Mental Health Intensive Outpatient (IOP) & Virtual Programs

At Sanford Behavioral Health, our mental health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is virtual, 3 hours per day, 3 days per week, with two- to four-week "tune-ups." We are in-network with most commercial insurance companies. Please get in touch with our team today at 616.202.3326 to better understand how our programs can help. Our goal is to manage your symptoms effectively and improve your daily functioning!

 

Clinical Director Tessa Sterling, LMSW, says, "IOP for mental health is about daily function. If you're not feeling 100%, then you could have a mental health issue. Most people don't learn coping strategies or healthy communication strategies. We want to provide access to specialized programs that support mental health and well-being." Clinical Director Tessa Sterling, LMSW

What We Treat 

Sanford Behavioral Health's virtual intensive outpatient program is designed for those with:

  • Mood and Anxiety Disorders
  • Relationship Issues
  • Depression
  • Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)
  • Excessive Worrying
  • Lack of motivation
  • Lack of Connectedness
  • PTSD
  • OCD
  • Trauma
  • Self-Harm
  • Suicidal Ideation
  • Identity Issues
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Schizoaffective Disorder
  • Struggle with daily tasks like sleep and hygiene
  • Any other mental health issues that impact wellbeing

Therapies Utilized

Sanford Behavioral Health's virtual intensive outpatient utilizes:

  • Trauma-Informed Care
  • CBT, DBT, ACT, and Exposure Response Prevention, as indicated
  • Process Groups
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Psycho-Educational Curriculum
  • Coping Skills
  • Emotional Regulation
  • Group, Individual, and Family Therapy

Mental Health Virtual Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP)

Sanford Behavioral Health has offered virtual addiction treatment options since before the pandemic. Virtual treatment (telehealth) is designed for those who need help with a mental health condition but have real-life obligations like work, school, or childcare. If in-person treatment is inconvenient or impossible because of a remote location or physical restrictions, virtual options have become a viable alternative. Likewise, our intensive outpatient programs have flexible schedules and meet only three hours per day, three days per week.

 

At Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus,  we have psychiatric, medical, clinical, dietary, recreational, and integrative programming under one roof. This means an individual gains access to the entire collaborative care team when they sign on to virtual programs. Once a therapeutic relationship is established, it is possible to access care across the spectrum of services at Sanford, including care for co-occurring disorders. Often, when someone has one mental health condition, it is accompanied by other mental health conditions—for example, depression and addiction or OCD and eating disorders.

 

Clinical Director Tessa Sterling, LMSW, says, "You do not have to be at rock bottom or suicidal or even diagnosed to benefit from our mental health programs. These programs are at varying levels of intensity, and our virtual intensive outpatient program (IOP) is really a slight step up from a once-a-week therapy appointment."

 

Benefits of Virtual Therapy

  • Mental Health Programs 18+ all genders
  • Michigan Residents
  • Comprehensive Online Assessments
  • Confidential, Easy to Use, At-Home Care
  • Psychiatrist-Led Medical Team
  • Psychiatric Care (Telepsychiatry)
  • Medical Interventions 
  • Psychoeducation
  • Clinical Therapists & Registered Dietitians
  • Healing Group Therapy & Individual Therapy
  • Flexible Schedules
  • Insurance-Eligible

Mental Health Outpatient Program

Our Mental Health Outpatient Therapy Program ensures a seamless transition from the virtual intensive outpatient level of care. We offer flexible scheduling, comprehensive support, and family support groups to keep the client and family involved.

  • Seamless Continuum of Care: Sanford "follows you home" with continuing outpatient support without interruption.
  • Admission criteria: Medically stabilized, psychiatrically stabilized with medication, a score of low to medium risk on the Columbia Suicide Screener (medium risk for in-person sessions).
  • Primary Diagnosis: Schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type I and II, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, PTSD, borderline personality disorder (BPD), other personality disorders, and other primary mental health diagnoses.
  • Comprehensive and Personalized Support: Sanford offers a full continuum of care, including individual therapy, psychoeducation, and life skills training. Each client receives a tailored treatment plan to meet their unique needs.
  • Flexible Scheduling: Our outpatient services fit into our clients' real lives, making it easier for them to balance recovery with other responsibilities, such as work or family.
  • Family Support Groups: Free family support groups are available to loved ones. These groups educate families about mental health and provide them with tools to help their loved ones recover, maintaining a strong support network.
  • Expert Team: We are proud of our qualified and experienced, psychiatrist-led interdisciplinary team. The treatment team includes therapists, dietitians, and support staff, who are dedicated to providing the highest quality care. Our medical team backs all programs.

