The door slams, the line goes dead, the engine of the car starts, and your teen is gone again- whether emotionally distant or staying physically away, you are left feeling scared, confused, angry and at a complete loss. You love your teen, you know their potential, and yet every interaction feels like a minefield, and the feelings of helplessness just keep getting bigger. If your teen is struggling with their mental health, either because of social situations, difficulty with school, challenges with emotional regulation, or exploring their identity, you likely feel out of your depth in supporting them. Maybe you’ve tried weekly therapy for your teen, or maybe they have tried inpatient care and need more than weekly therapy as they adjust to life outside treatment. Regardless, Intensive Outpatient Programs (adolescent IOP) for youth might be the support your teen and family need.

What is an Adolescent “IOP”?

IOP stands for Intensive Outpatient Program. These programs provide a step between weekly therapy (which may not be enough for your teens needs) and inpatient care (which may be more than your teen needs) by providing 6-8 hours of structured, evidence based therapeutic interventions each week. An adolescent IOP focuses on the specific needs and challenges that come with adolescence, including identity development, emotional regulation, developing self efficacy and self compassion, and interpersonal skills. Red Willows Adolescent IOP provides several forms of therapy each week to support the mental health of youth in Utah. Each week, clients in the adolescent IOP participate in: 

• Individual therapy with a licensed therapist. These sessions are scheduled on days when group therapy isn’t happening to ensure clients are getting individual support for their goals throughout the program. 
• Group therapy led by masters level clinicians. Group therapy includes three sessions a week. Each session is 2 hours long and split into two parts- the first is called “psych ed” where clients learn about mental health topics through lessons provided by clinicians. The second half is processing and offers space for clients to talk about their problems, challenges, successes and receive support from group members and clinicians. The combination of learning about mental health topics and the support of group members who “get it” provide an environment rich for personal development. 
• Case management, as needed, for developing goals and solving practical problems. Case management is one of the services Red Willow Counseling Adolescent IOP’s offers that sets our program apart- but many people don’t know case management is or what it provides. Case management is a collaborative process where the client and case manager assess the problems the client is facing, develop goals to solve the problems, and then explore how to make achieving the goals possible. 
• Family support and collaboration to support youth and family development. Family support takes many forms at Red Willows Adolescent IOP- everything from education regarding mental health, family therapy as needed, and Family Days where family members come to a group session.

Is an Adolescent IOP Right for Me?

Assessing for what level of care your child needs can be challenging, but our team at Red Willow Counseling can help. If you aren’t sure if your teen needs more support than weekly therapy, reach out to our team for a free consultation- we can review your child’s needs, history, goals and current level of well being to assess the level of care they need. 

Typically, adolescents who would benefit from IOP:

• are struggling to get to weekly therapy– it feels like a drag and often the adolescent seems bored or unhelpful
• find that weekly therapy helps, but they are struggling to see real change in their experience or behavior
• need more skill building education and practice for developing social relationships 
• are stepping down from a higher level of care like inpatient treatment

What Makes Red Willow Counseling’s Adolescent IOP Different

Red Willow Counseling provides IOP for a variety of needs (Recovery IOP for adults with addictions, or our Mental Health IOP for adults who need support for struggles related to mental health)- our team has run IOPs since 2017, and are experienced in this type of therapeutic intervention.  We also provide case management when needed, which is a service many IOPs do not provide. We have found case management to be one of the most effective components of IOP- providing the scaffolding for success after IOP ends. Case management offers the benefits of setting a goal and working towards it, the self efficacy and self esteem of goal achievement has lasting benefits for adolescents seeking support. 

Is IOP Effective for Adolescents?

The short answer is yes- the research regarding IOP in general show significant benefits, including the benefits of receiving education about mental health topics including communication, shame and guilt, emotional regulation and more. Additionally, IOP provides the “sandbox” for adolescents to practice the skills they are learning in group- including communication skills, identifying emotions. But people who attend IOP often report that the biggest benefit is the processing portion of group- where clients can talk about their problems, worries and successes with the support of group members. For adolescents, this social connection can be even more powerful as adolescence can be a socially isolating time for many youth, especially those dealing with mental health challenges. 

Adolescent IOP: The Next Step In Mental Health Support For Youth

If you are at the point where you are feeling lost, disheartened, overwhelmed, hopeless or confused regarding your teen’s mental health and not sure where to look, contact our team at Red Willow Counseling. We are dedicated to helping you find a solution that works for you and your family, and can help find other resources if, for some reason, the Adolescent IOP at Red Willow isn’t the most supportive level of care. The teen years can be challenging for the whole family, and you can start the journey of finding support- we are here to help.