[Omers]

My T has done some CEUs with a place near me that does week long therapy intensives. They are not a hospital so they don’t diagnose or do meds... you just stay there and work more intensely on your goals without outside distractions. It is expensive and not covered by insurance. However to go inpatient around here just means a 72hr hold if you are a threat to self or others (I am not), there are no therapists, you aren’t supposed to talk to the nurses... just Pdoc and lots of meds... so that is out.
So I am wondering if anyone has done a therapeutic intensive (these are usually a week long) at a setting other than a hospital/mental health center and did it help?

ETA: how has going inpatient (in any setting) impacted your work with T? I really don’t want to mess up that relationship. Has anyone gone inpatient somewhere their T is connected to?

[velcro003]

I have gone inpatient at a non-hospital (twice). It has been helpful as there are multiple groups per day, and you get 1 on 1 counseling every day with a therapist. My T has actually visited me when I've gone inpatient, and it has only helped our relationship. She is on board with what I worked on with the T's in the inpatient place.

[GeekyOne]

I have gone IP in a hospital a couple of times while working with my current T. One set of times was when I started getting ECT (I was in and out several times over a few months then). I don't remember much about those times. We had not been working together very long and I was in bad shape. I didn't fully trust her. But I don't remember how involved she was.

More recently (about 14 months ago), I went IP at her direction. We talked about where to go, what to say. She talked me into calling a friend to drive me there so I wouldn't be alone and I wouldn't have to deal with EMTs (I was not safe to drive). I was able to call her from the unit and spoke with her every day - sometimes more than once.

She spoke with the nursing staff and the case manager and advocated for me, and they took her more seriously about what was going on than they did me (even though we were saying the same thing). She always called the nurses station, rather than one of the patient phones. That way, if she was only available during a time when the patient phones were "off" (ie. group time), the nurses would always call me out to talk to her because she was my T. She talked about visiting, but wasn't able to. They would've let me see her at any time though, not just official visiting hours. I think if I didn't have her so involved I would've been kept inside much longer.

[LabRat27]

I did an IOP at a hospital where my therapist works. I did not work with him directly, and I was not placed in his group. This was all intentional to keep the two separate. Idk if its standard practice everywhere, but it was for that hospital and I was glad.
It was weird getting a glimpse into that other part of his work life and interacting with other people who knew him. It was especially awkward because that was during our big rupture—he'd terminated suddenly without warning because he'd wanted me to DBT, I did end up working with him again (in his outside practice) once I started the IOP, it was a whole dramatic thing, I was angry and hurt, etc. Fun stuff.

An IOP seems similar to what you're describing, but it was covered by my insurance. It was 3 hours a day, a step above that would be a PHP (partial hospitalization vs intensive outpatient).

Obviously availability and insurance coverage depends on your location and insurance. My insurance company was probably tired of paying for ER visits. I found it to be really helpful, especially once I made the decision to take some time off work/school to completely focus on it. I was at a point where things had gotten really out of hand and something had to change, and things are a lot better now. Not perfect, but so much better.

[Omers]

We have IOP here that my insurance would likely cover but because I have autism listed as a Dx with my PTSD (I am very high functioning with an above average IQ) the only programs they will put me with are the autism programs which are all for persons with comorbid intellectual disabilities. They won’t do trauma work because of the autism. In all fairness though the reviews on their trauma work are aweful.

[susannahsays]

I'm sorry, that's really ****ed up that your autism diagnosis limits your access to basic mental health programs. I bet you could appeal that if you wanted.

[Omers]

Originally Posted by susannahsays

I'm sorry, that's really ****ed up that your autism diagnosis limits your access to basic mental health programs. I bet you could appeal that if you wanted.

If their program was any good I would but their program sucks. I like the idea of going to the one T studied at seeing as I am doing so well with T... then there would be continuity in treatment styles.
I was terrified T wouldn’t take me on because of the autism. I made him see me before I would release me records just so he would make a fair judgement based on my functioning, not the label. The autism stuff in Indiana is aweful and a lot of misconceptions. I have even been told by a supervisor that all people with autism are intellectually handicapped. A well respected Pdoc said my Dx was wrong because the diagnostician that did it was Spanish (she wasn’t, she was Cuban) and I couldn’t have a degree and a job with autism. She even called child services from her office because no one with autism should have kids!
So... I am a little worried that the program I want to go to might not take me because of the autism... but at least they know T and can talk to him... if he thinks it would be a good idea...

I still just don’t know. It is emotionally cold enough in my house right now to counteract global warming... then all the other stuff.

[precaryous]

I’m curious, how do patients get regular medications when they are in a non-hospital inpatient stay? Do you bring your own meds?

[velcro003]

Originally Posted by Omers

If their program was any good I would but their program sucks. I like the idea of going to the one T studied at seeing as I am doing so well with T... then there would be continuity in treatment styles.
I was terrified T wouldn’t take me on because of the autism. I made him see me before I would release me records just so he would make a fair judgement based on my functioning, not the label. The autism stuff in Indiana is aweful and a lot of misconceptions. I have even been told by a supervisor that all people with autism are intellectually handicapped. A well respected Pdoc said my Dx was wrong because the diagnostician that did it was Spanish (she wasn’t, she was Cuban) and I couldn’t have a degree and a job with autism. She even called child services from her office because no one with autism should have kids!
So... I am a little worried that the program I want to go to might not take me because of the autism... but at least they know T and can talk to him... if he thinks it would be a good idea...

I still just don’t know. It is emotionally cold enough in my house right now to counteract global warming... then all the other stuff.

wow, that's crazy.

[velcro003]

Originally Posted by precaryous

I’m curious, how do patients get regular medications when they are in a non-hospital inpatient stay? Do you bring your own meds?

I did, yeah.

[Omers]

Originally Posted by precaryous

I’m curious, how do patients get regular medications when they are in a non-hospital inpatient stay? Do you bring your own meds?

You can bring your own prescription meds to this program but they really are not be supporters of Pdoc. I don’t know how their 30-90day program works.