Person and Family-Centered Approaches in Mental Health and Co-Occurring Disorders - Final Report

Oct 15, 2026

Final report documenting person- and family-centered approaches for individuals receiving mental health services alongside co-occurring disorders. The background traces Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan implementation and the requirement for person-centered planning and positive behavior support, including individualized expectations addressed through the PCICTP protocols and their five valued effects. The report summarizes community input, training and support efforts across rural and statewide settings, and concerns raised about shared understanding, feasibility under court-ordered supports, cultural fit, evidence, and reimbursement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Background to the Project

The Five Effects of Person-Centered Services

What we heard

Response to Training and Support for Olmstead in the Mental Health Community

Purpose of the Project

Person and Family-Centered Approaches in Mental Health and Co-Occurring Disorders Training Project: Final Report Background to the Project In 2015, Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan was approved for implementation. The Minnesota Olmstead Plan requires that people receiving services for disabilities be provided with person-centered planning and positive behavior support. Older adults, children, and people with mental health conditions are included in these requirements, when their needs aligned with definitions of disabilities in various systems. (For example, receiving waiver services, or meeting criteria for 504 plans or Individual Education (“Special Education”) Plans in school systems). This requirement mirrors an ongoing advocacy and public policy push. Increasingly key components of person and family-centered approaches are expected in public services and medical care. This includes going beyond diagnosis as a way of matching treatments, services, and support to an individual. There is an expectation that professionals will gain an understanding each person’s strengths, preferences, resources, and relationships and embed this into a customized approach as part of the path to recovery and/ or supported community living. Adopting these approaches also fundamentally changes the dynamic between professionals and persons supported to one of shared decision-making rather than professional in charge. Finally, it asks professionals to take a more active role in pushing the systems and communities to be responsive to including their members who live with these conditions in community life. In 2016, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) introduced the Person-Centered Informed Choice and Transition Protocols (PCICTP) . These were meant to help case managers and others who supported people in developing individualized plans related to treatment, services, and supports to understand how to comply with expectations of the Minnesota Olmstead Plan. The PCICTP contains checklists of components that should appear in plans to ensure they are compliant. However, these were framed in five valued effects that should be the result of this compliance. (See inset on the Five Effects) . The Five Effects of Person-Centered Services as outlined in the Person-Centered Informed Choice and Transition Protocols (PCICTP) as part of the Minnesota Olmstead Plan People receiving person-centered services will experience five effects: • Grow in relationships. • Contribute to their community. • Make choices. • Are treated with dignity and respect and have valued social roles. • Share ordinary places and activities. Adapted from John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien (1987) What we heard We need more community awareness and support from our rural community. -Alexandria Response to Training and Support for Olmstead in the Mental Health Community Originally the Mental Health Division (since then this division has combined with Chemical Health into the Behavioral Health Division) required Mental Health Targeted Case Managers to use these Olmstead protocols in their work. Eventually, this became a recommended but not required practice. However, case managers for waiver funded services for mental illnesses or related conditions were still required to meet the expectations of the protocol. It was also recommended that all community services align with Minnesota Olmstead Plan expectations. To support lead agencies, counties, and providers in complying with the Minnesota Olmstead Plan, training in Person-Centered Thinking (TLCPCP, 2016) was deployed across the state (funded by DHS) . As with other communities of practice, the mental health community What we heard I want the bossessupervisors, money people @ the table at training and working together. -Bemidji did not uniformly agree with or adopt these approaches. Some of the common themes of concern expressed by those in the mental health community included the following: •

FAQs

How was training in person-centered thinking delivered and adopted statewide?

Training in Person-Centered Thinking was deployed across Minnesota to support lead agencies, counties, and providers. Adoption varied, and the report notes that the mental health community did not uniformly agree with or adopt these approaches.

Oct 15, 2026

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