Treatment in an intensive outpatient program (IOP) involves comprehensive outpatient services that meet the needs of those with substance use and co-occurring or dual-diagnosis disorders. A comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of presenting problems, treatment goals, and recovery needs guides the level-of-care determination.
Avanti’s new staff psychiatrist, Katheleen Daly, MD, is looking forward to working with teenage clients and our multidisciplinary team which includes therapists, social workers, and a family services coordinator. “Clients joining an IOP could be stepping down from residential treatment or maybe need more help and support than an ordinary outpatient program can provide but do not require a residential level of care or partial hospitalization,” says Daly who brings more than a decade of experience in the behavioral health field to Avanti Behavioral Health.
Avanti’s focus is on providing the best adolescent mental health, addiction, and trauma treatment in Colorado. We invite all our prospective families to research, interview, and meet the team members prior to admission. Furthermore, our hope is that you will find that our team is more than qualified to offer the right kind of help and support for your loved one.
Dr. Daly stresses the importance of individualized care and meeting clients where they’re at. “Young people coming out of residential or partial hospitalization and joining an IOP need help with that transition into regular outpatient care and the return home,” she says. “They possibly need adjustments for their medications and an IOP gives you time to see the effects of those changes.”
An IOP offers more intensive services than a traditional outpatient environment while avoiding the restrictions of residential treatment. Clients engaged in IOP treatment often use local community services and mutual support groups outside the program. After completion of IOP treatment, these support networks and services remain intact, easing the transition into the next phase of recovery.
Teenage clients require and deserve special attention. “Puberty entails weight, size, and metabolism changes,” explains Dr. Daly. “A psychiatrist often has to decide whether a medication that helped in the past is going to work in the future. I like to explore what’s going on in their social environment and at home to get a better picture.”
Closely collaborating with the entire team and consulting with family members is particularly important with teenage clients. “They can just show up differently in different places to different people, it’s just all the things they’re going through,” says Daly.
Avanti built a clinical team with the stated intention of providing practical tools that each teen can use daily. Our team prides itself on offering the latest in treatment interventions, therapy models, and compassionate, passionate people.
Family members can play an important role at any level of care, including in an intensive outpatient program (IOP). Participating in family counseling as part of the outpatient treatment of the child will provide all family members with a better understanding of addiction as a disease and their optimal role in achieving recovery for their loved ones.
The Avanti team believes that recovery from a substance use disorder is a process that should involve the entire immediate family. We have developed an effective and highly involved method of family counseling. For more information about our IOP and family programming call us at (720) 753-4030.