Program Highlights:

  • Individual Therapy: Ongoing one-on-one sessions with our caring licensed therapists.
  • Psychoeducation: Gain a deeper understanding of your mental health and learn effective coping mechanisms to self-regulate and manage your mental health symptoms.
  • Life Skills Training: Build practical skills for daily living, enhancing your independence and confidence.
  • Modalities used: DBT, CBT, exposure therapy, ACT, and trauma-informed counseling.
  • Family Program: We recommend our Friends Support group.
mental health ad with number

Our Process 

At Sanford Behavioral Health, we treat individuals with mental health disorders who have experienced impairment in social, family, and work functioning. Indeed, they are not able to participate in routine daily activities and have not been able to employ the necessary coping skills to compensate for this.

Criteria for admission to our treatment program include demonstrating a genuine interest and internal motivation in working towards the goals of recovery. The individual must be able to understand and comply with the program's requirements and is likely to participate in treatment with the structure and supervision afforded by the program.

Assessment and Admission

Client assessment at Sanford Behavioral Health is an ongoing process that begins before the client is admitted and continues throughout treatment.

Pre-admission information, as well as observations made at the time of admission, will be used to determine the level of care. Information is shared with medical and clinical staff. All admissions are approved by the Medical and Clinical teams. Interviews with potential clients prior to intake allow them to provide information about their presenting issues from their perspective.

Pre-Admission information gathered includes: 

  • Psychiatric history
  • Suicide/homicide risk
  • Trauma history
  • Trauma symptoms
  • Self-harm history and current behaviors
  • Circumstances precipitating the pending admission
  • Substance of choice and most recent pattern of use
  • Other co-occurring disorders
  • Eating disorder history
  • Diagnostic history
  • Medication history
  • Previous program information
  • Other healthcare needs
  • Legal status
  • Referral source
  • Any accommodations or assistive interventions the client may need

All medications are reviewed prior to acceptance for admission. A review of records and notes from the prescribing physician will be considered. This information is used to determine the appropriateness of admission to Sanford Behavioral Health based on the client’s psychiatric and physical health status.

 

Mental Health Services Include

  • Trauma-Informed Care: Grounded in and directed by a thorough understanding of the neurological, biological, psychological, and social effects of trauma, loss, and violence on humans and is informed by awareness of the prevalence of these experiences in persons who receive behavioral health services.
  • Motivational Interviewing: A goal-directed, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavioral change by helping clients explore and resolve ambivalence.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A therapeutic approach that aims to influence dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure; the objective is to identify and monitor thoughts, assumptions, beliefs, and behaviors that are related and accompanied by debilitating negative emotions and to identify those which are dysfunctional, inaccurate, or simply unhelpful, this is done in an effort to replace or transcend them with more realistic and useful alternatives.
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): A psychological method developed to treat persons with borderline personality disorder, combining standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation and reality testing with concepts of mindful awareness, distress tolerance, and acceptance. The appropriate treatment activity and intervention depend on the client’s needs, strengths, history, and motivation in treatment.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on developing psychological flexibility by fostering acceptance of difficult thoughts and emotions while simultaneously encouraging commitment to actions aligned with one's values. In ACT, individuals learn to observe and accept their internal experiences without judgment, allowing them to disengage from unhelpful patterns of avoidance and control. Instead of attempting to change or suppress distressing thoughts and feelings, clients are encouraged to develop mindfulness skills to become more present in the moment and engage in actions that are in line with their values and goals. Through experiential exercises, metaphors, and mindfulness techniques, clients learn to identify their core values and take committed action steps towards living a meaningful and fulfilling life, even in the presence of discomfort or adversity. The ultimate goal of ACT is to enhance psychological flexibility and resilience, empowering individuals to effectively navigate life's challenges and pursue a rich, value-driven life.

Medication Management & Support

The client may need medication management and support for an unidentified time with the goal to support this through utilizing individualized interventions for the client and to move with them as the client moves through the recovery process, utilizing therapeutic services such as individual, family/support system, and group counseling. In this process, the goal is to utilize 2 to 3 professionals in the client process – a psychiatrist, a mental health professional such as the primary therapist, and another professional who facilitates a supplemental service, such as a grief and loss group or an addictions counselor who is helping to address substance abuse issues, as needed.

Collaborative Care Teams

All professionals work as a team to coordinate care through treatment team meetings and individual consultations between the professional staff. The clinical director and clinical manager ensure the continuation of care and facilitate treatment team meetings to discuss cases regularly, receive clinical feedback, and provide clinical oversight.

 

Treatment plans will be developed and updated by the client and their individual mental health professional. Plans will pull from individual strengths, needs, abilities, preferences, and cultural factors while utilizing appropriate therapeutic interventions. The client, clinical director, clinical manager, mental health professional, psychiatrist, and other relevant treatment providers that have been granted consent will have knowledge of the treatment plan(s) and progress toward meeting goals and objectives.

 

All mental health professionals have elevated levels of cultural competencies and attend training to maintain these competencies. Cultural and ethnic values will be identified in the assessment process and incorporated into treatment planning as the client chooses.

Get In Touch

For details on our locations call us at 844-776-9651 or fill out the form below