HOW DO I KNOW HELP IS NEEDED?

You, a member of your family, or someone you know may be experiencing one or more of the following:

• feeling stressed out
• feeling things are not working out
• having trouble managing day to day
• feeling sad, overwhelmed, anxious, hopeless
• having suicidal thoughts
• feeling confused and having difficulty making decisions
• having more conflicts with others
• using more drugs and alcohol
• finding that people are expressing concern
  

WHAT KIND OF HELP IS AVAILABLE?

When you, or a member of your family, come for your first appointment, you will meet with a mental hygiene professional who will listen to your problems and needs, talk about the services that are available for you and will help you decide what service will be most helpful to you. All information is strictly confidential. Here are the services available:

• Individual therapy
• Couples therapy
• Family therapy (including adult and young children)
• Groups (educational, coping skills, therapy and other specific groups)
• Mental health treatment
• Chemical dependency treatment
• Case management
• Crisis intervention
• Day treatment (partial hospitalization and continuing day treatment programs)
• Information, Referral and Evaluation

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Call DUTCHESS COUNTY HELPLINE at 485-9700, (Toll-Free: 877-485-9700) and ask for Pre-Intake. This 24-hour service of the Dutchess County Department of Mental Hygiene is staffed by mental hygiene professionals who will answer your call.

During your contact with Pre-Intake, you will be given an appointment at an appropriate program and at a convenient location.

At your first visit, you will be asked to complete some paperwork to allow the service to be provided.

To complete the paperwork (10-15 minutes of your time), you will need:

• Medical information
• Insurance information (Medicaid, medicare cards, other provider cards, insurance forms)
• Social Security Number
• Income (pay stubs or W-2 forms)
• Address and phone
• Emergency contacts

HOW LONG WILL TREATMENT TAKE?

The length of treatment involves several different factors including:

• Nature of the problem
• Type of treatment
• Your involvement/motivation in treatment
• Type of insurance

Ideally, the person in treatment and the therapist work together to plan when therapy will end. This helps make the treatment process a more helpful experience.

WHERE CAN I GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?

The Mental Health America of Dutchess County, Inc. offers programs of advocacy, support, education and service to people with a mental illness, their families and friends. Mental hygiene information  is  available also to mental health  professionals  and  the  general public.   Call 473-2500.

The Mental Health Library is located on the second floor, Dutchess County Community Mental Health Center, 230 North Road, Poughkeepsie, New York. Call 486-2896.

Available at the Library are:

• Books
• Video Tapes
• Information and Referrals to other providers of service
• Information on advocacy and support groups
  

FOR CRISIS COUNSELING, INFORMATION, REFERRAL & CLINIC APPOINTMENTS, 24-Hrs-a-day, call:

DUTCHESS COUNTY HELPLINE
485-9700 (Toll-Free: 877-485-9700)

FOR A PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, go to the

Emergency Department at Saint Francis Hospital
North Road, Poughkeepsie