[Humpty Dumpty]

What is the difference between going to a therapist that does group therapy vs doing a partial hospitalization/out patient program?
Is it just length of time?
Is a standard group therapy session just 1 hour like a normal 1 on 1 session or is group therapy normally longer?

[pegasus]

Partial hospitalization would mean a few days a week, not hours in the day so it is more restricted than going to a group therapy session (with a therapist) that lasts an hour or so.

[Perna]

Yes, partial hospitalization would be like 6 hours a day for weekdays for a week or two; is about you and your individual life/routines day-to-day. Group therapy is more about the group and how you interact with others and they with you and socialization and is only once a week with like 6-8 other people who see that therapist. You might have some group therapy in a partial hospitalization setting but there's nothing about hospitalization or crisis/immediate difficulties in group therapy which is ongoing (my last one I was in for nearly 10 years).

[cloudyn808]

Aloha HD,

I'm doing both right now- (yup, I will do anything to feel better... )

The major differences I see are time and the severity of illness. I spend 3 day a week, 3 hrs a day in IOP and 1.5 hours a week in group therapy sponsored by the psychology group I use for private therapy sessions.

For me, I am more comfortable at the IOP program because my MI is so severe. Most have had recent Sui attempts or are unstable BPD etc... The DBT is intense and the others can be very helpful when dealing with crisis situations. The weekly group therapy is mainly moderate anxiety, moderate depression, mod PTSD, ADHD... Although there is one person who has severe resistant depression like me.

Good luck and I hope you find the right fit for you!

[secretgalaxy]

My partial hospitalization program is 5 days a week from 9-1. I have to do homework at home and, for me and my program, they make me call the coaching line every day.

I have never been in group therapy, but partial is kind of like relaxed high school classes, haha.

[tealBumblebee]

I can only speak from one day of experience in partial, and I didn't even make it to all the groups but 1) instead of group 1-2x a week, it's 5-6 groups per day. 2) the groups are separated into skill teaching/processing vs. my outside group that is less direct subject focused. Maybe it'll change soon, but thats what i've observed so far.