Caroline Williams, Psychiatrist, Community Mental Health Services, Assertive Community Treatment Program

“It’s about taking the long view, and bettering someone’s circumstances by a few percent with each interaction.”

“I was lucky enough to go to divinity school before I went to medical school, and I think the theological foundation provided by that experience grounds me in the work of service, and strengthens my appreciation of the resilience we see in the people we work with,” says Caroline. As a psychiatrist with VNSNY’s Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program, where she’s practiced since 2007, she takes care of 68 individuals dealing with severe and persistent mental illness and also provides supervision and guidance to other ACT teams. Clients are referred to ACT’s clinic-without-walls model through Single Point of Access, a city-run program that refers patients in need of high-intensity mental health services. “The greatest challenges are those individuals who have a history of trauma and are struggling with a combination of homelessness, substance abuse and psychotic illness,” she says. “You need to develop a relationship first. You basically need to stick with them and stick with them until you’ve established enough of a bond that the person feels ready to take advantage of some of the treatment that’s available.” One patient whom Caroline had been chasing for a year, who had been in and out of hospitals and using heavily, finally agreed to long-term treatment recently. He is now off the streets, getting good care, and connecting with people. “It’s about taking the long view, not trying for instant results,” says Caroline. “I think about trying to build trust and better someone’s circumstances by a few percent with each interaction.”