Skip to main content
← Back to Community Psychiatry

Community Psychiatry Glossary

113 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026

FQHC FQHC

Professional Technical IVT

Federally Qualified Health Center - a community-based healthcare provider that receives federal funding to serve underserved populations.

Showing 49–72 of 113

least restrictive environment

Intermediate Formal IVT

A treatment principle requiring that mental health services be provided in the setting that imposes the fewest limitatio...

Technical Term Full entry →

Level of Care

Intermediate Semi-formal IVT

A classification indicating the intensity and type of mental health services required by an individual based on clinical...

Technical Term Full entry →

LOCUS

Professional Technical IVT

Level of Care Utilization System - a standardized tool for determining appropriate placement in mental health services.

Technical Term Full entry →

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Intermediate Technical IVT

The use of FDA-approved medications, in combination with counselling and behavioural therapies, to provide a whole-patie...

Technical Term Full entry →

A formal written agreement between two or more organisations that documents shared responsibilities, referral protocols,...

Document Type Full entry →

mental health parity

Advanced Formal IVT

The legal and policy principle requiring that insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatment...

Legal Term Full entry →

MHFA

Intermediate Technical IVT

Mental Health First Aid - a training program that teaches community members to recognize and respond to mental health cr...

Technical Term Full entry →

mobile crisis team

Intermediate Technical IVT

A specialized response team that provides immediate mental health crisis intervention services in community settings.

Technical Term Full entry →

MSE

Intermediate Technical IVT

Mental Status Examination - a systematic assessment of a person's psychological functioning and cognitive state at the t...

Technical Term Full entry →

NAMI

Intermediate Technical IVT

A grassroots advocacy organization providing education, support, and advocacy for individuals and families affected by m...

Abbreviation Full entry →

Natural Supports

Basic Semi-formal IVT

Informal relationships and community connections—such as family members, friends, neighbours, and faith communities—that...

Technical Term Full entry →

Network of Care

Intermediate Semi-formal IVT

The coordinated system of mental health, substance use, primary care, social service, and community support providers th...

Technical Term Full entry →

no-show rate

Basic Semi-formal IVT

The percentage of scheduled mental health appointments at which the patient does not attend and does not provide advance...

Technical Term Full entry →

Olmstead decision

Professional Formal IVT

A landmark 1999 Supreme Court ruling requiring states to provide community-based services for individuals with disabilit...

Legal Term Full entry →

Outreach Worker

Basic Semi-formal

A community mental health professional who proactively engages hard-to-reach or homeless individuals with psychiatric ne...

Technical Term Full entry →

PACT

Professional Technical IVT

An intensive community-based treatment program variant specifically designed for individuals with severe mental illness.

Technical Term Full entry →

PACT model

Professional Technical IVT

An intensive community mental health service model providing 24/7 support through multidisciplinary teams for individual...

Technical Term Full entry →

partial hospitalization

Intermediate Technical IVT

An intensive outpatient treatment program that provides structured mental health services during daytime hours while all...

Technical Term Full entry →

peer run organization

Intermediate Technical IVT

A mental health service organization that is operated, administered, and primarily staffed by individuals with lived exp...

Technical Term Full entry →

Peer Specialist

Basic Semi-formal IVT

A person with lived experience of mental illness and/or substance use who is trained and certified to provide services a...

Technical Term Full entry →

peer support specialist

Intermediate Technical IVT

A trained professional with lived experience of mental illness who provides support and advocacy services to others in r...

Technical Term Full entry →

Person-Centred Planning

Intermediate Semi-formal IVT

A collaborative, strengths-based planning process in which the individual with a psychiatric disability drives decisions...

Technical Term Full entry →

psychiatric advance directive

Professional Formal IVT

Legal document that allows individuals to specify preferences for mental health treatment during future psychiatric cris...

Legal Document Full entry →

A registered nurse with graduate-level specialisation in psychiatric and mental health care, authorised in many jurisdic...

Technical Term Full entry →
Showing 49–72 of 113

Editors from these organisations have used our services since 1998

Reuters BBC Oxford University Press Penguin Random House Springer Microsoft Suncor Energy United Nations Fisher Investments IBM The Home Depot KODAK CHEVRON