There are many ways people can address Trauma. Depending on how trauma is affecting each individual, different levels of treatment will be needed. Care can vary from individual psychotherapy (OP) to more intensive levels of care such as Intensive Outpatient (IOP), Partial Hospital /Day Treatment (PHP) or even residential treatment. Each level of care at our trauma treatment center is designed depending on the severity and complexity of symptoms that are causing distress.
While individual therapy is helpful for some, others will need a more concentrative, intensive approach. At Trauma and Beyond Psychological Center, we treat emotional trauma and mental health issues in a phased based approach. The first phase is working toward stabilization and symptom reduction. Clients Symptoms such of depression, anxiety, flashbacks, dissociation or avoidance will be addressed with trauma-focused therapy. We can only begin the deeper work when clients are feeling safe and ready to begin to process traumatic memories related to these symptoms. The processing of trauma happens in the 2nd phase of treatment. Phase 3 is about integrating a new way of feeling and being into the lives of our clients. Depending on the needs of each person, we may recommend individual therapy, IOP or PHP/Day Treatment. When clients need residential we refer to several centers that we have built relations with.
Deciding which level of care is right for you can be complicated. We suggest collaborating with a trauma-focused therapist to help you find the right treatment for you. We offer an assessment at no charge to determine the level of care we will be recommending. Here are some guidelines that might help you to decide where to begin when looking for treatment.
Individual therapy can be effective for individuals who are in distress but are functioning in a fairly high level in their daily lives. Individual therapy can be offered one or more times per week with sessions usually being 50 minutes, sometimes 90. There may be areas that are problematic, such as relationships, being anxious, mild depression, being unmotivated, or repeating patterns that are unhealthy. Individual therapy can also be helpful for people who have completed higher levels of care and want to maintain the progress they have made.
What are the different types of Trauma Treatment Centers
Some Treatment Centers offer individual therapy, while others offer higher levels of care. Here are some of the differences.
Levels of care vary from OP, IOP, PHP, and Residential. Centers may offer one or more of these levels of care.
Outpatient Therapy: (OP)
This level of care is what most people think of as individual therapy although some centers may offer groups as well. This level can be very helpful to clients who are functioning fairly well in most areas of their lives, but are experiencing emotional distress.
More Intensive Levels of Care
IOP,PHP, Residential
These centers usually provide treatment by a primary therapist with additional therapists using different modalities, to give clients a fuller more integrative experience. The combination of therapeutic modalities all work together to enhance the clients progress. These higher levels of care have a team of clinicians and provide more structure and support than therapy alone.
Intensive Outpatient can be very effective for individuals who have been in individual therapy but have not seen the kind of improvement they have hoped for. This level of care provides treatment at least 3 days a week for 3 or more hours per day. Symptoms have either continued or worsened or are causing distress that is interfering with important areas of their lives like relationships, work, commitments etc. Sometimes clients have not been in individual therapy but realize that the distress that they are feeling would be better addressed in a more intensive way.
Partial Hospitalization/Day Treatment is for clients whose distress is causing significant problems in many areas of their daily lives. This level of care provides treatment 5 days per week for at least 4 hours per day. These clients are unable or barely able to go about their day to day life without experiencing pain and discomfort and need additional support and symptom reduction in order to make progress.
Residential Treatment is for clients who need to the safety and structure of a treatment center 24 hours a day but are not in need of a hospital. Residential is designed to treat clients who are unable to function in their day to day life or do not have enough support or motivation to allow them to participate in outpatient treatment. It is also appropriate for clients who have tried other levels of care and still have not been able to see much progress.
At Trauma and Beyond we offer OP/ Individual Therapy, IOP/Intensive Outpatient (Day and Evening Programs) and PHP/Partial Hospitalization/Day Treatment Programs. We are able to assist clients ranging from those in need of therapy only to those clients with much more complicated needs. If you are unsure of where you fit in, please call us. We will be happy to consult with you by phone or provide an assessment to determine if we would be a good fit for your particular needs. If we cannot help we will do our best to provide you with referrals to providers we trust. Please call us at 818-651-0725.
