Online IOP for College Students and Emerging Adults in MA
The First Six Weeks
Your time at Riggs begins with a six-week Initial Evaluation and Treatment phase.
Initial Evaluation and Treatment
When you come to Riggs, you enter a six-week Initial Evaluation and Treatment phase. A multi-disciplinary Treatment Team works with you to address the problems that bring you here, so that you can return to your community in a healthy, satisfying way. For some people, this initial phase is enough; others benefit from staying longer for an extended period of work.
During this phase, you’re usually settling in, discovering which aspects of the program are best suited to your needs, getting to know other members of the community, and beginning to allow yourself to be known. 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 the following:
- 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 the Initial Evaluation and Treatment phase for everyone.
Your Treatment Experience
While your treatment will reflect your own choices, all of our residential treatment programs start with intensive psychotherapy as the core, and include a range of complementary elements.
Admission Process
If other treatments haven’t worked, Riggs may be right for you. Unlike some other psychiatric hospitals in Massachusetts or elsewhere, our relational, patient-centered treatment approach addresses underlying issues, not just symptoms.
Learn More About Admission