Intensive Outpatient Program

When a teen exhibits symptoms of a serious mental health condition, it’s a parent’s job to find the treatment program they need to stabilize and heal. Understanding the different treatment options for adolescent mental health treatment can be stressful and overwhelming for a parent, especially when you don’t know much about how programs differ. Failure to get a teen the mental health services they need can have serious consequences, but locating the right program for them can profoundly affect their long-term well-being. Contact Imagine Spokane at 888.384.3143 for more information on our adolescent intensive outpatient program. 

What Is an Adolescent Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program?

An adolescent virtual intensive outpatient program (IOP) provides structured mental health support while allowing teens to stay at home and maintain their daily routines. This program is a key step in the continuum of mental health care, offering a balance of flexibility and focused treatment.

Unlike residential programs, outpatient options, including virtual IOP, allow your teen to participate in treatment while living at home and continuing school and other normal activities.

Virtual IOP sessions typically last two to three hours and occur three to five times a week, often scheduled after school hours to accommodate academic commitments. Individualized care plans help determine the frequency and focus of these sessions, ensuring that your teen receives tailored support without disrupting their routine.

What Happens During an Adolescent IOP?

An adolescent IOP is a form of group therapy. Teens are encouraged to work on communication skills by openly sharing about their mental health in a non-judgmental setting. 

A typical IOP session for adolescent mental health will involve talk therapy in a group setting for the development of coping skills, conflict resolution skills, and behavioral and life skills. Most adolescent intensive outpatient programs use a combination of therapy models, including:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) 
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Family therapy

Psychotherapy is supplemented with medication management, trauma-informed care, experiential therapies, and educational advocacy. 

How Can Outpatient Rehab Help My Teen?

IOPs allow teens to express themselves and offer support to their peers. As teens in the program learn to share about their challenges and successes, they learn healthy communication and coping skills. The validation and understanding an IOP offers can help a teen feel welcomed and motivated to work toward stable mental health.  

An IOP program aims to give teens a place to check in, give feedback, show accountability, and learn the skills to manage their mental health. An IOP environment can foster connection and support. 

In an IOP session, a teen gives feedback about thoughts, feelings, and reactions they’ve experienced since the last session. When teens share mental health challenges, they are shown compassion and understanding. When they share victories or moments of success, they are celebrated and encouraged by their peers and counselors.  

Seek Support at Imagine Spokane

Imagine Spokane is an adolescent mental health treatment facility located in Spokane, WA. We treat adolescent patients between the ages of 12 and 17. Imagine Spokane offers a partial hospitalization program and an intensive outpatient program. 

Our primary focus is adolescent mental health patients, although we accept substance use disorder patients on a case-by-case basis. We use a combination of therapies and medication management to help teens work to overcome mental health challenges. For more information on our adolescent intensive outpatient program in Spokane, WA, contact Imagine Spokane at 888.384.3143.