[Tmac]

Last week a attended a group meeting, that's maybe the 4th one I have been too. I feel very uncomfortable there b/c it is men and women. While there this time the therapist that runs the group said she believes I should be in intensive outpatient group. They meet 3 days a week for 3 hours. I feel like they are looking for a babysitter for me. I am not very open even in 1 on 1 therapy and in the group therapy where there are only 5-8 ppl at each session. So basically I am curious if anyone that reads this is they have been in a program like this and how it went.

The IOP programs I've encountered tended to be more educational than actual therapy groups, but you might ask the therapist for more details about how the IOP sessions are structured. They are all a little different.

[imapatient]

Not sure where you are nation-wise, but I was in something (in the US) that sounds like an IOP, it was called Day Treatment. It was 5 days a week/3 hours a day for 2 months for me and then 3/week for 1 month. I went for the max time; some went for less overall time and fewer days a week. For most, they had their days cut back over time as T's saw them doing better.

It was incredible. Less "therapy"--but group therapy, than community. It was fun. We all had a blast. It was light, and I think they try to keep it less intense as far as the therapy part goes to help people feel better in other ways. Learn and gain structure. Healthy living. They frowned on super intense, intimate sharing about trauma b/c they didn't want to trigger other people, and that wasn't the emphasis.

I'm very glad I did it--last spring and summer.