Those who have pursued IOP/PHP care, what was your experience like?

[SMG08ABUSER]

My therapist pretty much told me she would never stop urging me to pursue IOP/PHP care until I actually do so. I gave up, bit the bullet and pretty much said "screw it, what could possibly go wrong?" I'll have to fill out a bunch of FMLA paperwork and intake forms pretty soon. At least I'll be getting paid 60% of my normal pay while they throw me into what sounds like a watered down looney bin where I could go back home every day.

Next week, I'll have a session with both my therapist and my supervisor so that they could explain the next steps to both me and my mom. For reference, I am 26 years old and still living with my parents (major loser alert).

Title pretty much says it all.

 

[madsxcxc]

The PHP I attended was very DBT-informed. It basically consisted of daily classes on the four aspects of DBT (mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness), along with weekly meetings with a therapist, psychiatrist, and somatic therapist. I found the classes very boring, and I didn't feel like the learned coping skills would truly help me acquire a life worth living, as they just functioned as bandaid solutions. The therapy sessions were nice and it seemed like they were more focused on helping me make behavioral changes instead of standard talk therapy. It helped a tiny bit.

I'd say it's effectiveness depends on what it is you need. For someone who believes they have a life worth living but still struggles with depression, I would think the coping skills and ideas learned could help. From my position as someone with BPD who had gone through abandonment from my favorite person, coping skills weren't much use if I no longer thought there was anything worth living for in the first place.

Even though PHP didn't really help me, I feel like trying it out is still a good idea. When we feel the way we do, we kinda have to try everything.