New Intensive Outpatient Psychiatry Program Launches

Mary N. Cook, MD, Medical Director, Clinical Services, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children's Hospital Colorado
Child Psychiatry Clinic Director and Medical Director, Intensive Family Therapy program, University of Colorado Hospital

In November 2009, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children's Hospital Colorado launched the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorder, Intensive Outpatient Psychiatry (AD-IOP) Program. The new program offers enhanced or intensive outpatient services for patients and families with varied psychiatric presentations.

The AD-IOP joins the established General IOP. In addition to offering traditional outpatient mental health services, the AD-IOP treats patients struggling with anxiety and its disorders, including, but not limited to: obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.

IOP Programs

Staffed by multidisciplinary teams of experts, both AD-IOP and General IOP serve youth who are stepping down from higher levels of care, patients who have failed routine outpatient treatment and youth who have recently presented for an urgent or emergent psychiatric assessment. Treatment plans for both IOP programs include a comprehensive, standardized assessment, psycho-education, skills training, exposure training and creative arts therapies. Children's Hospital Colorado offers immediate access to medication evaluations and management if necessary.

Anxiety Disorders (AD-IOP)

This program serves youth with anxiety disorders. Experts specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders in youth staff the program using gold standard, evidence-based protocols based upon a cognitive behavioral therapy framework. The program meets with parents and youth three times a week for six weeks.

General IOP

This program serves youth with mood or disruptive behavior disorders. Experts specializing in the treatment of disruptive and mood disorders in youth staff the program. Modeled upon cutting-edge, evidence-based protocols, this program uses cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. The program holds sessions for parents and youth three times a week for five weeks. Launched in January 2006, the General IOP Program has succeeded in achieving positive clinical outcomes and receiving consistently high patient satisfaction ratings.

Psychiatric Specialty Programs

These programs serve patients with virtually any diagnosis, aged five to 17 years old. They offer a comprehensive array of services including: evaluations, medication management, psychological testing, individual, group, family and creative arts therapy.

Programs include:

• Med/Psych led by Alyssa Oland, PhD and Harrison Levine, MD
• Mood and Thought Disorders led by Lina Patel, PsyD and Kim Kelsay, PhD
• Disruptive Behavior Disorders led by Jason Williams, PsyD and Mary N. Cook, MD
• Anxiety Disorders led by Tami Roblek, PhD and Susan Lurie, MD

Groups and Clinical Trials

Embedded within the specialty programs are a variety of groups and clinical trials.

Groups

Children's Hospital Colorado offers several groups, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy and skills training groups for youth and their parents. All groups have a strong parent component, which parallels and complements the youth group. Faculty physicians and psychologists are regionally and nationally renowned for their contributions and expertise in their areas of specialty, devoted to advancing the field of child psychiatry by developing effective and safe interventions. 

Clinical Trials

Children's has a busy clinical trials network offering trials of medication, functional family therapy and functional brain imaging for patients with an array of diagnoses. If patients qualify, they receive state-of-the-art evaluations and treatment, often free of charge. Some trials offer payment for participation.

For more information about the programs or to make a referral, contact the intake team at (720) 777-6200.