Intensive Outpatient

Supporting Recovery Through Connections

Using a multidisciplinary approach, the staff at Walden Behavioral Care is dedicated to providing the most effective and cutting edge treatments for eating disorders. The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is designed for individuals seeking additional support in their recovery process from an eating disorder. The IOP is used in combination with outpatient treatment, and is ideal for people transitioning from a higher level of care or those needing more support than their outpatient team alone can provide. The focus of IOP treatment is on the development of healthy coping skills through empirically-based behavioral treatments. Making connections to support the recovery process is also emphasized in the program. At this level of care individuals are encouraged to integrate work, school, hobbies, and relationships so that they can reclaim their lives and attain significant recovery from their eating disorders.

Who We Treat: The IOP at Walden is designed for men and women (18 years and older) who are medically stable, are without acute psychiatric symptoms, and who are actively working with an outpatient treatment team.

Program Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 5:15 PM - 8:30 PM

IOP Goals: Walden's Intensive Outpatient Program allows individuals the opportunity to experience life and recovery while still learning skills to help achieve a life free from their eating disorder. As a step down program from higher levels of care, this program provides coping skills and helps solidify one's resolve to recovery and healing. Specific skills include:

• Development of healthy coping skills to manage eating disordered thoughts and behaviors
• Development of specific dialectical behavioral skills to help individuals:
• Cope with painful feelings
• Manage triggering and stressful situations
• Successfully manage urges and anxious thoughts
• Learn interpersonal effectiveness techniques
• Re-integration to work, school, family, and friends
• Healthier eating habits
• Relapse prevention

Duration: Individuals typically participate in the program for four to six weeks.

Treatment

The focus of treatment is to prepare individuals for a successful transition to outpatient care and to make progress towards lasting recovery.

Individuals in IOP must have an outpatient team during their course of treatment in the program. We also ask individuals to be integrating an element of daily structure into their week while in treatment. If these elements are not in place upon admission to the program, clinicians at Walden will assist by providing appropriate referrals for an outpatient team, as well as support the process of developing a daily structure.

The treatment components of the program include group therapy, therapeutic meals, nutritional assessment and consultation, and individual counseling. The IOP group program employs the most up-to-date treatment approaches that include Cognitive and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as a treatment model. These behaviorally-based groups focus on skills acquisition, interpersonal processes, and psychoeducational components. Each session also includes a mealtime group, led by a therapist or nutritionist, and is designed to address eating and socialization issues.

A Typical Day: Afternoon

Program Structure

Individuals attend three days of IOP treatment. During the first week, the IOP clinical team at Walden will work with individuals to establish a personalized treatment plan to address each person's needs and goals. Each individual will have weekly meetings with their Walden therapist who will also help establish structure and a treatment schedule.

For More Information

Call 781-647-6727 if you have any questions or to schedule an intake.