Comparing practice patterns of consumer and non-consumer mental health service providers

The practice patterns of consumer and non-consumer providers of assertive community treatment are compared using both quantitative and qualitative data collected as part of a randomized trial. Activity log data showed that there were few substantive differences in the pattern of either the administrative or direct service tasks performed by the two teams. In contrast, the qualitative data revealed that there were discernable differences in the "culture" of the two teams. The consumer team "culture" emphasized "being there" with the client while the non-consumer team was more concerned with accomplishing tasks.