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BHS Practice Guidelines

The purpose of BHS Practice Guidelines is to aid in the development and support of a standard of care that is guided by research and evidenced based practices. It is the policy of BHS to maintain a process to develop, adopt and implement Practice Guidelines in order to continuously improve care processes and thereby improve outcomes of care for beneficiaries.

Practice Guidelines shall meet the following requirements:

  1. Be based on valid and reliable clinical evidence or a consensus of behavioral health care professionals in the applicable field.
  2. Consider the needs of beneficiaries.
  3. Are adopted in consultation with health care professionals.
  4. Are reviewed and updated periodically as appropriate.

BHS will provide and/or coordinate the necessary training when implementing new and/or updating Practice Guidelines.

BHS County and County Contracted providers involved in the delivery of services in the Mental Health Plan (hereby referred to as Orange MHP) and Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) are to attend or complete the required training provided on Practice Guidelines and to utilize the most current Practice Guidelines as a model to guide service provision and professional practice.

Please click the links below for Practice Guidelines adopted and/or created by BHS.

In addition, please see our Policy & Procedure surrounding the development and implementation of Practice Guidelines.

BHS Policy & Procedure: Practice Guidelines Development and Implementation

List of Practice Guidelines:

  • BHS Adult and Older Adult Physicians Manual and Practice Guidelines
  • BHS Clinical Supervision
  • BHS Substance Use Disorder Practice Guidelines - Adopted
  • BHS Suicide Assessment & Treatment Practice
  • BHS Trauma-Informed Care Workplace and Practice
  • BHS Treatment Interventions for Trauma
BHS Adult and Older Adult Physicians Manual and Practice GuidelinesAdopted
Practice Guideline4/24/2023
Quick Guides: 
Quick Guide Parameters for General Health-Related Monitoring, Consultation & Interventions 
Quick Guide Parameters for the Use of Antidepressant Medications 
Quick Guide Parameters for the Use of Antipsychotic Medications 
Quick Guide Parameters for the Use of Anxiolytic Medications 
Quick Guide Parameters for the Use of Mood Stabilizing Medications 
Quick Guide Parameters for the Use of Psychoactive Meds in Individual with Co-Occurring Substance Use & Mental Health Conditions 
Quick Guide Parameters for the Use of Psychotropic Medication in Older Adults 
Quick Guide Parameters for the Use of Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) 
Quick Guide MAT- Guidelines for the Use of Naltrexone Long Acting Injection (NLAI) 

 

BHS Clinical SupervisionAdopted
Practice Guideline04/01/19
Quick Guide 
Common Elements of Clinical Supervision 
Policy & Procedures (P&P) updated 
Clinical Supervision Reporting Form updated 
Clinical Supervision Agreement Form updated 
Sample Supervisor Competency Assessment 
Regulatory Board and Association Websites 
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) 
American Psychological Association (APA) 
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) 
Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards 
Board of Behavioral Health Sciences (BBS) 
California Association of DUI Treatment Programs (CADTP) 
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) 
California Board of Psychology (BOP) 
California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) 
Canadian Psychological Association (APA) 
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) 
New Zealand Psychologists Boards 
Psychology Board of Australia 

 

BHS Substance Use Disorder Practice Guidelines - AdoptedAdopted
SUD Perinatal Practice Guidelines (DHCS PG)01/2024
SUD Treatment for People with Physical and Cognitive Disabilities (SAMHSA PG)09/2019
SUD Youth Treatment Guidelines (State PG)09/2019

 

BHS Suicide Assessment & Treatment PracticeAdopted
Practice Guideline11/06/2019
Quick Guide11/06/2019

 

BHS Trauma-Informed Care Workplace and PracticeAdopted
Practice Guideline12/10/2019
Quick Guide12/10/2019
Introduction Video2/19/2020

 

BHS Treatment Interventions for TraumaAdopted
Practice Guideline2012
Additional Resources