How Intensive Outpatient Therapy Helps with Depression

17.3 million people in the United States are affected by major depressive disorder. If you’re one of them, you know how bad the bad days can truly be.

If you’re dealing with depression surrounding your sobriety, you know how bad days can turn into devastating days.

You should reach out for help even if everything seems like it’s okay. One of the best resources out there is intensive outpatient therapy. Keep reading to learn about this amazing treatment.

Intensive Outpatient Therapy: The Basics

Intensive outpatient therapy is less structured than an inpatient mental hospital. However, it’s still more structured than traditional therapy.

This kind of therapy typically meets three to five times a week for three to four hours a day. Many participants work or go to school full-time while they’re in therapy.

Intensive outpatient therapy is also great for those who have just left an inpatient treatment center. This kind of therapy can help individuals transition back into the real world. This is useful for them as they navigate their symptoms and situations again.

This is a great way for people to continue recovery while working their ways into old patterns and old situations. It is also a safer way of doing this for people who struggle with suicidal ideations.

Intensive outpatient therapy also typically also offered in group settings. This means that you will be surrounded by people who are going through what you’re going through. These people are also trying to navigate the world with you.

Having people to bounce ideas off of it great for those who may feel alone in the cloud of depression. Their situations may also help with learning coping mechanisms and living strategies.

This group will become a community of people to build off of. Having a counselor tell you who to approach situations may be nice, but having others who understand your situation offer you advice is better.

Intensive Outpatient Therapy: The Goals

There are different forms of intensive outpatient therapy. Different forms help people with different conditions.

There are intensive outpatient therapy programs for people with anxiety, people with depression, and people who struggle with substance abuse. Some groups are even catered to certain ages and genders.

There is bound to be a program that you’ll succeed in. With all of these forms, there is bound to be a group that can meet your personal goals.

Intensive outpatient therapy is made to help you build a successful foundation for mental health skills. Furthermore, it is made to help those individuals face any triggers or other stressors that they may face as they experience life.

More specific goals will shift with the purposes of the program that an individual joins. However, the main goal of trying to help the individual navigate life stays the same throughout all of the programs.

For example, there are programs that are designed to help people with substance abuse disorders. There are made to assist individuals in identifying triggers and maintaining sobriety in the presence of those triggers.

There are other goals involved in these intensive outpatient therapy programs as well. You will learn problem-solving skills, coping skills, and self-awareness. These skills will help you maintain sobriety.

Intensive Outpatient Therapy: The Difference

You may be wondering why some people choose intensive outpatient therapy over inpatient alternatives.

The most commonly reported reason is that outpatient therapy allows the patient to be present in the world while getting therapy. Inpatient therapy does not allow the patient to be present in the world while getting help.

The advantage of the outside exposure is that the patients can ask real-world questions and transition into the hardships rather than being shielded from them. The transition into the real-world is better for those people who may experience triggers throughout their lives.

However, inpatient therapy does use physical separation. Someone in an inpatient facility will not have access to any of their triggers.

You will have access to alcohol and drugs in the real world. Outpatient therapy will give you the resources you need to feel confident about your sobriety. Even though you do have access to substances, you will understand how to cope.

People who are employed, in school, or have families have more trouble completing inpatient treatments. This is because of the time commitment. Outpatient therapy allows its patient to balance life while still receiving the help that they need.

Intensive Outpatient Therapy: The Patients

Outpatient therapy is not for every patient. Intensive outpatient therapy is not for every patient.

Inpatient therapy may be best if you have severe depression and cannot thrive in the real world yet. You may want to consider outpatient therapy after you’ve had a stay in an inpatient therapy program.

There are levels of addiction treatment for those who experience substance abuse disorders. These different levels represent the severity of their substance abuse disorder. It also shows what treatment each level of severity may benefit from.

Level 0.5: This is the earliest stage of addiction treatment in which early intervention services work the best.

Level 1: This is where outpatient services may be needed. These patients are still able to benefit from outpatient therapies.

Level 2: These patients benefit the most from intensive outpatient programs. They could also see improvement with partial hospitalization programs.

Level 3: These patients may want to take part in residential treatment services or inpatient treatment services.

Level 4: This is the highest level of addiction treatment. Medically managed intensive inpatient treatment services may be best for patients at this level.

Intensive Outpatient Therapy: Our Services

Here at Transformations by the Gulf, we offer intensive outpatient therapy programs. Our program occurs three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 AM to 12 PM. Our participants typically take part in our services for 8 to 16 weeks, depending on their individual needs.

Our services are accredited by The Joint Commission. We offer a 3:1 client-to-counselor ratio so that your treatment is more individualized.

If you’re interested in intensive outpatient therapy, feel free to contact us for more information. We’d love to talk to you about how we can help with your specific situation.