Life Goals Collaborative Care

A collaborative intervention for those with chronic mental and physical problems

Providers

Life Goals Collaborative Care (LG-CC) can improve medical and psychiatric outcomes regardless of almost any type of treatment setting.

Organizations

Organizations utilize LG-CC to make better treatment decisions for each one of the individuals for whom they provide care.

Consumers

LG-CC helps consumers improve functioning, take better care of themselves, engage in community activities, and learn new things.

Get Started

Welcome to Life Goals Collaborative Care

Life Goals Collaborative Care (LG-CC) is a person-centered program proven to improve medical and psychiatric outcomes for persons with mental health conditions, regardless of treatment setting. Life Goals participants have shown improved overall functioning, including the ability to take better care of themselves, engage in community activities, and learn new things.

About 

The LG-CC Model

Life Goals as a  skills management program is meant to support day-to-day symptom management wise decision-making regarding more intensive specialty care.

This makes LG-CC particularly valuable not only in specialty mental health settings that treat individuals with chronic conditions such as bipolar disorder, but also in less resourced general mental health settings and primary care.  The goal is to engage and stabilize individuals in that setting – not all will need to go on to more intensive specialty care.

LG-CC modules are designed so that they can be delivered in either group or individual format, including via clinical video teleconferencing for either format.

Three main components

LG-CC Model Elements

Self Management

Includes the psychoeducation and psychotherapy modules used to remove obstacles that impede individuals’ ability to work towards their life goals.

Care Management

Supports individuals via coordination of care and promotion of a collaborative relationship between the individuals and their health care provider(s).

Decision Support

Assist health care providers in making appropriate evidence-based treatment decisions for the individuals for whom they are providing care.

Life Goals Introduction [Bookend]

This session is designed to establish the therapeutic relationship, initiate the concept of self-efficacy and values and goals, and provide an introduction to the individual’s role in collaborative care. This session will also provide a brief review of what impacts mental health, and will explore the impact of psychiatric stigma on treatment for mental health conditions. We will begin to direct the individual’s attention to strategies for identifying and managing symptoms as well as choosing responses to promote optimal management of his/her condition/s.

Anxiety

Anxiety: Identifying Symptoms and Triggers

This session is the first of two, and is designed to enhance the individual’s self-awareness of signs and symptoms of anxiety, and to enable him or her to participate in monitoring various symptoms in order to establish effective coping behaviors. Being proactive and recognizing symptoms early, as well as the triggers that can cause those symptoms, can lead to a sense of self-efficacy and better outcomes. Self-awareness and successful management of anxiety symptoms helps the individual start and maintain healthy habits.

Anxiety: Managing the Symptoms

This session examines how he or she responds to those symptoms and triggers and helps the individual develop a personal action plan to better manage those symptoms.

Depression

Depression: Identifying Symptoms and Triggers

This session is designed to enhance the individual’s self-awareness of signs and symptoms of a depressive episode, and to enable him or her to participate in monitoring various symptoms in order to establish effective coping behaviors. Being proactive and recognizing symptoms early leads to better outcomes and increased self-determination. Self-awareness and successful management of depressive symptoms helps the individual start and maintain healthy habits.

Depression: Managing the Symptoms

The first session regarding depression was designed to enhance the individual’s awareness of symptoms and triggers of depression. This session examines how he or she responds to those symptoms and triggers, whether the responses are healthy or not-so-healthy, and helps the individual develop a personal action plan to better manage those symptoms.

Trauma

This session begins by addressing general concepts relevant to the impact of trauma including re-experiencing, avoidance, and hypervigilence. A layman’s explanation of the fight or flight phenomena will also be introduced.

Groundwork is then laid for safely discussing the individual’s traumatic events, symptoms, and triggers. This will establish a safe environment for talking about the impact trauma has had on the individual’s life. Individuals will then be asked to identify traumatic events that have affected them, build a Personal Trauma Symptom Profile, identify triggers and coping mechanisms, and consider whether or not further treatment is necessary for them.

Mania

Mania: Identifying Symptoms and Triggers

This session is designed to enhance the individual’s self-awareness of signs and symptoms of a (hypo) manic episode. Enabling awareness will promote monitoring of bipolar symptoms and effective coping responses. Self-awareness and successful management of manic symptoms helps the individual start and maintain healthy habits.

