Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

Healing Together

Behavioral Health Services offers the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) as a way for patients to manage mental and emotional illness and resume their daily lives.

This program is individually designed for adults, ages 18 and older, who are experiencing behavioral or emotional difficulties, but do not require the intense level of inpatient psychiatric care that's provided in an hospital setting. The Intensive Outpatient Program may also be prescribed for adults and older adults when stepping down from inpatient hospitalization or residential care, so they can transition back into the community. 

About the IOP

On average, the Intensive Outpatient Program lasts six to eight weeks. It involves three group therapy sessions weekly, each one-hour long. Patients who enroll in the program overseen by Joseph Fanelli, MD, psychiatry, medical director of Behavioral Health Services, are asked to complete a psychosocial assessment. This evaluation allows the care team to assess the patient's symptoms, personal and family psychiatric history and suicide risk.

The IOP group therapy sessions, led by a licensed clinical social worker, help patients and their families focus on ways to improve daily coping and behavior skills, keep emotions in balance and manage the illness. The program has helped participants gain self-respect and reduce feelings of isolation and hopelessness.

For more information on the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), to refer a patient for treatment or find out more about Behavioral Health Services, call: 219-392-7025.

Location

St. Catherine Hospital
Professional Office Building