Author: ROWI

As teenagers navigate the ups and downs of adolescence, they may struggle with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. While traditional weekly therapy can be effective in addressing these concerns, Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs) offer a more comprehensive approach that may be better suited to the needs of teens.

IOPs are structured treatment programs that provide more support than traditional outpatient therapy, but do not require 24-hour inpatient care. Instead, IOPs provide a higher level of care than traditional outpatient therapy, while still allowing teens to maintain their daily routines, attend school, and live at home. 

Why IOP’s are a Valuable Option for Teens Struggling with Mental Health Issues:

1. Increased frequency of therapy sessions: One of the primary benefits of IOPs is that they offer more frequent therapy sessions than traditional outpatient therapy. This means that teens receive more support and can work through their issues more quickly. IOPs typically involve several therapy sessions per week, which can be a significant increase from traditional outpatient therapy, which may only involve one session per week.
2. Greater support from peers: In an IOP, teens have the opportunity to connect and co-regulate with peers who are going through similar experiences. This can be incredibly valuable, as it can provide a sense of community and support that may not be available in traditional outpatient therapy.
3. More comprehensive treatment: IOPs typically offer a more comprehensive approach to treatment than traditional outpatient therapy. This may include individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and other forms of support. This approach can help teens address their issues from multiple angles, leading to more successful outcomes. 
4. Flexibility: IOPs offer greater flexibility than inpatient treatment, allowing teens to maintain their daily routines and attend school. This can be particularly important for teens who may not want to disrupt their lives by taking time away from school or other activities.
5. Eliminate the need for higher level of care:  With frequency, community support and comprehensive service delivery, IOP programs can mitigate needs for acute care or higher levels of support.

Overall, IOPs can be a valuable option for teens struggling with mental health issues. While traditional outpatient therapy can be effective, IOPs offer a more comprehensive approach that can provide teens with the support they need to overcome their challenges. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, it may be worth considering an IOP like ROWI’s as a treatment option. 

 Contact us to learn more and to get support for your teen. 

PHP vs. IOP for Teen & Adolescent Mental Health Treatment 

As your child approaches their teenage years, they will face a number of different challenges, both physiological and psychological. It can be difficult for your teen to navigate the variety of changes that face them, from puberty and hormones to social issues like bullying and peer pressure. As a parent/caregiver, it can be just as difficult to find ways to support your teen during this time.

In order to provide support, it is important to understand the variety of challenges your teen may be facing. During puberty, males and females will experience a variety of physical changes including hair growth, muscle growth, changes in voice, breast development, menstruation, and acne. Your teen may also experience changes in body shape, including height and weight. 

Oftentimes, when our physical appearance changes, we also experience psychological and social changes. Socially, teens face issues of peer pressure, bullying, sexual activity, drug/alcohol use, social media pressure, etc., on a daily basis. When not properly coped with, these stressors and issues can lead to symptoms of anxiety, depression, risk-taking behaviors, academic problems, and thoughts/engagement in suicidal ideation and self-harm, to name a few.

Options for Teen & Adolescent Mental Health Treatment

There are a variety of options for adolescent mental health treatment. Mental health treatment can range from weekly talk therapy to intensive residential programs. If your child is experiencing any of the above symptoms–especially symptoms related to safety– it is highly recommended and important to talk with your teen and a mental health professional to determine an appropriate level of care.

Partial Hospitalization Program

Partial Hospitalization (or “PHP”) is a structured, outpatient program that is an appropriate treatment option for individuals who need additional support with executive functioning, positive peer interaction, and are able to maintain safety while at home. Most PHP programming is Monday through Friday for a minimum of 5 hours per day.  While in PHP, your teen will receive comprehensive services, from individual therapy and group therapy to medication management. One of the many benefits of PHP level of care is that, despite the intensiveness of the program, those that participate in PHP will return home at the end of each day.  The main goal in PHP is stabilization so that your teen can acclimate to their normal routine. Other benefits of being in PHP include: having a space to learn and practice coping skills, increased social contact, having a daily routine, a space to process one’s depression and anxiety, and constant safety planning. Once PHP treatment is completed, it is recommended that your teen step down to Intensive Outpatient (“IOP”).