Mania: Managing the Symptoms

This session examines how he or she responds to those symptoms and triggers, whether the responses are healthy or not-so-healthy, and helps the individual develop a personal action plan to better manage those symptoms.

Managing Your Care [Bookend]

This session is designed to review principles of collaborative practice with providers and plan for continued work towards the individual’s Life Goals. The Life Goals provider will review material covered in previous sessions, and assist the individual in strengthening collaboration with providers.

Implementation

The Life Goals Bookend Approach

With the Life Goals Bookend Approach, think of a collection of books with a bookend on either side. The Life Goals “bookends” consist of the first and last manuals (i.e. Introduction and Managing Your Care).  The number and content of manuals in between these bookends can be varied depending on the needs of the individual in treatment.  Below is a sampling of topics available in the content library .  Click here to see all available manuals/topics.

Implementation

The Life Goals Bookend Approach

With the Life Goals Bookend Approach, think of a collection of books with a bookend on either side. The Life Goals “bookends” consist of the first and last manuals (i.e. Introduction and Managing Your Care).  The number and content of manuals in between these bookends can be varied depending on the needs of the individual in treatment.  Below is a sampling of topics available in the content library .  Click here to see all available manuals/topics.

Life Goals Introduction [Bookend]

This session is designed to establish the therapeutic relationship, initiate the concept of self-efficacy and values and goals, and provide an introduction to the individual’s role in collaborative care. This session will also provide a brief review of what impacts mental health, and will explore the impact of psychiatric stigma on treatment for mental health conditions. We will begin to direct the individual’s attention to strategies for identifying and managing symptoms as well as choosing responses to promote optimal management of his/her condition/s.

Anxiety

Anxiety: Identifying Symptoms and Triggers

This session is the first of two, and is designed to enhance the individual’s self-awareness of signs and symptoms of anxiety, and to enable him or her to participate in monitoring various symptoms in order to establish effective coping behaviors. Being proactive and recognizing symptoms early, as well as the triggers that can cause those symptoms, can lead to a sense of self-efficacy and better outcomes. Self-awareness and successful management of anxiety symptoms helps the individual start and maintain healthy habits.

Anxiety: Managing the Symptoms

This session examines how he or she responds to those symptoms and triggers and helps the individual develop a personal action plan to better manage those symptoms.

Depression

Depression: Identifying Symptoms and Triggers

This session is designed to enhance the individual’s self-awareness of signs and symptoms of a depressive episode, and to enable him or her to participate in monitoring various symptoms in order to establish effective coping behaviors. Being proactive and recognizing symptoms early leads to better outcomes and increased self-determination. Self-awareness and successful management of depressive symptoms helps the individual start and maintain healthy habits.

Depression: Managing the Symptoms

The first session regarding depression was designed to enhance the individual’s awareness of symptoms and triggers of depression. This session examines how he or she responds to those symptoms and triggers, whether the responses are healthy or not-so-healthy, and helps the individual develop a personal action plan to better manage those symptoms.

Trauma

This session begins by addressing general concepts relevant to the impact of trauma including re-experiencing, avoidance, and hypervigilence. A layman’s explanation of the fight or flight phenomena will also be introduced.

Groundwork is then laid for safely discussing the individual’s traumatic events, symptoms, and triggers. This will establish a safe environment for talking about the impact trauma has had on the individual’s life. Individuals will then be asked to identify traumatic events that have affected them, build a Personal Trauma Symptom Profile, identify triggers and coping mechanisms, and consider whether or not further treatment is necessary for them.

Mania

Mania: Identifying Symptoms and Triggers

This session is designed to enhance the individual’s self-awareness of signs and symptoms of a (hypo) manic episode. Enabling awareness will promote monitoring of bipolar symptoms and effective coping responses. Self-awareness and successful management of manic symptoms helps the individual start and maintain healthy habits.

Mania: Managing the Symptoms

This session examines how he or she responds to those symptoms and triggers, whether the responses are healthy or not-so-healthy, and helps the individual develop a personal action plan to better manage those symptoms.

Managing Your Care [Bookend]

This session is designed to review principles of collaborative practice with providers and plan for continued work towards the individual’s Life Goals. The Life Goals provider will review material covered in previous sessions, and assist the individual in strengthening collaboration with providers.

Contact Us

We would love to hear from you.  Complete the form for feedback or inquiries.

lifegoalscc@umich.edu