I've done it twice, two different programs.
I honestly think it's one of the best treatment types out there.
There will be others there with social anxiety and most programs do not force you to interact in ways that make you truly uncomfortable. They may ask you to try, but they will not usually insist if they see you are suffering.
This is a repost from something I wrote a while back about my experiences. I hope you find it helpful:
I have been in two different day programs.
These were both pre-Covid, so it may be different now.
They started with an opening meeting where we were encouraged to set goals for the day. They were mostly small goals, like "I'm going to actively participate in two groups today" or "I'm going to speak to one other person today." If you kept the same or very easy goal for several days in a row, the moderators would encourage you to pick another. We'd go around the circle and read our goals aloud.
We were split into groups (one had 2 groups, one had three) and our "workday" began. We had daily groups on DBT and CBT as well as group therapy plus other things like journaling, coloring for adults (lots of programs use mandalas for this), or music therapy. One program served a hospital lunch in the unit and one allowed members of the day group to use the hospital cafeteria or go out for lunch. After my first week or so, I usually went out - but this was in a large city where there were lots of options. Many of us also had to move our cars at lunchtime as we would be parked on the street and in 4-hour zones.
The day ended with another circle meeting where we shared if we'd met our goals for the day and were often asked one question - usually something dumb like "can you name one thing you learned today" or "which group did you feel was most helpful?" We would also be asked if we felt safe to go home. If not, you would be asked to stay and the staff would speak with you about plans for the night.
Although it sounds awful, every once in a while a group or a doctor visit would trigger something for someone and they'd need a place to chill and be in a place where they could talk to someone if they were feeling down or just not be alone and they'd stay on the unit for the night or be sent to the overnight unit. Other folks would be evaluated and sign a "safety contract" before being allowed to go home for the day.
You'd see a psychiatrist individually once a week or more often if you were changing meds or requested to see them. The sessions were usually quick, just about meds and nothing else. The real work is done in the groups during the day.
Here's my feeling about programs - inpatient and outpatient: you're going to get out just about what you put in. If you're just passing time, you might as well be home. Of course nobody's 100% every minute of every day, but there are some things that can be useful. Even if you've had plenty of DBT/CBT training, a refresher is never a bad thing. And sometimes you learn something that might really help. I learned something in a group session during my last hospitalization that made me really start thinking hard about my life, and it was very helpful for me.
I've found the day programs to be a good option for me. If they did nothing else, they got me out of my everyday life and able to take a break. I was able to do some thinking about my life that I just never seemed to get around to when I was working and living my regular life.
I'm around about once a day, so feel free to ask me anything. I'll always be honest.
