Best practice evidence

The Intensive Case Management (ICM) Program is a means of organizing the work of a multidisciplinary team so that its members can provide coherent and integrated psychiatric treatment as well as recovery services to people with severe mental illnesses.

Supported by many rigorous experimental studies, and recognized as an evidence-based practice, Intensive Case Management is becoming a standard model of care in a growing number of countries.

ICM teams in Quebec

If you're looking for a contact person in your region, please consult the list  of the 41 ICM teams in Quebec. If you can’t find your team on the map, please contact the coordinator.

Target clients

The services offered by the National Centre of Excellence in Mental Health (NCEMH) are for people who:

  • Have a psychotic disorder (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder)
  • Do not receive regular services
  • In most cases, have been rehospitalizedOften present with concomitant disorders (alcoholism / drug addiction, trouble with the law)
  • Often present with concomitant disorders (alcoholism / drug addiction, trouble with the law)
  • Experience major difficulty in functioning normally in the community

These patients make up about 20% of people with severe mental health disorders who regularly receive mental health services (0.7 to 1 person per 1000 on average).

Who does what in an ICM team

To facilitate the recrutment of professionals in an ICM team, the NCEMH uses the following task descriptions:

Team leader
Human relations officer
Occupational therapist
Nurse clinician
Psychiatrist
Psychoeducator
Peer helper
Social worker

Symposium presentations

Evidence of the human benefits of Intensive Case Management

These testimonials come from different programs in Quebec and are reproduced with the authors' permission.

“I have manic depression (bipolar disorder), and I moved from Grand-Mère to Trois-Rivières six years ago. The Centre d’Intégration Communautaire (CIC) in Shawinigan helped me find a place to live and referred me to the CIC in Trois-Rivières. Everyone who came to see me was fantastic. When I moved to Trois-Rivières, I met another great team. I met Julie and she introduced me to the SIT (Service d’intégration au travail). Whenever I call the CIC, I always get a warm welcome. I have met with many health professionals and each one has been wonderful and shown great understanding. They come with me to my medical appointments and hospital exams, and even to the grocery store.
With nearly thirty operations, about sixty psychiatric hospital stays, and three suicide attempts, I would have never gotten to where I am today without their invaluable help. I thank God for sending them my way; I will hold them all close to my heart forever and I will never forget them. I would like to stay in contact with them, as they are very important to me and I need them. I would like to tell anyone with a mental illness not to get discouraged, to remain hopeful and have faith, and to ask your doctor for outside help. There are great, nice people out there who can help us. Thank you!”
- A patient followed by the Intensive Case Management team in Trois-Rivières

“I wouldn't have made it if the SIC had not been there to support me when I returned home. I would really like to thank everyone who implemented this new service.”
- A patient followed by the Intensive Case Management Program at the Albert-Prévost Pavilion, Montreal

“I would like to thank the SIC, as without them my sister-in-law would still be in hospital or would have been sent back to the hospital.”
- Sister-in-law of a client in the Intensive Case Management Program at the Albert-Prévost Pavilion, Montreal

“I am writing this letter to acknowledge the remarkable service provided by the PACT, as it gives both me and my wife a lot of comfort. Our quality of life has improved a lot since last year. Staff from the PACT service have been our rock… I would like to thank in particular the people who come every day to see my wife, as they provide us with considerable help that makes all the difference. They can quickly solve day-to-day difficulties, and their personalized service is reassuring for both me and my wife. Without their support, I would have had to quit my job, as I was both discouraged and exhausted. The support that they have all provided helped my wife avoid many hospital stays. In the year before the PACT started managing our case, my wife had to be hospitalized four times, each time lasting between two and three months. Since the PACT service came into our lives, she has only been hospitalized once. This means that the PACT not only helps to considerably improve our quality of life and morale, but it also saves the health network money.
I would like to reiterate my most sincere gratitude and our appreciation for their daily support. We wish that more people could access this quality service.”
- The husband of a client of the Intensive Case Management team, Hôpital du Haut-Richelieu

“I think that the SIC service is extraordinary. I didn't think it was possible for my sister to live in an apartment by herself.”
- Brother of a client in the Intensive Case Management Program at the Albert-Prévost Pavilion, Montreal

“I don’t mind taking your clients as renters any time, as your services make contact with them a lot easier.”
- Superintendent of a client in the Intensive Case Management Program at the Albert-Prévost Pavilion, Montreal