We’ve been telling you about the Michigan Community Mediation Association and the free mediation services they provide—including the Michigan Agricultural Mediation Program. Another service they provide is the Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services program.
“This program offers free services to Michigan residents who are receiving mental health services through a community mental health organization or a PHIP inpatient hospital plan,” says Charity Burke, Executive Director of the Oakland Mediation Center, which also serves as the state administrator for the program.
“It also covers AOT services, which stands for Assisted Outpatient Treatment. So, if someone is not following a treatment plan with their mental health provider, and filing our complaint is filed through a local Probate Court, the petitioner and the client receiving services have 30 days to request a free mediation. However, clients and hopefully soon anyone, will be able to refer a case to this program for free mediation services.”
She says these services cover any type of conflict you may have with a mental health service provider.
“It does not cover medical necessities—so, we can’t really negotiate and mediate medical necessity matters or doctors’ orders—but you can negotiate what the treatment plan looks like, the terms of that plan, or different providers that you’re interacting with in different things with those organizations.”
Burke says the program was created with the goal of reducing rates of incarceration and hospitalization statewide.
“What has been found in many probate courts is that people get off track for various reasons. Life happens. Different circumstances happen. There hasn’t been an avenue that is free for people to come to the table with a neutral third party and discuss what those concerns are and get back on track in a way that works for them.”
For more information about the Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services program—or any of the free mediation services through the Michigan Community Mediation Association, visit MichiganMediates.org.
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