Outpatient Mental Health Program

What Is Outpatient Mental Health Treatment?

The most common care for a mental health condition is outpatient mental health treatment. Outpatient care means you receive regular treatment from a professional team, but you will not stay overnight at the treatment facility. Each outpatient program is tailored specifically to your mental health needs. Your treatment team will decide what kind of care you need and how often you will attend appointments at the mental health facility.

What To Expect in Outpatient Mental Health Treatment?

At Alter Wellness Care we incorporate a variety of group treatment models to meet the needs of our clients during the many phases of their treatment. The group models that have proven to be effective in the treatment of mental health include:

Psychoeducational groups. The primary focus of these groups are to educate and inform individuals generally about mental health, related behaviors, and the consequences of those behaviors.

Skills development groups. This model is flexible. The therapist can adapt the teaching of skills based on the needs of the individuals in the group. Skills focus on maintaining mental health symptoms and involve more interaction among the group members.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy groups. Most mental health treatment plans involve regular individual therapy sessions, during which a mental health therapist will utilize various counseling techniques, including CBT. The concept behind CBT is that your thoughts and beliefs lead to emotions and then behaviors. CBT therapy will help you identify these beliefs, understand how they impact your feelings and actions, and learn to challenge faulty thinking. CBT also aims to give you new coping skills to manage your mental health condition in a healthy way.

Dialectical behavioral therapy. DBT provides opportunities for the development of existing skills. In treatment, four basic skill sets are taught. These are emotions regulation, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance.

Support groups. Just as the name suggests, this model provides support and care for the members while teaching them interpersonal skills through group discussion, shared experiences, and collaborative problem-solving.

Interpersonal process groups. In this model, the therapist observes group interactions, functionality, and performance. The therapist helps members with their emotional development and addresses their childhood concerns that may lead them to poor decision-making and impulsive tendencies. Within this model clients will process their traumas and interpersonal conflict as well as intrapersonal dysfunctions.

Acceptance Therapy. This model will educate clients to identify what matters to them, what they stand for, the types of relationships they would like to build, and how they would like to behave and respond. Clients will learn how to commit themselves to take actions that bring fulfillment and enriches their life, and to focus on what really matters to them.

Seeking Safety. This Model is a modern evidenced-based- model treatment that treats co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder as well as underlying mental health and substance abuse.

What Types of Outpatient Programs are Provided at Alter Wellness Care?

Outpatient mental health treatment is only one option. If you require a higher level of care, other options are available.

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

IOP mental health care will look differently at various treatment centers. At Alter Behavioral Health, you will find two different IOP programs.

The first level is called IOP5 and involves the following:

• Average length of stay: 40–60 days.
• Group sessions Monday-Friday at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
• Residing at a sober living house seven days a week during treatment.

The second level is called IOP3 and involves the following:

• Average length of stay: 30–40 days.
• Group sessions Monday–Friday, with a choice of two sessions in the morning or two in the afternoon.
• Residing at a sober living house seven days a week during treatment.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

PHP mental health at Alter Behavioral Health looks similar to the IOP treatment:

• Average length of stay: 30–45 days.
• Group sessions Monday–Friday at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
• Residing at a sober living house seven days a week during treatment.

Where Can You Find Outpatient Mental Health Treatment?

Your mental health matters as much as your physical health. Seeking treatment for a mental health condition should be free of shame and stigma. Studies show that any kind of treatment is better than no treatment and that most people benefit from mental health treatments.

You may be wondering, “Where can I find a partial hospitalization program near me?” or “Where can I find an intensive outpatient program near me?” Whether you are looking for outpatient mental health treatment or one of the more intensive programs, you can find them at Alter Wellness Care.

Alter Wellness Care and Alter Behavioral Health have a mission to make excellent mental health care accessible to adults in need throughout Orange County. We apply a modern understanding of mental health that emphasizes treating the condition and the person.