Integrated Crisis Stabilization Services supports individuals experiencing substance use and mental health crises at United Counseling Service’s Battelle House in Bennington, VT

As part of a State of Vermont request, United Counseling Service (UCS) created an Integrated Crisis Stabilization Program (ICSS) this year to expand its services for individuals experiencing mental health and substance use crises in Bennington County. ICSS provides therapeutic groups, skill-building, and a safe place to recover.

United Counseling Service (UCS) program expanded to meet critical community need

A three-bed Integrated Crisis Stabilization Services (ICSS) Program aims to meet essential community needs in Bennington County. ICSS is offered by UCS, a nonprofit community-based agency, and part of the Vermont Care Partners (VCP) network,  and is based at the Battelle House in Bennington, VT. ICSS reduces barriers to treatment by combining a Public Inebriate Program (PIP) with mental health crisis stabilization providing short-term support for adults experiencing mental health and/or substance use crises.

ICSS is an expanded offering for UCS, and an essential one. As UCS Medical Director Alya Reeve describes, “ICSS aims to meet the needs of our community by removing barriers to accessing support and treatment for those experiencing a substance use and/or mental health crisis.”

A PIP provides a safe alternative for those detained by the police for public intoxication who would otherwise be placed in protective custody. Previously, Vermont’s PIPs only served individuals intoxicated from alcohol. Now, the program includes working with individuals under the influence of any substance. This allows Battelle House to accept community members who are experiencing any substance use episodes. “Alcohol isn’t the only substance that is problematic in our community,” says UCS Assistant Medical Director and Director of Emergency Services Rachel Burnham, “and our care offerings now reflect that, enabling more people in our community to access these vital resources.”

Treating the whole person: Addressing the connection between mental health and substance use

VCP and the VCP Network are working with the Department of Mental Health and Department of Substance Use to design a sustainable programmatic and financial framework integrating PIP and mental health crisis beds. UCS is one of two network agencies that are currently piloting the integrated program. UCS and state partners are working together to create programming that addresses both mental health and substance use, understanding that the two often go hand in hand. “By integrating mental health and substance use, we are able to take a more holistic approach in treating the whole person,” says Burnham.

The program follows new proposed state guidelines to meet a growing need for crisis beds that accept individuals in intoxicated states. According to a 2020 report from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse, many national surveys have found that about half of individuals who experience a mental illness during their lives will also experience a substance use disorder, and vice versa.

“We took our existing program and grew it into an integrated program, so that more people can be served and included,” adds Reeve. “Due to the new state guidelines, we can work with a broader spectrum of people, helping them stabilize, remain in their community, and perhaps avoid the emergency room or hospitalization. There are people who want to address their addictive patterns and mental health issues that drive their substance use and we can now meet that need.”