Our staff of physicians, nurses, clinicians and support personnel is dedicated to helping our clients and their families recover and resume productive lives. View DeKalb CSB's complete list of services online.
How to Access Services
For mental health and addiction services, call our Central Access line at 404.892.4646 for assessments, scheduling appointments or referrals. If you are eligible for services, we will schedule an intake appointment for you.
Additionally, we offer a variety of services for individuals arrested and/or convicted of an alcohol or drug offenses, domestic violence, and other offenses that may warrant a mental health or substance abuse evaluation. To access our Criminal Justice Program, call 404-508-6445.
Intake Appointment
Located at our Winn Way Mental Health Center, our Central Intake Unit is the first contact for all adults and children seeking outpatient mental health and substance abuse services within our agency. The clinical file is activated by the patient accounts technician and includes information such as financial assessment, obtaining lawful presence documentation and education about client rights and responsibilities.
A licensed clinician will provide a clinical assessment to determine if you are eligible for services, determine the most appropriate service, schedule first therapist appointment, or provide referral information should it be determined that you do not meet eligibility requirements for our services. Initial psychiatric and nursing appointments are scheduled based on urgency of need and availability.
Helpful information for intake
- Please bring all required including insurance, financial status and identification documentation to the first appointment.
- Bring previous clinical documents if they are available: hospital discharge papers, copies of previous clinical assessments or treatment notes, names and contact information for previous providers.
- Bring all current medication bottles or list of medications and dosages.
- For children and adolescents, please include IEP and/or previous psychological testing results.
- The entire process for intake can be 2-3 hours due to demand or clinical emergencies. We do our best to provide the most thorough, quality care that we can for each person that we see.
Psychiatric Services
Medical services are provided by both Psychiatrists and Certified Nurse Specialists (CNS). These services include the initial psychiatric assessment and ongoing psychiatric visits with the aim of managing and improving the course of psychiatric and addictive illness. The goal of the assessment is to determine the best course of treatment for our clients, and ongoing services provide education about medications and illness. Our physician and CNS staff may prescribe and monitor psychotropic medications and order nursing services depending on need. Referrals to other medical providers might be given for other medical concerns.
Nursing Services
Nursing staff provide a variety of services depending on the need of the client. Nursing assessments may include blood pressure and weight checks, determining body mass index (BMI), drawing blood and obtaining urine specimens. Nurses manage laboratory results for certain medication levels, blood counts and drug screens. Nurses also provide administration of injectable medications, provide PPD (tuberculin) placement and readings, and field calls related to possible medication side effects or medication related issues. With a focus on whole-person wellness, our nurses also provide health education in group settings and during individual nursing assessments. Free, confidential HIV education and testing are also available to the clients we serve.
Adult Outpatient Mental Health Clinical Services
Group Therapy
Led by a therapist, group involves several individuals coming together to help themselves and each other in a structured clinical setting. Groups meet at regularly scheduled days and times and typically last between one to two hours. Groups are generally structured around an identified illness, issue or theme, but session topics vary according to the needs of the group. Participation in a specific group is determined by client need and appropriateness for group participation. Clients are not limited to groups held at their assigned center. Group has been shown to be a highly effective form of therapy and with certain illnesses or issues can be more effective than individual therapy. For example, group treatment is the preferred method of treatment for substance related issues.
Individual Therapy
With a focus on improving the overall mental health of the client, individual therapy involves a therapist and client working together to move the client towards his or her identified goal. Our therapists focus on using the evidence-based intervention most appropriate to fit the needs of the issue and individual. Frequency of appointments is determined on the presenting issue and goals of the client.
Family Therapy
Family therapy involves a whole family or several family members, all meeting with a therapist. This type of therapy can be helpful if a family is having problems getting along and/or communicating effectively. It can also be used when one family member has a problem and family relationships may be contributing to or maintaining the problem and/or if family members want to learn how to best support a family member diagnosed with mental illness.
Adult Outpatient Substance Abuse Services
Substance Abuse Day/Evening Treatment
To move towards the goal of achieving and maintaining recovery from substance related and other psychiatric disorders, we provide treatment including group counseling, individual counseling, skill building, education, random urine drug screening, and/or family treatment sessions and case management in a structured, clinical setting.
- Multi-disciplinary treatment team includes social workers, counselors, nurses and psychiatrists.
- Treatment program options at the DeKalb Addiction Clinic and the Clifton Springs Mental Health Center
- Options for day or evening programs based on clinical recommendation and client employment.
Additional option
- For individuals who would prefer less intensive treatments than those listed above, outpatient treatment for addictive disease and other psychiatric disorders is available in each of our mental health clinics including individual and group therapy and psychiatric services.
Psychiatric Social Rehabilitation (PSR)
Provided in a day treatment setting, PSR provides clients with severe, persistent mental illness recovery focused assistance with skill development and or resource needs in two more areas of life:
- Living (money management, meal planning, nutrition, self-care, health improvement)
- Learning (illness and medication management, coping skills, assertiveness)
- Social (relationship and leadership development, communications, community engagement)
- Vocational (job skills development, time-management, leisure skills)
Our belief is that we can help our clients to reach their full potential in spite of the limitations placed on them by a mental illness.
There are two current locations housed at the North Dekalb and Kirkwood Centers. Both programs are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 2:15 pm. Examples of groups offered include Illness Management and Recovery, Practical Daily Living Skills, Social Skills Development and Community Integration.
Clients must meet clinical need requirements to be eligible for placement in a PSR program, and this is determined through assessment by clinical and psychiatric staff and coordination of a program visit.
Peer Support & Supported Employment
Crossroads Peer Support
Available to adults diagnosed with mental illness, Crossroads provides recovery focused peer services to develop strengths and abilities even if symptoms of illness persist. The program provides structured, scheduled activities that promote socialization, recovery, self-advocacy, development of natural supports and maintenance of community living skills. In addition to group activities, clients are also involved in community activities: volunteering twice a month in the community and community gardening in partnership with Kirkwood Senior Program. While at the program, clients are involved in operating a thrift store and snack bar or working in administrative services where they learn skills that prepare them for work and independent living. Through the Creative Expression group, clients develop artwork and jewelry that they can later sell during advocacy events throughout the year.
Supported Employment
Supported employment focuses on assisting participants in learning skills essential to job searching, resume writing, interviewing and computer literacy. Staff also works to establish partnerships with companies and businesses in the community for the development of employment opportunities for clients.
Community Support- Individual (CSI)
Community Support-Individual (CSI) services are geared towards assisting our clients in accessing necessary services and restoring them to the best possible functional levels for quality of life, recovery, self-management and symptom reduction.
CSI provides skill building tools for daily living, illness and medication education, and service coordination to clients and their families in non-clinic settings. The setting can be at home or in the community depending upon the need or goal of the client. Client and worker develop a plan to move client and support system towards successfully accessing needed services independently. | 
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