Treatment Planning as a Strategy for Promoting Person-Centered Care

Wagner’s care model makes clear that collaborative/shared decision-making and “productive interactions” between patients/consumers and providers is the path to improved wellness outcomes.  A treatment plan is the written record of that shared decisional and interactive process.  However, there is much evidence to suggest that if this process is not person-centered, then it will not succeed in yielding optimal results.  This paper provides a brief overview of person-centered planning from the perspective of mental health care and recovery-oriented practice.  The logic model and structure of creating a person-centered treatment plan can help guide and shape those interactions so that they engage providers and consumers as a collaborative team working to help the individual achieve their desired life goals beyond the illnesses that threaten their hopes and dreams.