Treatment Screening

While screening, assessment, and treatment planning can be discussed individually, in practice they occur in concert. The line between screening and assessment is often thin, and treatment planning actually begins with the screening process as the case manager helps the client get oriented and find a sense of direction (Grand Canyon University (GCU) PCN-255 Lecture 3: Screening, Assessment, and Treatment Planning, 2015). Hence, a case manager must know how these components function collaboratively within the overall treatment process.

The goal of screening is to “assess the needs of the [client] and assess the degree of distress the person is experiencing” (Summers, 2016, p. 284). Information accumulated here will be used to determine the client’s eligibility for services, to coordinate referrals, and to reduce administrative barriers to services (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), 2001). This is the case manager’s foremost opportunity to lay the groundwork for an effective therapeutic alliance with the client (GCU, 2015). If assessment is the foundation of the treatment process, screening can be viewed as the cornerstone. Information collected here will be brief, yet accurate enough to provide direction for further exploration during the assessment …show more content…
According to CSAT, “planning, goal-setting, and implementation comprise the core of case management” (1998, p. 23). This is how the case manager provides a way for the client or set his or her own goals according to the needs realized during assessment (GCU, 2015). Of course, the treatment plan does not end here nor is it static. The case manager should regularly consult with the client to assess improvement, and agree upon any needed modifications to the treatment plan according to changing needs (GCU,