Community Support Programs

Community Support Programs (CSPs) offer coordinated professional care and treatment for adults who live with severe mental illness. Clients receive a range of services in the community. Services aim to meet a client’s unique needs, reduce symptoms, and lead to recovery. Program staff focus on these values:

• Collaboration—The service provider and client work together toward positive outcomes.
• Hope—CSP services focus on the client getting better.
• Personal choice—The client’s needs and goals drive any decisions about treatment and support.
• Respect—CSP clients are experts in their own experiences.

Who is eligible

CSPs are for people who have a severe mental health diagnosis. The condition must get in the way of daily living. It also must put a person at risk of needing to go to a hospital or an institution. People who have a history of taking part in high-risk behavior get priority in CSPs.

CSPs are only offered to people living in certain counties.

What services are covered

Services for CSPs can be tailored to a person’s needs at any time. They range from minimal to intensive, or a level that might normally happen in a hospital setting. Services may include:

• Education about mental illness.
• Group therapy.
• Help with daily living skills.
• Social and fun events.
• Work adjustment training.

CSPs use a team model. Clients are part of a team treatment plan meeting every six months. They define their goals and make sure those goals are part of their treatment.

Who to contact for help

For questions or concerns about CSP, contact either:

• Your county or tribal nation agency.
• Division of Care and Treatment Services—dhsdctscsp@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

For concerns about patient rights, contact the Client Rights Office. They help protect the rights of people who get services for mental illness or substance use in Wisconsin.