Behavioral health assessments are an important step in the process of providing individual’s the help they need and on their way to successful recovery. My services involve conducting behavioral health assessments for attorneys, investigators, or family members who represent client’s in the criminal justice system. I routinely access local county jails in the Portland Metropolitan area, in addition to, Columbia and Marion County Jails.
Each interview is conducted in-person if allowed by the facility and the reports are provided quickly and on time. The reports are person-centered with a focus on the whole person, in an attempt to counter the negative stigma attached to this population. Substance abuse, mental health, and dual-diagnosis reports are used in the courts to justify release from jail and into treatment rather than spending the entirety of their court process incarcerated. If the individual is provided the opportunity to be successful in treatment and beyond, these factors can go a long way in mitigating sentences and plea deals.
There are three primary assessments offered: Substance Abuse, Mental Health, & Dual Diagnosis. The first two are unique and focus specifically on the individual’s struggle with substance abuse or mental illness, respectively. The Dual Diagnosis assessment is a combination of the two with a clearer emphasis on the relationship co-occurring symptoms have to each other and the overall health of the individual.
Assessment reports are professionally written and are provided in a timely manner. Often depending on which jail the client is presently detained, comprehensive ASAM reports are normally finished within 3 business days from the time of the interview. Standard ASAM reports are finished within 1 business day.