A mental health coordinator coordinates mental health services for those identified as having specific mental health needs, such as anxiety or a debilitating disease. She liaises with a range of parties such as doctors, counselors and care providers, to ensure individuals’ mental health needs are always met. The coordinator performs assessments on patients on a regular basis, to gain an understanding of their changing mental health needs over time.
Mental health coordinators are responsible for groups of people, usually known to have mental health needs. She ensures that services regarding their mental health run smoothly at all times. The coordinator could be responsible, for example, for a group of children within a school known to have special needs. Individuals within an institution such as a prison or within a defined geographical area, town or community, may also be assigned a mental health coordinator.
Strategies will be in place, depending on the group of people or the setting, which enable the coordinator to meet certain mental health objectives. Mental health promotion could be a key activity, where the objective is to reduce instances of stress within a college, by promoting good exam revision practices. Objectives may also exist that concern helping people with mental health problems reintegrate into society and helping them back into work or education.
In a mental health clinic, the mental health coordinator will evaluate individuals referred to her as having mental health needs. A system is likely to be in place for evaluation, such as a scoring system, charting the level of severity of a mental health problem. The mental health coordinator may, for example, need to assess the progress of an individual suffering from dementia and refer them for care in the community. They may need services organized for them, such as receiving additional assistance at home or admission to a residential care unit if they can no longer cope on their own.
Services such as care or accommodation, medical treatment, counseling and psychotherapy are all coordinated by the mental health coordinator. The objective is to provide the individual with mental health needs with a complete service, ensuring their psychological well-being. These coordinators can be employed by mental health organizations, charities, hospitals and care institutions. There are also job opportunities within large organizations where many individuals under duress may require support, for example, in public services such as the military, local authorities, prisons and schools.