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Why IOP?

Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs) are an important part of the continuum of care for alcohol and drug use disorders. Studies show that they are as effective as inpatient treatment for most individuals seeking care.

Benefits of IOP

IOP treatment has a number of advantages to other treatment options. Here are just a few:

  • You can continue going to work or school. Not everyone is able to take a 30 day or longer break from work or school without risk. Our IOP schedule is flexible enough to work around most schedules to help you maintain professional, educational, and financial stability.

  • You can still live at home. While inpatient treatment is valuable, you still need to eventually return to your home environment and all the stressors there that may have been contributing to your substance use/misuse. IOP allows you to learn to manage these stressors and protect your recovery in real time. 

  • You get amazing peer support. In addition to our fully licensed therapists, you will develop a network of friendships and support systems that will assist you throughout your recovery process and your life. 

  • You will receive comprehensive treatment. At The Refuge, we have a strong focus on healing the wounds and treating the mental health struggles that may have contributed to your addiction. This is not a "one size fits all" program and we will help you uncover the hidden issues that have prevented you from recovery success in the past.


If you are curious if IOP is right for you, please contact us today. Our team of experienced therapists can meet with you to answer questions and help you find the best path forward. 

EMDR Therapy & IOP

Well, EMDR can actually employ the strategies of traditional talk therapies as we prepare our clients for desensitizing past traumas. However, “EMDR is a distinct form of therapy and has principles and practices that are different from these and other approaches” (Shapiro & Silk Forest, 2016 p.4).

 

Standard EMDR is an eight-phase treatment consisting of a three-pronged protocol addressing:

  • Past negative experiences

  • current triggers or situations

  • positive templates to address future triggers or similar situations
     

Early negative life experiences can become stored dysfunctionally in the brain, leading clients to experience negative affect and beliefs from these memories when triggered by present day stimuli. EMDR uses Dual Attention Stimuli (DAS), through eye movements or tactical or auditory stimulation, to unlock and process these memories and access “physiological networks containing adaptive information” (Shapiro, 2018, p.16). 

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One important difference between EMDR and traditional talk therapy is that during EMDR a client does not have to talk about the negative event or trauma to get resolution. They need only hold the image in their mind while the therapist guides them with DAS. EMDR provides a way to help clients revisit their trauma without being retraumatized and reduces the risk of flooding. In many cases, EMDR can result in symptoms being resolved in a shorter amount of time.

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EMDR is not limited to trauma as it's also commonly used for depression, anxiety, substance use cravings, stressors and phobias. 

Start Your Journey

Schedule an intake call to find out if our IOP program is a good fit for you. 

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