Intensive Outpatient Programs Work for Our Youth in Crisis

Crossroads Intensive Outpatient Program Offers a lifeline of hope and recovery for those in Mental Health Crisis 

Excerpts from article:

Johnny is 16 and has always been a bit of an anxious boy.  Sitting in the hospital emergency department, he was really anxious and desperate. 

The doctor at the emergency department, Johnny’s therapist, and pediatrician, all recommended he do something called an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP).  Johnny had no idea what all those letters actually meant, but everyone kept saying it would be helpful. He hoped the program could help him finally start to feel better, but after years of therapy and hospitals, it was hard for him to imagine anything could actually work.   

Northeast Family Institute (NFI) Crossroads, an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in Essex Junction, provides comprehensive mental health treatment for adolescents and adults.  It accepts referrals from hospital emergency departments, inpatient units, and residential programs. The IOP is a step between once-a-week outpatient therapy and 24/7 inpatient care.  IOP treatment at Crossroads is 3 to 5 times a week (9-15 hours) for 4-6 weeks.  The IOP helps people who have tried outpatient treatment or inpatient care but have not found the lasting improvements they need.  For the 225 folks a year it treats, it decreases the need for inpatient and emergency department visits.   

After his sixth week of program, Johnny graduated from Crossroads with a clear plan of what he wanted from meeting with his therapist and was looking forward to life. During his graduation, Johnny reflected that at the start of program he had been convinced it wouldn’t work.  He told his peers who were just starting program that he couldn’t believe how quickly the time went and how much had actually changed during that time. “I honestly didn’t think this program could help and I’m telling you it did.”, he said, “It can be really hard at times.  Put the effort in. Do the work.  It’s worth it because it actually works”  Read more…

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Intensive Outpatient Programs Work for Our Youth in Crisis