anyone done (or know someone whos done) iop and had it help ?

[melmeli]

hi, new here obvs lol. im thinking of doing an intensive outpatient program next semester, and wanted to see if its helped anyone else here ? im basically chronically suicidal so im afraid that ill get turned away by most therapists (hence why im looking at iop...) ^^" i will say im not on any meds nor do i rlly want to be (rawdogged life this far so maybe i can do a bit more ??) so idk if thatll change the effectiveness of a program. also would rlly love responses from ppl whove done it while in college (trying to figure out a reasonablw amount of classes/hours...) !!

if iop didnt help you, did another type of therapy help instead ? did you have to do something like php or inpatient, or did a "normal" therapist take you on ? thank you ^_^ !!

 

[56842]

I've been in 5 IOPs (abouts). IOP gives good, flexible structure. It's usually about 3 hours 3 days a week (of your choice) AM or PM. there are also telehealth options. I think it's very helpful who respond well to group settings/healing. idk if you've ever been to any kind of AA/NA/CODA meeting, but it's very similar in vibe. Things to watch out for: the group's effectiveness will depend on the willingness of the people in the group (which is variable), telehealth can feel less immersive than in person, some people think the quality of IOPs has been impacted by recent privatization/merging of healthcare companies looking to mainstream and raise performance indicators. I personally found them to be incredibly helpful in providing a social outlet, structure, and often peer support. lmk if you have any more questions

 

[NoPoint2Life]

As the above user stated when it works like it's supposed to I am sure it can be of help for some people. If you had a group filled with people like me in it, it would be a disaster because I was one of those people who didn't say much.

I think the biggest thing to consider is if you are shy or not and have any social anxiety already. I just considered myself shy didn't really have any social anxiety but wow, did that group give it to me! I would sit there freaking out until it was my turn. So for me, my experience was that it made things worse

 

[melmeli]

ok wait i clearly havent done my research proper yet um. are iops solely group therapy o_o" ? i was hoping/assuming itd be some group therapy and some one-on-one with a therapist... i am definitely on the shyer/nervous side and would have trouble saying much or being totally honest in front of a group of ppl >_< do yall know any type (i guess like ifs/dbt/etc...?) of therapist thats usually willing to take on suicidal patients (obvs theyre not a monolith but is there any sort of pattern...)

@56842 @NoPoint2Life (edited to tag yall sorry !!)

 

[56842]

You'd have a 1x/week individual session in IOP, otherwise not really sure I'm sorry!

 

[Santana Idaho]

I posted a previous comment that I deleted because I felt that I was too open with pessimism for the sake of realism.

Concisely, PHP and IOP were difficult to adjust to as someone whose social anxiety was once so bad it was a phobia. But I came to love being around all of the positivity and acceptance. I could just be who I was. Not for once did I worry about how people thought of me (which was probably not wise.)

 

[NoPoint2Life]

ok wait i clearly havent done my research proper yet um. are iops solely group therapy o_o" ? i was hoping/assuming itd be some group therapy and some one-on-one with a therapist... i am definitely on the shyer/nervous side and would have trouble saying much or being totally honest in front of a group of ppl >_< do yall know any type (i guess like ifs/dbt/etc...?) of therapist thats usually willing to take on suicidal patients (obvs theyre not a monolith but is there any sort of pattern...)

@56842 @NoPoint2Life (edited to tag yall sorry !!)

My IOP was forced upon me after I was released from the hospital after a stupid ctb attempt. I was initially surprised to find out it was all in a group. Also felt like it was like watching a TV show that you had never seen and it had been on for three years and then you come in right in the middle. Because people were always coming and going, and you tended to never quite know the full story.
I don't know exactly what kind of IOP program you were looking for and what is offered out there. I can also mention that I go to a special therapist for OCD ERP therapy only. She has mentioned when they do an IOP there they last for two weeks, but it is individual because OCD tends to be an individual problem. Maybe other individual IOP's are offered and I'm not sure where you live. But my experience here in the US is that with the shortage of mental health workers they need to cram as many people as they can under one person/ program
Sorry I can't be of more help.