Intensive outpatient programs, also known as day treatment programs, offer expert and intensive support for eating disorder recovery without residential care. Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) usually involve 6-10 hours of treatment each day for several days each week. In the evenings and weekends, young people continue their everyday lives, living at home and spending time with friends and family.
IOPs provide opportunities for focused and comprehensive support that addresses the underlying causes of eating disorders. Young people in IOPs have the space and time to work through the multiple aspects of eating disorders, carefully navigating their complexities. Outside of sessions, they can practice and generalise skills they learn in their daily lives.
Who Can Benefit from Intensive Outpatient Programs?
Intensive outpatient programs are suitable for young people who don’t require 24-hour medical monitoring and support. This might include:
- Young people who have completed residential or hospitalisation programs and are moving onto the next stage of treatment
- Young people who are attending eating disorder treatment for the first time and can safely stay at home in the evenings and at weekends
- Young people who have tried weekly therapy sessions or other outpatient programs but still experience ED symptoms
It’s important to speak with a mental health professional about the type of program suitable for every young person. Alongside medical staff, they can ascertain whether a young person requires residential care to stay safe. They can also accurately assess the positives and negatives of different levels of care for each individual’s circumstances and medical history.
Why Choose Intensive Outpatient Programs?
IOPs lie somewhere between residential care and weekly outpatient therapy sessions. That said, they offer a specific selection of benefits that may not be found in other levels of care.
A Diversity of Treatment Modalities
Intensive outpatient programs offer several hours of sessions a day over several days a week. This means that young people can benefit from multiple types of therapy and treatment approaches during the program. This might include different kinds of individual therapy (such as cognitive behavioural therapy and cognitive-processing therapy), group therapies, creative therapies, nutritional support, and occupational therapy.
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions caused and maintained by thought patterns, emotions, behaviours, memories, interpersonal relationships, and social and occupational settings. Addressing the various aspects of eating disorders often requires more than one kind of therapy and a focus that is wider than just the individual. It may also involve a focus on past experiences of trauma that contribute to present-day experiences.
IOPs can provide the range of therapies required to cover the complexities of eating disorders, encouraging whole-person recovery that lasts.
Focus and Concentration
Recovery from eating disorders requires energy, commitment, and focus. Sometimes young people can struggle to find the energy they need for recovery within the usual demands of everyday life. They may be preoccupied with other stresses and challenges that make it hard to focus on skill-building, reflection, and positive change.
IOPs require young people to take extended periods of time from their everyday lives to concentrate on recovery. During days spent at the treatment centre (or in online classes), young people can put aside other thoughts and focus on therapy sessions and other aspects of recovery. Recovery becomes the priority, not just another task to fit into a busy schedule.
Joining a Community
Intensive outpatient programs usually connect young people with others who share the same recovery journey and aims. Throughout the duration of day treatment, young people may develop friendships of mutual care and shared understanding that provide invaluable support and inspiration. They’re also surrounded by expert professionals who have spent years working with young people with similar experiences.
Connection with Everyday Life
Young people in IOPs return home or log off at the end of each day and at weekends. They stay connected to friends, family, and other parts of their everyday lives throughout the treatment program. When they’re not in treatment, they can practice and reinforce the skills they learn in their daily life, encouraging a meaningful and resilient recovery.
What Do IOPs Involve?
Intensive outpatient programs usually consist of 6-10 hours of sessions a day, 4-5 days a week. They offer different types of therapeutic approaches with regular breaks between sessions. They usually provide catering services, often with supported dining.
Treatment modalities may include:
- Individual therapy like cognitive-behavioural therapy and cognitive-remediation therapy
- Therapy in group settings such as dialectical-behavioural therapy skills sessions and interpersonal therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Nutritional support
- Psychiatric support
- Nursing support
- Supported dining
- Family therapy
- Parenting interventions
Are Intensive Outpatient Programs Accessible Online?
For young people with eating disorders, accessing effective treatment is crucial. Unfortunately, the proportion of young people who receive professional support is still very low. Sometimes, there may be no suitable specialist services in the local area, forming a barrier to effective outpatient care.
One way to surpass this barrier is through virtual, online treatment programs. Online treatment support allows young people living in areas where evidence-based treatment is unavailable to access effective treatment. Therapy sessions are usually conducted via video calls on specialised online platforms.
As with other kinds of outpatient care, intensive outpatient programs are sometimes available online as well as in person. Preliminary research suggests that young people receiving support online may see the same improvements as those accessing in-person care. A recent study found that a virtual family-based intensive outpatient program was as effective as its in-person equivalent.
The Wave Clinic: Intensive Outpatient Programs for Young People
Within the Four Seasons Hotel in Kuala Lumpur city centre lies South-East Asia’s leading child, adolescent, and adult mental health clinic. Here, The Wave’s outpatient centre is led and delivered by a team of experts known for changing the way young people experience mental health support.
Our outpatient centre offers several services, including:
- Psychiatry
- Psychotherapy
- Clinical psychology
- Counselling
- Family therapy
- Occupational health services
- Paediatrics
- Speech and language therapy
Our programs include a diverse selection of evidence-based modalities, combining the very best treatment approaches available in individualised recovery experiences. Our approach is trauma-focused in every interaction, including both past and present experiences.
Some of our treatment modalities include:
- Internal family systems therapy (IFS)
- Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)
- Mentalisation-based treatment (MBT)
- Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR)
- Exposure therapy
- Supported dining
- Family therapy
- Couples therapy
- Dietician/Nutrition
We understand the importance of families in supporting and sustaining a young person’s recovery. We offer intensive family therapy programs with accommodation within the Four Seasons hotel, helping to build resilient and supportive family systems.
If you’d like to find out more about our programs for children, adolescents, young adults, and families, get in touch today. We’re here to support you.
