Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

Difficulties in regulating painful emotions are central to the behavioral difficulties of many adolescents. From these individuals’ perspective, painful feelings are most often the “problems to be solved.” These behavioral difficulties might be considered ADHD, anxiety or depression as many of the symptoms and behaviors overlap and interact. For example, studies have found that having an anxiety disorder in early or middle childhood can increase your child’s risk of developing a depressive disorder in later adolescence. Both anxiety and depression can lead to dysfunctional behaviors, including suicidal behaviors, substance use, overeating, emotion suppression, overcontrol, and interpersonal mayhem, which are often behavioral solutions to intolerably painful emotions.

The Two Tents Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) utilizes a blend of Dialect Behavioral Therapy - Skills (DBT-S), ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) for Adolescents in the form of DNA-V and exposure therapy to help young people and their families find more effective ways to regulated their emotions and thereby, their behaviors. All three have decades of evidence in effectively treating anxiety, depression and the complication of ADHD. This is done in a group setting 3 hours a day, 4 days per week (Monday-Thursday), which is why it is considered intensive.

Intensive Outpatient Program Overview

Goals

  • Provide understanding and skills to increase competence and the confidence to use those skills for adolescents struggling with general anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, depression and other forms of emotional dysregulation

  • Decrease Suicidal Behaviors - Increase Vitality & Valued Living

  • Decrease life interfering behaviors, including self-harm

  • Increase Mindful Action & Distress Tolerance Skills

  • Increase Emotion Regulation & Flexible Thinking

  • Increase parents understanding & skills to provide long-term support

Structure

  • Utilizes Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training with DNA-V filter development (based on ACT) and Exposure Therapy (ERP)

  • For adolescents 13-18 years old

  • Group sessions Monday through Thursday from 2:00-5:00 pm (4x per week)

  • 18-24 group sessions (usually over 5-6 weeks)

  • Open group with new slots available every other Monday

  • Required Parent Involvement

    • One time orientation offered on the 2nd and 4th Mondays at same time as group: 2-5 pm. First 1.5 hours is Youth and parent(s) together. Youth then join group & parents continue with Jason.

    • Weekly Parent involvement Thursdays from 3:30-5 pm

  • Covered by most major insurance companies. Payment plans available.

  • Work in collaboration with other mental health providers. Most insurances require a weekly individual or family therapy session.

The intensive program is a great opportunity to learn a lot of skills and decide on what big changes need to be made individually and as a family to move for more effectively. Sustaining change is hard.

AfterCare reinforces the skills taught, has been shown to decrease relapse and supports the climb up their Anxiety and/or Discoverer Ladders. Parent Support Group helps parents do the same.

Weekly AfterCare: Wednesdays 6-7:20 pm

  • Open to anyone having completed the TWO TENTS IOP

  • 8 week curriculum designed to provide a step-down from the intensive program

  • Cost : $25/week if credit card on file or will pay invoice through PayPal

Parent Support Group: 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 6-7:20 pm

  • Led by Jason Bohn, LPC

  • Free

The Anxiety Center @ Renew Counseling

Renew is located in a beautiful, cottage style home in Olathe, Kansas, close to highway access. It is tucked away by trees and is easy to miss.