If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health issues and needs treatment with a part-time commitment, intensive outpatient programs make a viable alternative to residential programs with a lower cost and more flexible schedule. But what is IOP in mental health and how can it help you overcome your mental health disorders?
Water Gap Wellness Center is a mental health treatment program in the Tri-State area. Call us today to learn more about how we can help you improve your mental wellness today.
What Is IOP in Mental Health?
Intensive outpatient programs provide in-depth treatment for mental health issues and co-occurring addiction. The services you receive are provided on a typical outpatient basis, where you attend multiple sessions for a few hours every week over the span of several days per week. During your sessions, you will receive services like:
- Individual counseling
- Relapse prevention
- Group therapy
- Holistic treatment
- Mental health education
Intensive outpatient mental health treatment is best for people struggling with mild to moderate symptoms who don’t require medical supervision around the clock. IOP mental health treatment is also well suited to people who have already attended an inpatient program and want to move to the next level of care but are unable to remain away from daily responsibilities or their jobs.
So what is IOP in mental health, and how is it different from other programs?
IOP mental health treatment is different from inpatient programs where you reside full-time at your treatment facility. Intensive outpatient mental health treatment is usually the same length as inpatient treatment but with a part-time schedule instead of a full-time demand.
Intensive outpatient mental health treatment is more demanding than traditional outpatient care. Outpatient care is sometimes referred to as ongoing care or continuing care because it’s the level of treatment you receive after completing more intense mental health programs at a treatment facility.
What to Expect with IOP Mental Health Treatment
Intensive outpatient programs have measurable milestones that track your progress. As you reach each subsequent milestone, the amount of time you are committed to your services decreases.
It’s not uncommon for intensive outpatient mental health treatment to last up to a few months, decreasing in time commitment requirements every few weeks. You typically meet between three and seven days per week in the beginning, similarly decreasing the number of days required as you reach specific milestones. Most programs meet a maximum of three hours per day.
Benefits Of Intensive Outpatient Programs
Intensive outpatient programs only meet for a few hours every day, allowing you to live at home and complete your services without significant disruption to your daily schedule. Other benefits include the following:
Affordability
Intensive outpatient programs are much more affordable than traditional residential programs. This also makes it more likely that your insurance will cover some, if not all, of your care. You get to live at home, so the cost of accommodations and food is taken from the equation.
Support and At-Home Application
You can have some level of normalcy with your regular at-home routine. During your treatment, you can enjoy ongoing family support and an opportunity to practice the trigger management skills or coping mechanisms you acquire during your therapy sessions on a regular basis. In the evening, you can complete homework or practice communication skills and apply the mental health education you receive, and then meet with your therapist during your next session to discuss the impact.
This might be one of the most important benefits for many people over a traditional residential program where you are taken out of your normal environment and cannot apply what you learn until you complete treatment.
Time for Responsibilities
The flexibility of schedule is the third benefit, and it offers many people the freedom to continue with personal or professional responsibilities. You can maintain your daily schedule, go to school or work, and care for your family but still find enough time for a measurable amount of support daily.
Higher Level of Care
Intensive outpatient programs provide much more care than traditional outpatient programs. They are modeled to be as effective as residential programs for people struggling with moderate mental health disorders. You regularly get a network of ongoing support during your treatment with a part-time commitment.
Finding IOP Mental Health Treatment at Water Gap Wellness Center
Water Gap Wellness Center specializes in mental health IOP programs. We offer care for multiple conditions, including evidence-based psychotherapies and holistic treatment. With Water Gap Wellness Center, you can get intensive outpatient mental health treatment with a high level of care, a flexible schedule, and access to myriad therapies.
Call us today at (877) 414-3281 to start IOP mental health treatment.
