Emerge Community Support Team (CST)

Comprehensive Behavioral Health Services  (ages 18-26) 

The transition to adulthood is a challenging time for any young person, but especially for those with serious mental illness. Emerging adults benefit from specialized support from people who understand this transitional phase as they navigate new challenges and responsibilities. Emerge CST was designed as a multidisciplinary, team-based program serving young people ages 18 – 26. Emerge specializes in providing services in a young adult’s natural environment, which could be their home, school, or a favorite local spot.

For questions and intake services, reach out to us at 773.432.6555 or YoungAdult@thresholds.org.

 

Emerge Team Services  

Young adults are the least likely age group to seek mental health services, yet many individuals begin to experience symptoms of serious, persistent mental health problems during this phase of life. Emerge is a multidisciplinary team rooted in the evidence-informed Transition to Independence Process (TIP) Model.  Emerge staff are skilled in engaging and partnering with young people to support their progress managing mental health problems while addressing vocational, relational, and independent living goals.

Thresholds has two Emerge teams: Emerge North provides services to young adults on Chicago’s North side, and Emerge West provides services in Western Cook County and the Austin neighborhood on the city’s west side. Both teams provide multiple weekly in-home and community-based visits utilizing evidence-informed therapeutic approaches, including skills coaching, peer support, care coordination, education and employment support, psychiatry, medication monitoring, mentoring, goal development, and regular goal re-assessment. Emerge is a team-based approach; program participants will get to know and work with all staff on the team.

A primary focus of Emerge is to increase the natural social support and relational health among young people and their identified family members, friends, romantic partners, and others. To do this, Emerge offers individual therapy and family support and uses creative youth-directed strategies to bring peers together for educational, vocational, social, and cultural events. Most services are provided in the community.

 

Emerge CST Core Principles 

EMERGE CST IS DEVELOPMENTALLY FOCUSED ON EMERGING ADULTS

Emerging adulthood occurs between ages 18–26, spanning late adolescence and young adulthood. Emerge does not solely focus on mental health but instead focuses on all developmental and social determinants of wellness that are important for this age group: friends, romantic relationships, belonging, work, school and career exploration, developing independent living skills, and making smart decisions.

FOCUS ON DISCOVERY WHILE SUPPORTING RECOVERY

Recovery is an important theme for people with mental illnesses. It represents the values of improving health and wellness, living a self-directed life, and reaching one’s full potential.

Emerge embraces the notion of discovery as key for engaging and supporting young people in reaching their personal goals. Emerge staff frame their work as the act of supporting young adults in their self-discovery and learning through experience. Discovery also includes young people and Emerge staff gaining new insights together. Emerge remains curious without making assumptions or assuming the role of expert guide.

EMBRACING FLEXIBILITY TO BOOST ENGAGEMENT

Emerge responds to the instability that is common in emerging adulthood by remaining as flexible as possible in where, when, and how services are delivered. The team strives to effectively engage young people in their wellness journeys by remaining flexible, assisting in crises and challenging life situations, and adapting to young people’s needs as they develop new skills.

STRATEGIC USE OF SELF, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND GATHERINGS, AND FUN

Emerge embraces mutuality as an engagement tool. When relevant and appropriate, staff share their transition to adulthood experiences, e.g., managing money, dealing with roommates and family, figuring out a career, to validate struggles and provide concrete examples of how to navigate complex and stressful situations that are common in young adulthood. 

Emerge also hosts a variety of social activities that are tailored to the personal interests of their young people. Emerge embraces fun as a core practice – for participants and staff. Emerge leverages creativity, flexibility, and connections to community resources to develop new opportunities for self and communal learning and growth.

Emerge services are funded by Medicaid and certain contracted commercial insurance plans.

For Intake, contact Thresholds Emerging Adult Services at 773.432.6555 or email YoungAdult@thresholds.org.

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Five features of Emerging Adulthood: 

1. Feeling in-between: Emerging adults do not feel like adults, nor do they feel like youth – and depending on the context, they can feel out of place. For those with mental health challenges, treatment options may feel inappropriate, perhaps because the services are geared towards younger youth, making them feel over-protective, paternalistic, or risk avoidant; or services are geared towards adults with lower activity levels and often longer-term mental health symptoms.
2. Self-focus: Emerging adults are exceedingly self-focused, exploring and experimenting with life options that minimize involvement with family or other trusted adults. Emerging adults can often function without the burden of responsibility to spouses, children, and community.
3. Age of possibilities: It is the time in the life span for the greatest amount of change, yielding the greatest amount of excitement, along with the anxiety that comes with change. Exploring different vocational options, living situations, and relationships is typical.
4. Instability: Given the frequency of change, there is immense instability across life domains. Instability is normal, but it can be stressful. For those with mental health challenges, instability can be acute with elevated risk and may create long-lasting consequences.
5. Relationship re-organization. Emerging adults experience major shifts in relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners. For those with mental health struggles, these shifts come with additional challenges as young people become legal adults and have more choice in how they involve family and support networks in their care.