Glossary of Terms Commonly Used in Mental Health
This glossary provides definitions of many commonly used mental health terms and includes links to more information on many of the entries. Just choose a letter from the menu below to reach the page with the term you'd like to find.
G
Gatekeeper
Primary care physician or local agency responsible for coordinating and managing the health care needs of members. Generally, in order for specialty services such as mental health and hospital care to be covered, the gatekeeper must first approve the referral.
General Hospital
A hospital that provides mental health services in at least one separate psychiatric unit with specially allocated staff and space for the treatment of persons with mental illness.
General Support
Includes transportation, childcare, homemaker services, day care, and other general services for clients/patients.
Group-model Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
A health care model involving contracts with physicians organized as a partnership, professional corporation, or other association. The health plan compensates the medical group for contracted services at a negotiated rate, and that group is responsible for compensating its physicians and contracting with hospitals for care of their patients.
Group Therapy
This form of therapy involves groups of usually 4 to 12 people who have similar problems and who meet regularly with a therapist. The therapist uses the emotional interactions of the group's members to help them get relief from distress and possibly modify their behavior.
This glossary incorporates many of the entries provided in a mental health dictionary supplied by the US government's Department of Health and Human Services.
This page was last reviewed by , Monday, 21 July 2008.
The URL of this page is:
http://counsellingresource.com/types/glossary/g.html
