What Is an IOP?
An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is designed to treat clients with substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring mental health conditions. As a treatment program, IOP focuses on clients who do not need medical detoxification or around-the-clock supervision. Through an IOP, clients will learn coping strategies and relapse management as they start to build their sober life. Unlike inpatient and residential treatment programs, clients in IOP can live at home or in a transitional living facility, such as Grace Recovery TX. Clients can still work, attend school, and reconnect with their families while in treatment. Moreover, an IOP allows clients to take the skills they learn in residential treatment programs and put them into practice in their lives.
What Are the Benefits of a Women’s-Only IOP?
We provide clients with a women’s-only IOP because women have needs that standard IOP programs have historically not met. While important, most treatment facilities and centers focus on the needs of men in both traditional and coed programs. Traditional IOP does not account for the experiences of women with SUD and those working toward recovery. Compared to men, women are more likely to internalize the fear and anger born out of their trauma. Women blame themselves for their trauma and the unhealthy behaviors that become a part of their daily life.
Traditionally as a woman, you are expected to be “okay,” be a supportive partner, employee, daughter, or mother, with little space for your own needs. The women’s-only IOP at Emerge Recovery TX is primarily a mental health IOP with a focus on trauma and SUD. In addition, our IOP is run by women for women to address the specific needs of women navigating old expectations as daughters, wives, mothers, and women in the world.
To learn more about how we educate, nurture, and support women in IOP, visit our Resources page.
Why Is Trauma Treatment for Women Important?
With our trauma-focused IOP, we understand the importance of addressing women’s trauma as they work toward long-term recovery. According to an article in the Journal of Drug Addiction, Education, and Eradication, trauma treatment is an integral part of long-term recovery for women with SUD. However, women are still at a higher risk of developing trauma-related mental health conditions and SUD because there are little adequate support options. Few programs address co-occurring conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even fewer address the specific needs of women.
There are old belief systems and expectations built around being a woman. These old belief systems encourage women to ignore their needs in favor of the life around them. At Emerge Recovery TX, we believe in empowering women to discover and learn that it is okay to not be okay.
To learn more about our approach to trauma recovery, visit our Trauma Recovery page.
What to Expect From an IOP at Emerge Recovery
Emerge Recovery is focused on the power of aftercare for a client’s healing and long-term recovery. Through our structured trauma IOP, clients can process their co-occurring trauma and SUD as they work toward building a life in recovery. The framework for our IOP is rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). According to an article in Frontiers in Psychology, ACT is a context-driven approach that focuses on psychological flexibility and inflexibility.
Through various modalities, we encourage clients to engage in mindfulness by acknowledging and accepting their negative thoughts. When you process those negative thoughts and emotions, you can commit to building healthier thought patterns and behaviors. Our IOP is designed to support you through a continuum of care that will carry you well beyond your time with us at Emerge Recovery TX.
Emerge Recovery TX IOP:
- A women-only minimum eight-week program
- Treatment offered three hours a day for three days per week
- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Each client assigned to an individual master’s level clinician
- Clinicians have private practices for continued care after IOP
IOP Support Programs:
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Process groups
- Psychodrama
- Art therapy
- Family therapy
- Experiential groups
- Educational groups
- Trauma-informed yoga
- Alumni and recovery support
To learn more about our IOP programs, visit our Programs page.
How Can IOP Help Me?
Our work at Emerge Recovery TX is deeply connected with the work happening at our sister location, Grace Recovery TX. We have seen firsthand how inadequate attention to the trauma piece of SUD and co-occurring mental health conditions can harm people working toward recovery. Through our work at Grace Recovery TX, we would see young women doing the work and remaining abstinent from SUD. However, these young women were still deeply burdened by the interconnected trauma of their SUD.
Emerge Recovery TX was born out of a need for more women-focused trauma care and support. With our trauma IOP, we focus on the recovery of the mind, body, and spirit because every part of a person must be addressed for lifelong healing and recovery. When you can come face to face with your trauma and process those experiences, you open yourself up to developing healthier patterns to support a life you are excited about in long-term recovery.
To learn more about our IOP and the concurrent work we do at Grace Recovery, visit our Resources page.
Addressing trauma is an important part of healing and long-term recovery for women. At Emerge Recovery TX in Austin, Texas, our women-led IOP offers specialized trauma and SUD support for women. To learn how a trauma-focused IOP can help you, call us today at (737) 237-9663.