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When it comes to mental healthcare, many think only in terms of the extremes.
At one end of the spectrum is weekly therapy sessions, perhaps with some help from pharmaceuticals.
At the other end is inpatient treatment, living in a facility temporarily in order to overcome acute or extreme difficulties.
But many people who are struggling with their mental health fall into an intermediate category.
They may be functional enough to not require inpatient treatment (or have already completed an inpatient program), but perhaps they still need more support than a weekly visit with a therapist can provide.
For these people, IOPs (Intensive Outpatient Programs) provide an option that is less invasive into their ordinary life than rehab or hospitalization, yet that provides far more structure and perspectives of support than weekly talks would.
And while some IOPs require attendance to a physical location several times a week, others are performed virtually via video chat–which can be a much more comfortable option depending on the patient’s preferences.
These sessions include both one-on-one therapy sessions, group therapy, and possibly family sessions with parents or spouse depending on patient needs.
If you feel skeptical that virtual IOP Jersey can give effective help for real mental health challenges, think again. Studies have shown that online therapy–whether via video chat or SMS–has earned a place in the world of therapy, providing effective support that rivals that of the iconic therapist’s couch.
Virtual or In Person, Therapy’s Goals are the Same
Whether you see your therapist in person or over zoom, their intentions are the same.
A good therapist always seeks to empower personal growth. They may use different methods to achieve this end, but that doesn’t change the nobility of this intention.
What they hope to see from you is recognition of the possibility of substantial, lasting changes in behavioral patterns–followed by real moves that actuate that possibility.
When a patient attends a therapy session in person, they may sit down in an office, face to face with their therapist.
In a virtual setting they will log into a video chat at a specific time.
In either case, however, the therapist will be ready with a strategic plan for the next steps in the treatment plan–but also prepared to handle any new information that may have arisen between sessions.
In IOP settings there will probably be frequent one-on-one sessions. The patient may be asked to email their therapist notes between sessions, detailing occurrences that changed their perspective on their treatment strategy.
Maybe they were unexpectedly triggered by something between sessions, or perhaps they used a new coping mechanism introduced in their last session and it worked better than they hoped.
In virtual IOP settings the patient becomes accustomed to frequent feedback from their therapist, intended to help them establish new habits in a way that would be more difficult with less frequent sessions.
How Inner Beliefs Color Responses: Tools that a Therapist Can Give to Patients
IOP therapists become an integral part of their patient’s lives during the course of the program.
They help patients to fully contextualize the every day occurrences that are either helping or hindering their mental health journey.
Each new session is an opportunity for the therapist to bring the patient closer to true knowledge of their own hidden beliefs.
Often addictive behaviors and other harmful actions stem from unconscious beliefs about one’s own self worth.
A good therapist will gently draw out these beliefs, slowly making the patient aware of their existence–and their impact on their personal choices.
They may help the patient trace these beliefs back to their source in childhood trauma, or they may find it more helpful to dispense with that step–but still challenge the footing of the belief, asking the patient to experiment with new beliefs that replace the old.
And as a patient finds the flaws in the underlying beliefs that shaped their self image, they may find that they are better able to respect themselves and others.
Habitual Responses: To Set New Patterns, Make New Tools
Many people who seek help in an IOP are struggling with long habits.
These habits may include addictive behaviors, angry outbursts, antisocial tendencies or other patterns that are destructive to them and the people around them.
Because these habits are deeply ingrained they may seem automatic and inevitable. But a virtual IOP therapist can help to separate these responses from their triggers, proving to the patient that they are still behind the wheel and are capable of making different choices even when the same circumstances and situations arise.
As therapy progresses, the therapist can help the patient to analyze triggering events and recognize moments when a different choice would have led to a different outcome.
And by the end of the program, the patient should be able to face circumstances that would normally have caused them to engage in negative behavior, and choose a healthier, more sustainable behavior instead.
An IOP provides the perfect environment for the initial stages of this process to take place. The patient is living their life in context, not in some hospital or institution; but they don’t have to wait for a week to go by before they can talk to their therapist about an incident (and possibly have several other triggering events occur in the mean time).
Virtual IOP Brings Help To You
A virtual IOP experience means that your whole life doesn’t have to be turned upside down by a diagnosis or a challenge.
You can set your session times to allow your normal work schedule and social life.
Yet all the benefits–all the new tools, all the support, all the encouragement–will be at your fingertips in your sessions several days each week.
If you are ready for change and want your new life to begin, but you can’t imagine fitting a tradition in-person IOP into your schedule, look into options for a virtual IOP today.
