Online IOP for College Students and Emerging Adults in MA

Who We Treat

At the Austen Riggs Center, nearly all of our patients have received treatment from other providers prior to coming to Riggs, and the majority say those programs have not led to the quality of life they desire. The Austen Riggs Center can help you take charge of your life when other psychiatric treatments have not worked.

Who is Riggs for? Dr. Samar Habl, director of admissions and associate medical director, shares insights gained from working with hundreds of patients.

Is Riggs Right for You?

At Riggs, we provide adults (18+) with a unique residential treatment experience centered on psychodynamic psychotherapy. This type of therapy recognizes that symptoms, problems, and struggles have meaning and that learning about their meaning–especially meaning that is outside our awareness–allows us to see our struggles in context and make better choices based on new learning about ourselves. Located in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, we offer psychotherapy and other clinical services with highly skilled staff and membership in a community of others involved in similar work. Through understanding and through being understood, most people find they can make clearer choices, take charge of their lives, build healthier relationships, and feel better.

Is Riggs right for you? Take a look at the questions below and if any apply to you, feel free to get in touch with our Admissions staff to learn more.

You want to rediscover yourself as a person beyond diagnostic labels, get to the underlying problems, and live a life that is not defined by mental illness.
Your problems are complex, you’ve been through a lot, and you know that you need intensive long-term treatment to help you get to the underlying problems that keep you stuck and unable to live the life you want.
You have never been to a treatment program before, but outpatient treatment has not been enough, as it is hard for you to function and manage in between sessions.
You have been to other programs, tried other modalities, and feel like it was not the right treatment for you or that you need something more or different. You believe there is more to your struggles that remains unaddressed and therefore difficult to work through.
Other treatment programs you’ve been in have primarily focused on short-term stabilization when you are in a crisis and have not helped you work toward recovery.
You want to be in an open setting, with no locked doors, privilege systems, or constant oversight by staff. You want a place that gives you freedom, affords you an opportunity to engage your strengths, and allows you to feel respected and treated like a person.
You feel you would benefit from a program that provides a combination of individual psychotherapy with a doctoral-level therapist, a variety of group options, activities, and community.

Former Patient Stories

Hear first-hand from Austen Riggs Center Alumni about their experiences before, during, and after treatment at Riggs.

Testimonials

Patient Outcomes & Results

88%

of discharged patients developed a greater ability to talk openly and honestly

I look at Riggs as the place that broke my fall. I discovered my competency and I found my voice. I started by expressing my anger about almost everything. But this expression opened many doors for me. From there, I broke the downward spiral."

- CJ

Patient Outcomes & Results

94%

of discharged patients were satisfied with their individual psychotherapy

What Former Patients Say About Riggs

It was a 180-degree change from the girl who was lying on the couch in the same clothes for two weeks because the thought of walking three feet to go take a shower was exhausting. I am not that person anymore."

- Andrea Madden

Patient Outcomes

When I came to Riggs, after 40 hospitalizations, I was dying. The intensive psychotherapy was painful, difficult, and extraordinary. The therapeutic community let me see my problematic behavior reflected in my peers. I found my best self at Riggs."

- Polly Schlitz

Individual Psychotherapy

Coming to Riggs when I did was the best thing I could have done. After being a patient on a locked unit, I had a great appreciation for the open setting. I learned, when things are going badly, don’t retreat and isolate–turn to the people around you."

- Daniel

Therapeutic Community