The Intensive for Adolescents
After a robust and exciting six months of offering intensive outpatient services (IOP) to adults, we are thrilled to be able to fill a huge treatment gap in mid-Missouri by offering The Intensive for Adolescents in summer 2024. On a weekly basis, we are asked if there are IOP services for teens in our area, specifically targeting eating disorders and mood disorders with or without self-injurious behaviors. We already work with adolescents struggling with substance use, individually and with families, so being able to offer the next level of care for these folks has been a desire of ours for some time. Summer is right around the corner!
There are questions we don’t have answers to yet, however, please don’t hesitate to ask them! We are keeping a running list so as to not miss any details and to communicate transparently with other treatment providers, potential clients, and loved ones. This post will hopefully cover some of the main questions you may have at this time.
What is IOP?
Intensive Outpatient Services is generally 9 hours of therapy a week; we offer this level of care three hours per day, three days a week. Most of those 9 hours are group therapy, ranging from interpersonal process group work to relapse prevention to internal family systems for trauma. We also provide CBT and DBT/emotion regulation skills groups and community building.
What’s different between The Intensive and The Intensive for Adolescents?
Most of the existing programming and treatment protocol will remain the same, as it has long standing outcome measures and is evidence-based for treating a variety of mental illnesses. However, The Intensive for Adolescents will be time-limited (8 weeks in length) and will be more structured with activities tailored to the 14-18 year old demographic. In addition, there will be supported meals and some other IOP Eating Disorder treatment protocols added to the schedule for the whole group, as these practices enhance and support ones’ developing basic needs.
| The Intensive | The Intensive for Adolescents | |
| Age | 18+ | 14-18 years old |
| Family Involvement | Optional weekly group | Required weekly group |
| Day/Time | Mon/Wed 8:00-11:00 a.m. and Thurs 1-4 p.m. | Midday start time, Mon-Wed (days may change before start) |
| Duration of Program | 2-12 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Meals/Meal Planning | Limited and generalized | Specific group content and experiences |
You’re offering eating disorder treatment now?
Great question! We have always provided individual and family counseling services with both adolescents and adults alike when it comes to disordered eating and eating disorders. However, incorporating some IOP protocol for eating disorders is a new component of The Intensive for Adolescents.
There are minimal, higher-level-of-care options for this age group in mid-MO, specifically in the area of disordered eating, and we feel confident in providing this service. We will also bring in other eating disorder professionals who specialize in this area in the same way we already invite dieticians, functional movement professionals, Tai Chi instructors, and the like, to The Intensive.
The evaluation and assessment process will be a little more involved if an adolescent enters The Intensive to focus on their disordered eating/eating disorder, and we will require a physician to be on the treatment team – alongside us – to monitor vital signs and other physical symptoms exacerbated by disordered eating.
I’m the parent. It looks like I’m required to attend group therapy with my teen?
CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) is a powerful model of therapy that includes loved ones in the treatment process. However, your teen will not attend this group with you. The Friends & Family Coaching Group is just for you; to provide you with education, support, and community, as you learn how to have a fulfilling relationship with your teen as they navigate mental health (and life!) challenges. Your participation in this group is included in the cost of The Intensive for Adolescents.
What now? Summer is a while away, however, we are now open for referrals to The Intensive for Adolescents. We will close this group when we reach 6-8 members, which is different from how we typically run other groups at IMF. We find this necessary in order to provide individualized and structured care for this group, and because it is time limited. That being said, if you have a loved one you’d like us to consider for the summer program, or a client you’d like to refer, please consider contacting us soon. We are happy to answer questions and address concerns as time continues, as we know this is an emerging program in mid-Missouri. Feel free to fill out this form to get in touch with us or email Clinical Director, Lauren Eisleben, LPC, at [email protected].