Intensive Outpatient Program

Intensive Outpatient or IOP is mental health treatment that individuals can participate in while still engaged in school and/or work. Typically, IOP is 3 hours of programming per day for 3-4 days per week. IOP is the perfect treatment model for individuals who need more than weekly therapy but are able to maintain enough safety to function successfully in school or at work. IOP is a great step-down option for anyone who was previously in a PHP level of care because IOP takes the skills one has learned in PHP and gives space for an individual to apply it in their day-to-day life. In IOP, you have the structure of treatment with the flexibility of life.

How ROWI Teen Can Help Your Family

To get started with ROWI Teen & Parent Wellness Centers, submit a request or simply call our Admissions Team at 805-356-3477 and one of our helpful coordinators will assist you in completing an application, scheduling an assessment, and verifying your insurance to get you, your family, and teen started on your journey to mental wellness.                                    

Anxiety in Adolescents

ROWI

August 2, 2022

Did you know that ROWI offers on-site mental health treatment programs for teens and adolescents during the summer months? Our summer programming is also focused on improving mental wellness in teens ages 12-18 and is based upon the most current evidence-based clinical practices, integrating positive approaches to patient care. While our school year PHP programs incorporate academic instruction, our summer programs focus on:

• Comprehensive Bio-Psycho-Social Assessment with a behavior program designed to address your child’s specific needs
• Medication evaluation, intervention, and review as needed
• Therapeutic groups, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectic behavioral therapy, social skills, and mindfulness
• Holistic and recreational therapy groups such as surf, art, meditation and music.

Why Mental Health Programming for Teens in the Summer is Important

Summertime = down time.  This time is an opportunity for teens to build the skills they need to better function at home, in the world, and then when it’s back to school time. This is a time for teens and adolescents to build healthy relationships and work on self esteem, anger management, and other life skills.

 

Sample Day of Summer Teen Mental Health Program Activities

Please call 805.356.3477 to learn more and get your teen or adolescent the support they need.

A diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder typically occurs in toddlerhood or early childhood.  It is possible for physicians, clinicians, and parents to miss or overlook the sign of Autism until late childhood, adolescence, or even adulthood.  People that are diagnosed later often have received another diagnosis while the underlying Autism went undetected.  Many people with Autism have a co-morbid (co-occurring) diagnosis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Even when a person is diagnosed later in life, the symptoms will have been present since they were very young.  Though they may have been masked, in order to qualify for an Autism diagnosis, symptoms must have been present from early childhood.

Why do some children receive an autism diagnosis later in life?

The symptoms of Autism may be masked for many reasons and therefore diagnosis during early childhood did not occur.  People with Autism that are high functioning are usually of average or even above-average intelligence.  In many situations, children with undiagnosed Autism have immense strengths that do not raise many red flags in the elementary school settings.  When children are able to do well in school, perform well on an IQ test and communicate it will usually send parents, teachers, and pediatricians to explore other options for a child’s unexpected or unusual behaviors.  When academic work becomes more abstract and social interactions become more complex these children/adolescents begin to show more challenges in the home, school, and community settings. 

Some research suggests that females are less likely to be diagnosed at a young age.  A 2015 study titled “Sex and gender differences in autism spectrum disorder,” reports that symptoms of autism manifest differently in females and tend to display better functional social skills and awareness than males on the autism spectrum.

What are the early signs of autism disorder?

There are some signs to be aware of if you are unsure if your loved one may be on the autism spectrum but is undiagnosed. Some of the signs to look for are being overly anxious in social situations, appearing blunt or rude without intention, avoiding eye contact or giving uncomfortable eye contact, difficulty making and/or maintaining friendships, and difficulty understanding what others are thinking and feeling (theory of mind), having exquisite knowledge about a narrow topic of interest, engaging in strict routines and becoming dysregulated when change occurs, difficulty understanding social norms and social cues and high levels of sensory sensitivity (smells, tastes, textures).

