A Half Day of Treatment: Returning to Independence

When your mental health disorder is disruptive and hard to manage on your own but does not completely prevent you from carrying out the basic tasks and essential functions of daily living, the intensive outpatient treatment level of care may be appropriate for you. At the IOP level of care, you spend a half day in treatment either five days a week or three days a week, depending on your treatment progress and level of independence.

What is Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP)?

Overview:

  • At the IOP level of care, we offer two programs:
    • IOP-5: three hours of treatment, five days a week
    • IOP-3: three hours of treatment, three days a week
  • Patients live off-site in Crownview housing
  • Transportation to and from Crownview is included in the program.
  • Patients in both levels of IOP care are working toward, and close to, living a completely independent life

What Happens During Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP)?

Patients in our IOP programs begin treatment the same way patients in residential treatment or PHP programs begin: with a comprehensive assessment, administered by a skilled team of experienced clinicians. Crownview clinicians use the intake assessment to identify strength areas and areas of needed improvement. They learn everything they can about you. Your personal history, your treatment history, and your treatment goals are all important, and guide the creation of your treatment plan. Our person-first philosophy means we use everything we learn to create a custom plan thar includes our full suite of wraparound services.

Our clinicians organize the components of your treatment plan into an integrated whole that gives you the greatest chance of meeting your treatment goals. The innovative combination of core components make treatment plans at Crownview unique and effective for people with complex co-occurring disorders.

Intensive Outpatient Programs at Crownview: Core Components

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is the core of treatment at Crownview. Our licensed psychiatrists are full-time Crownview employees, on call 24/7 to support patients in programs at all levels of care. This increases the quality, depth, and healing potential of the patient/therapist relationship.

Types of therapy include:

  • Individual therapy/counseling
  • Group therapy/counseling
  • Family therapy/counseling

Modes of psychotherapy include:

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
  • Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
  • Solution-Focused Therapies
  • EMDR (Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing)
  • Trauma-informed therapy (CBT, DBT, and EMDR)

Medication (as indicated)

For some patients, medication is an ongoing part of their treatment plan. For others, medication creates stability while they learn techniques that may be more sustainable over time. Our goal is to reduce or eliminate medication when the patient and our clinicians agree it’s not necessary for long-term treatment success. All decisions regarding medication are the result of a collaborative process that includes the patient and their treatment team.

Medications may include:

  • Antidepressants
  • Anxiolytics
  • Antipsychotics

Experiential Therapies

Experiential therapies support psychotherapeutic approaches like CBT and DBT. Patients at the IOP level of care have the opportunity to use the techniques – which help manage stress and reduce emotional reactivity – in real world settings every day. They have time to learn what works, what needs more work, and what doesn’t. Then, they can come to their Crownview therapists, counselors, and peers with questions and insights about their experiences – and use what they learn to apply their skills more effectively the next time they need them.

At the IOP level, patients begin to experience what it means to move toward total independence, and in many cases, experiential therapies help them live a full and fulfilling life.

Experiential therapies include, but are not limited to:

  • Yoga
  • Exercise
  • Mindfulness
  • Meditation

Adjunct Services

We offer a selection of adjunct services that support the primary components in our treatment plans. Adjunct services include, but are not limited to the following:

Adjunct services are provided at an additional cost.

Educational Workshops

Group workshops help patients develop emotional resilience, acquire practical coping skills, and set realistic, big-picture goals for life. Patients at the IOP level of care get to apply what they learn in these workshops every day, then return to same workshop peers and facilitators to offer feedback and solidify their skills.

Educational workshops may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Nutrition coaching
  • Relationship skills
  • Communication skills
  • Independent/cooperative living skills

Case Management

At the beginning of treatment, we assign each patient a case manager. Crownview case managers look at the big picture and keep everyone on task and on schedule. As patients step down through our levels of care – from residential treatment to PHP treatment to IOP treatment – they have the opportunity to experience greater and greater amounts of independence and personal responsibility.

At the IOP phase – whether IOP-5 or IOP-3 – case managers become key figures in the transition to independence. As the idea of getting a job, living either alone or in a cooperative, and managing life on their own begins to look like an achievable goal – and in some cases, an inevitable reality – the role of the case manager changes slightly: they go from overseeing care to helping patients accomplish real-world tasks.

This approach gives every individual at Crownview the best chance at meeting their goals. While they’re in our intensive outpatient treatment program, they have the chance to engage in a safe and supported process of trial and error while working toward full independence.

That’s when case managers step up their engagement with our patients, and support them in the following areas:

  • Life skills:
    • Patients in intensive outpatient treatment receive support in taking the final steps toward managing independent living, personal hygiene, grocery shopping, and cooking
  • Vocational skills:
    • Whereas patients in residential or PHP programs may learn about things like searching for and applying for jobs, case managers may help patients in our IOP programs actually search for, apply for, interview for, and – in some cases – start working a real job.

Case managers help intensive outpatient treatment patients connect with resources that help them take the final step toward total independence. The ultimate objective for every patient is a life lived on their own terms: that’s our big picture goal, and case managers focus on helping every patient at Crownview achieve that goal. At the IOP level of care, our patients see the fruits of all their hard work – and case managers pave the way and set the stage for their initial and ongoing success.

Your Life, Your Terms, Your Goals

At every level of care, we develop comprehensive treatment plans tailored to your specific needs. We specialized in complex psychiatric conditions, which means we believe we can help you even if you haven’t experience success at other treatment centers. When you commit to a program at Crownview, you learn and practice the symptom management, relationship, and life skills necessary to take charge of your life and reach highest the level of independence possible.