Active Consulting Services

When individuals, family caregivers, and provider networks are in crisis, Benchmark’s Active Consulting team provides hands-on, wraparound supports to enhance existing systems and build lasting stability. Backed by decades of provider experience, we partner with state agencies, managed care organizations (MCOs), and community providers to resolve complex behavioral challenges, de-escalate acute situations, and guide individuals toward long-term community success.

Active Consulting Services are currently offered in:

  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Nevada
Partner on System Solutions

Please note: Active Consulting is a specialized state- and MCO-referred clinical service.
To explore implementing this program in your system, visit our Partner with Us page.

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How We Support You

We deliver short-term, intensive clinical support designed to stabilize individuals with complex needs and empower the people who care for them.

  • In-Person Intake and Comprehensive Assessment: Over an intensive 3-to-6-month period, our clinical team completes thorough in-person evaluations to deeply understand root behavioral challenges and build immediate, positive behavior support plans.
  • Multidisciplinary Hands-On Care: Our teams—including Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), Qualified Developmental Disability Professionals (QDDPs), and Registered Nurses—work directly alongside caregivers, families, and provider staff.
  • 24/7 Crisis Response and On-Site Coaching: We provide round-the-clock emergency line access for staff and caregivers, paired with real-time crisis de-escalation and post-event debriefing to prevent future escalations.
  • Transition and Long-Term System Support: We build sustainable safety tools and guide individuals through safe transitions out of acute care or foster care into stable, less restrictive community settings.
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Who We Serve

Active Consulting is customized to support individuals across the lifespan facing severe, cross-system challenges:

  • Complex Behavioral and Dual Diagnoses: Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) paired with mental health needs (IDD-MH) and/or substance use disorders.
  • Cross-System Involvement: Youth and adults involved with child welfare/ foster care systems, juvenile justice, or the legal system.
  • High-Acuity Community Placements: Individuals living in rural areas or facing elevated risks of institutional placement, emergency room reliance, or frequent acute hospitalizations.

Real Stories of Transformation

Supporting Youth with Complex Needs: Avery’s Story

Before Benchmark met Avery, she spent 45 days in acute care—with six separate hospitalizations—at just 14 years old. Under child welfare custody and at high risk of crisis, Avery received proactive wrap-around care from Benchmark’s Active Consulting team, including therapy, caregiver coaching, and real-time crisis intervention. Today, Avery lives happily with her adoptive mother, Michelle.

"I didn't birth Avery, but I have had the joy of watching this transformation and seeing her turn into a beautiful young lady because of the investment that Benchmark made."

Michelle, Avery’s Adoptive Mother
Avery’s Story | Active Consulting

Diverting Crisis to Community Stability: Leston’s Story

Following a property destruction incident, Leston spent 130 days in jail. Through an active partnership between Benchmark, his MCO, and a local service provider, Active Consulting provided the hands-on support needed to help Leston transition into a permanent community home.

“Every single person that we've interacted with from Benchmark has the same passion for the population that we serve, has the same want to support us as an agency but also the member."

Melissa Ward, RN, Assistant Director, St. Francis Area Developmental Center
Leston’s Story | Active Consulting

Proven Program Outcomes

Active Consulting delivers significant reductions in acute care utilization, providing a fiscally responsible alternative to emergency department visits, institutionalization, and incarceration.

Outcomes Following Referral to Benchmark

55%

Reduction in Emergency Department visits (AR)

63%

Reduction in behavioral health admissions (AR)

68%

Reduction in hospital days (AR)

00%

Sample outcome four

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Sample outcome five

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Sample outcome six

*Data includes 18 members, referred in Q3 2025 (July, August, September 2025) with paid claims through March 2026. As reported by payer.

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Partner with Us

Are you a state behavioral health official, MCO leader, or county administrator interested in establishing or expanding Active Consulting solutions in your system?

Partner on Solutions