If you think you or your loved one may have an autism spectrum disorder your physician or a mental health professional can support and guide you to find the appropriate referrals for a neuropsychological assessment.  These assessments are usually completed by a clinical psychologist.  When a diagnosis occurs later in life, there are appropriate therapies and ASD programs including cognitive behavioral therapy, social skills training, and behavioral therapy that can help a person to gain more insight into themselves as well as increase socially appropriate interactions and behaviors.

Having a loved one diagnosed later in life may come with guilt due to not recognizing the signs earlier.  It is important to remember that receiving a diagnosis for many people that have an autism spectrum disorder begins a journey toward self-awareness and acceptance.

Many people rely on individual therapy for psychological support, but there are times when people need more support than can be provided by individual therapy alone.

Teens requiring more comprehensive mental health services may be referred to an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). IOP may be a good treatment option for individuals in a variety of situations, including those stepping down from a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), on leave from school, those needing more support than once a week counseling, or those who have recently completed a hospitalization. An IOP provides an opportunity for people who are recovering from a mental illness to continue their recovery,

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) designates a specific level of care within mental health treatment. This level of care is a “High Intensity Community Based Service”, providing additional support and therapeutic modalities. For example, IOP may include individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, and psychiatric medication management.  Teens are often “stepping down” to IOP from a Partial Hospitalization Program.

IOP is a more intensive level of care in comparison to a typical outpatient therapy setting. In IOP, clients are expected to attend treatment at a minimum of three days per week, for three hours each day. For this reason, clients who require additional support may benefit from an IOP program. Clients who are struggling to manage and cope in an outpatient therapy setting would benefit from the additional support that an IOP program provides.

In some cases, IOP serves the purpose of ensuring ongoing stabilization and support after a client completes a treatment episode in a higher level of care. In most cases, clients who are treated in a Partial Hospitalization Program will step down to an Intensive Outpatient Program at the completion of their treatment episode.  A typical IOP treatment episode is completed after the course of several months.

What are the Benefits of an Intensive Outpatient Program?

An IOP program provides many benefits as clients are provided with the structure and stability necessary to assist them in meeting their treatment goals. Clients have access to their individual and family therapists throughout their day in the program. Also, their clinical team is able to observe their behaviors and symptoms daily in order to optimize their treatment. Clients receive a wide variety of experiential and therapeutic groups including, but not limited to, dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, process groups, psychoeducation, art therapy, social skills groups, yoga, meditation and nutrition. An IOP program provides comprehensive and individualized support to meet each client’s unique needs.

Goals of an Intensive Outpatient Program

The goals of each IOP will vary depending upon the issue the program is designed to treat. Universal components of intensive outpatient programs include:

• Teaching participants coping skills
• Improving problem-solving skills
• Developing enhanced self-awareness
• Recognizing unhealthy behaviors
• Practicing asking for and receiving support

Unlike an inpatient program, an intensive outpatient program offers participants the ability to receive treatment while still living at home and engaging in their personal lives. Teens can attend an IOP without disrupting their school, routine or relationships.

What conditions does Intensive Outpatient Program Treat?

An IOP program treats behavioral health disorders that do not require staying overnight for treatment. PHP can be an effective level of care for those who struggle with depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, school refusal, substance abuse, and many others. It can also be a healing therapeutic environment for anyone who has recently experienced an emotional crisis, abuse or neglect.

ROWI’s IOP program treats clients with a primary mental health diagnosis, as ROWI does not treat clients with a primary substance use disorder diagnosis. ROWI can provide additional support for adolescents struggling with minor substance use; however, it is not the focus of treatment. Each client participates in creating an individualized Master Treatment Plan with their Therapist to assist with collaborating and working together to help clients meet their treatment goals.

What to expect when you enter an Intensive Outpatient Program?

When you enter an IOP program, you can expect to work closely with your therapist and clinical team throughout your stay in IOP, collaborating regarding your treatment plan and working together to assist you with meeting your treatment goals. You’ll meet with your individual therapist once each week and your family therapist once every other week. Together, you will collaborate with your clinical team to decide the best time to transition to a lower level of care after IOP.