Madison, Wisconsin’s Premier Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

Our program serves adolescents ages 12-17 of all genders. It is often a good fit for young people in the following situations: 

• They are stepping down from a higher level of care, such as inpatient hospitalization, residential care, a partial hospitalization program, or a visit to an emergency department. 
• They are experiencing mental health symptoms that are becoming more frequent or severe and are starting to affect how they function at home, at school, or with friends. 

Our team supports adolescents who are struggling with concerns such as: 

• Anxiety disorders 
• Depression 
• Bipolar disorder 
• Emotion dysregulation 
• Trauma-related disorders 
• Co-occurring disorders 
• School avoidance 
• Functional impairment 

Some adolescents are dealing with both mental health and addiction concerns. For these young people, our team can address both concerns at the same time so that they can receive coordinated care instead of having to see separate providers for each concern. 

Adolescents can enter our IOP in Madison in one of two ways. Some are admitted directly after completing an intake assessment with our team. Others join the IOP as a step-down after receiving care at a higher level. 

In either case, the intake process helps our team learn about your child’s history, current symptoms, and treatment goals. With this information, we are able to help you decide if this particular level of care is appropriate for your child and begin building an individualized treatment plan that reflects their specific needs. 

School is a major part of your child’s life, and every family’s schedule is different. To make participation in the adolescent IOP more manageable, we offer two options that meet at different times of day. 

School-day program: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon 

This schedule can work well for adolescents who have been avoiding school, students in alternative education placements, and students who are receiving homeschool instruction. It may also be a beneficial option for young people who are stepping down from a higher level of care and have not yet fully reintegrated into a regular school schedule. 

After-school program: Monday-Thursday, 3-6 p.m. 

This schedule allows students to stay enrolled in and attend their regular school during the day and receive intensive support in the afternoon. 

In both programs, our team provides school coordination and advocates on behalf of your child. We can communicate with your child’s school to support their attendance and participation in class, both during their time in our IOP and afterward. 

Group therapy is the core of each program day. Adolescents take part in four groups each day, for a total of 12 hours of group therapy each week. Therapists lead these group sessions, which fall into three categories: 

• Psychoeducation groups: Adolescents learn how mental health concerns can affect their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. 
• Process groups: Adolescents have time to talk through their experiences with peers and practice both giving and receiving support. 
• Skills-building groups: Adolescents learn and practice strategies they can use at home, at school, and in relationships. 

There are a variety of topics discussed during group therapy sessions, including things like coping skills, resilience, and discharge planning. Working alongside peers who are close in age and facing similar challenges can help adolescents see that they are not alone. 

Our therapists primarily use three research-backed approaches in our adolescent IOP: 

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT can help young people recognize unhelpful ways of thinking and change how they respond to them. 
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT teaches practical skills for managing strong emotions, handling distress, staying focused on the present moment, and communicating effectively with others. 
• Motivational interviewing: This collaborative approach can help adolescents identify their own reasons for making changes and set goals that matter to them. 

In addition to group therapy, adolescents in our Madison IOP have access to the following services: 

• Individual therapy: Your child meets one-on-one with a therapist once a week to work on their personal goals and talk through their concerns in a private setting. 
• Family therapy: Families can meet with a therapist weekly or biweekly to improve communication and work through challenges together. 
• Medication management services: If medication is part of your child’s overall care plan, they can meet with a psychiatric provider in person or remotely. Our registered nurses also help monitor the effects of medications. 
• Experiential activities: When clinically appropriate, adolescents may take part in community outings every other week. These outings offer them a chance to practice new skills in real-world settings. 
• Care coordination and discharge planning: Our team coordinates with your child’s other providers and prepares a plan for continued support after they complete the intensive outpatient program. 

Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in helping an adolescent progress through the treatment process. For this reason, family involvement is built into our Madison, Wisconsin, intensive outpatient program. 

In addition to family therapy sessions, we offer parent education groups and family education classes. These sessions can give you more information about the concerns your child is struggling with, the skills they are learning in the program, and ways you can reinforce those skills at home. When everyone in the household understands what a child is working on, it becomes easier to respond to challenges in a consistent and supportive way. 

Our team starts preparing adolescents for the next phase of their care while they are still in the program. Discharge planning is a regular group topic, and your child’s therapist will work with you and your child to identify the services and supports that will help them maintain the progress they make while in our IOP. 

Before your child completes the program, we will coordinate with the other professionals involved in their care, such as outpatient therapists, psychiatric providers, and school staff, so that there is no gap in support as they leave the program. 

Families from Madison and throughout Dane County choose Shorewood Behavioral Health for adolescent behavioral healthcare because our program offers: 

• Two schedule options that allow students to attend either during or after the school day 
• Therapist-led group, individual, and family sessions each week 
• Evidence-based therapies, including CBT, DBT, and motivational interviewing 
• Parent education and family involvement throughout the program 
• Direct coordination with schools and other providers 
• Access to a full range of behavioral healthcare services at our Madison hospital, including inpatient care for adolescents 

If your child needs more support than they are currently receiving, we are here to help. Our admissions team is available anytime to answer your questions, explain the intake process, and help you decide whether our adolescent intensive outpatient program is the right fit for your child. Contact us today to learn more.