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The First Six Weeks
Understanding your troubles begins with an integrated deep dive that addresses your questions about yourself and lays out options to move forward.
What Can You Expect from Riggs Initial Evaluation and Treatment?
People come to Riggs when they feel overwhelmed or are struggling in ways they can't make sense of. Many cannot understand what they are up against, why they feel stuck, and why other treatments have not worked for them. At Riggs, we offer an opportunity to find a way forward in a supportive and therapeutic environment.
Our six-week initial evaluation and treatment offers a wide array of expert perspectives and experiences so that by the end of the six weeks, you will have:
- A clearer understanding of how your mind works,
- a perspective on your family dynamics,
- a picture of what has led to your current difficulties,
- an experience of engaging in a range of treatment offerings (including intensive psychotherapy, family work, involvement in a therapeutic community, creative activities, and much more), and
- a diagnostic picture
At the conclusion of this evaluation, you will have information and tools you need for the next steps in your treatment.
For some, the six-week program at Riggs provides enough momentum to return to outpatient care. In that case, we work collaboratively to find treatment options in their local community to continue their work, passing along the in-depth history, medical and psychological testing, and a summary of the work done at Riggs.
Most patients, however, choose to extend their stay at Riggs, where continued treatment offers an opportunity to deepen self-understanding, improve relationships, and take charge of the next steps in their lives.
What Programs and Services Are Offered During the First Six Weeks?
During your first six weeks (and throughout your stay), your dedicated multidisciplinary treatment team meets regularly to integrate different staff perspectives across our comprehensive programs and services (listed below). The team works with you to develop an individual treatment plan.
Psychotherapy
Individual psychodynamic psychotherapy is central to your care here at Riggs. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is an intensive treatment in which you and your therapist work together to better understand your emotional experience, relationship patterns, and conflicting desires, with a goal of freeing you to make choices and build relationships that support you in pursuing your goals. Learn more about psychotherapy.
Family Work
During the first six weeks, clinical social workers talk with you and members of your family to gather a detailed multigenerational family history in order to understand your current situation in a historical context. They also work with you to explore different ways you might include your family in your work at Riggs. Learn more about family work.
Nursing
Nursing staff are on duty 24/7 and offer support, education, and assistance. You will have a dedicated nursing care coordinator who offers understanding and guidance in managing daily life at Riggs. Learn more about nursing.
Therapeutic Community Program
In the Therapeutic Community Program (TCP), you can participate in groups and activities that offer support, camaraderie, and help you understand more about how other people see you. You can experiment with new ways of being in relationships, using some of the learning from psychotherapy and family work. Learn more about the Therapeutic Community Program.
Health & Wellness
By participating in the Health and Wellness Program, you can become more aware of your body, develop self-regulation skills, and build resilience. Learn more about the Health and Wellness Program.
Clinical Casework
Clinical casework focuses on practical tasks, designed to help you to learn about setting realistic expectations, accepting help, working collaboratively, learning from setbacks, and taking initiative. Learn more about clinical casework.
Activities Program
The Activities Program offers you the opportunity to take up the role of student rather than patient in a wide variety of creative and intellectual pursuits. Learn more about the Activities Program.
Psychodynamic Psychopharmacology
Our approach to pharmacotherapy explicitly acknowledges the central role of meaning and interpersonal factors in promoting optimal treatment response to medications. Learn more about psychodynamic psychopharmacology.
Psychological Testing
Our psychological testing process is unique and thoroughly individualized. Using both personality and cognitive tests, our psychologists aim to describe your experiences, outline your characteristic ways of thinking and feeling, and understand the ways you try to manage what troubles you. During the first six weeks, you will take a number of tests, the results of which are included as part of the case conference that occurs near the end of the initial six-week evaluation and treatment period. Learn more about psychological testing.
Substance Use Services
Shortly after admission, certified substance use counselors provide an initial assessment and offer ongoing individual support. Those who struggle with substance use support each other in a weekly substance use group and by connecting to self-help groups in our local community. Learn more about Substance Use Services.
What Does a Typical Day Look Like During the Initial Evaluation and Treatment?
Our treatment is highly individualized and personalized to meet your specific needs, so no two treatments will look exactly the same. While there are meetings you will be expected to participate in, you will also have the freedom and responsibility to work with your team to design your own treatment path, choosing what works best for you. You can view a sample schedule of the first ten days of treatment here.
What Happens at the End of the Initial Evaluation and Treatment?
The initial six-week period culminates in a case conference. At this two-hour meeting, clinical staff gather to meet with you, hear about the work so far, review the initial assessments, and make recommendations consistent with your goals.
The clinical work presented at the case conference includes:
- Psychotherapy, including initial ideas about sources of difficulty in the context of your life story
- Comprehensive psychopharmacology assessment
- Intergenerational family history and initial family assessment
- Full physical examination, with referrals as needed for further medical care
- Assessments focusing on skills and needs related to social relationships, emotional self-management, nutrition, and substance use
- Psychological assessment
Some individuals have completed psychological testing in other settings prior to coming to Riggs. However, because of our particular expertise in this area, we include a new psychological assessment as part of our Initial Evaluation and Treatment for everyone.
What Happens After the Case Conference?
Throughout the first six weeks, our team works closely with you to clarify what’s been getting in your way, understand your emotional life more fully, and begin to imagine new possibilities for your future. After the case conference, we’ll work together to determine the next steps—whether that means returning to outpatient care or continuing with us, which most patients do, in our full continuum of care.
How Much Does the Six-Week Initial Evaluation and Treatment Cost?
We are upfront and transparent about the cost of treatment. Please visit our Treatment Costs page for detailed information.
Admission Process
If other treatments haven’t worked, Riggs may be right for you. Unlike some other psychiatric residential treatment centers in Massachusetts or elsewhere, our relational, patient-centered treatment approach addresses underlying issues, not just symptoms.
Learn More About Admission