It’s well documented that there are gaps in the mental health care system in Buffalo and Western New York, one of which exists in the time and space after a patient is exits an inpatient psychiatric stay. Sometimes, this gap results in repeated reliance on psychiatric emergency services for care. Our new Critical Time Intervention (CTI) program aims to reach potential clients and serve them during their transition back into community life, connecting with them during a sort of golden hour before they leave inpatient services.  

We’re proud to have been selected to operate a Critical Time Intervention program in partnership with Erie County Medical Center. Support for patients exiting mental health emergency and inpatient services remains a challenge in Buffalo and Western New York, and this program will serve clients in Erie, Niagara, Wyoming, Chautauqua, and Genesee counties.  

Critical Time Intervention, or CTI, is a short-term, time-limited program that helps adults aged 18 or older during times of significant change, such as leaving a psychiatric emergency room or an inpatient mental health hospitalization. The program’s ultimate goal is to help clients remain safe, stable, and connected to supports in their community. CTI lasts for roughly nine months, during which clients engage with three distinct program phases.  

During this time, a case worker in partnership with a multi-disciplinary team helps the client build skills and connect to long-term personal supports including family, doctors, housing, and other social supports. “Over the 9-month period, the assigned worker and CTI team slowly step back so that the client begins to handle things on their own, and resists dependence on the service provider”, says Linda McCartan, Director of Critical Time Intervention here at JFS. CTI ultimately strengthens long-term community supports, both formal and informal. 

We’re thrilled that Linda McCartan is joining the JFS team as the Director of Critical Time Intervention. She is a licensed mental health counselor with an MBA who has worked in the Western New York non-profit sector since 1995. Born and raised in WNY, Linda is committed to addressing the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors and has focused her attentions on seeking equity for marginalized communities. Linda’s experiences working with both individuals and families during times of crisis fits particularly well with CTI’s focus on major life transitions. Cognizant of the value in person-centered care, Linda strives to ensure that services respect her clients’ strengths, culture, and goals. Because of her intimate knowledge of the Western New York Community and its mental health landscape, we’re confident that Linda will lead the CTI program to success.  

JFS’ unique structure and strong, values-driven approach to care make us the perfect host for the CTI program. Once our team receives a referral, they can holistically assess and react to a client’s individual needs, internally referring them to our wide array of programs and services including Care Coordination, Housing Navigation, and Social Care Navigation. This allows our staff to triage clients’ needs to encourage their safety and stability.  

“CTI is a great fit for JFS because it matches the agency’s goals of supporting people during difficult life moments with care and respect. JFS already has strong connections with mental health, housing, medical, and family support services, which is exactly what CTI needs to work well,” notes Ms. McCartan. 

In addition to meeting the social needs of a client, JFS is prepared to offer Counseling and Medication Management to those enrolled in CTI as well. Clients could potentially receive therapeutic care, psychiatric medication management, and other case management services within the same agency. Ultimately, this streamlines care and lowers barriers to a client’s successful reentry into community life.   

To learn more about our CTI program, click the button below.