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Intensive Outpatient Program

Treating the Person as a whole – Body, Mind and Spirit – in a supportive healing environment

The Saint Luke Institute Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a comprehensive mental and spiritual care treatment program for clergy, religious and other Church leaders in need of an extended period of dedicated healing and renewal. Our licensed clinicians and expert spiritual integrators address the unique needs of these ministers in harmony with the teachings of the Catholic Church. There are many areas of mental and spiritual care which IOP can address. The following are some of the most common:

  • Addictions and recovery
  • Anxiety and stress management
  • Depression and mood disorders
  • Burnout
  • Childhood abuse and adult trauma
  • Financial distress
  • Grief and loss
  • Mental and spiritual care integration
  • Sexual wellness, including healthy celibacy
  • Relationship health and boundaries
  • Self-esteem
  • Transitions, including retirement, job change or job loss
  • And more

IOP is offered exclusively at our Silver Spring, Maryland location in suburban Washington, D.C. Details on housing options and office suite access are below.

Not every mental health need can be effectively addressed through an IOP program. Saint Luke Institute offers an extensive clinical evaluation to determine if the benefits of an IOP program are appropriate.

We offer guidance and consultation on insurance coverage to cover treatment costs. No priest or religious is refused treatment due to inability to pay.

Creating the Space for Comprehensive Care

Our IOP allows our clients the ability to maintain the rhythms of daily life while in treatment. We have found that this care approach is more effective than longer-term in-patient programs. It fosters better results and a more natural transition back to ministry and community life following program completion.

IOP clients follow a comprehensive 5-day schedule Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., including group therapy, psychoeducational and spirituality groups, and individual therapeutic sessions as determined by the client’s treatment plan.

Once a client is recommended to the IOP, the length of stay is typically four to six months, depending on the diagnosis and progress in treatment. Upon completion of the program, clients move to the Continuing Care program, where they receive high-quality support for five years post-treatment.

Therapy helps clients to grow in freedom from unhealthy defenses, beliefs, and psychological burdens and in the process become more themselves. They also come to understand the impact of life experiences on current behaviors and attitudes and learn to initiate new behaviors. Clients engage in planning to help them integrate new skills and behaviors as they return to healthy ministry and/or community life.

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Admissions Process

Our staff members determine the client’s treatment needs by conducting a five-day, comprehensive and clinically-focused clinical evaluation. We provide the evaluee and his/her ecclesiastical superior with comprehensive oral feedback and recommendations, as well as a detailed written report to help determine the appropriate next steps. Clients may also be referred to our IOP after undergoing a clinical evaluation elsewhere.

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Therapeutic Modalities

Group therapy with other clients, facilitated by a licensed therapist, provides a supportive environment for making change. Regular individual psychotherapy sessions with a licensed therapist address both short-term needs and more complex struggles in a personalized way. These safe environments in which a person is allowed and encouraged to be their authentic self can be a potent venue for change, growth, and healing. They provides a valuable opportunity to hear and incorporate objective feedback about how they are perceived, and to learn healthier and more optimal ways of relating.

Group therapy focuses on:

  • Interpersonal process
  • Personal experiences in social interactions and perceptions by others
  • Skills for successful social engagement and interactions
  • Spiritual integration with mental health efforts
  • Education fostering mental and spiritual growth

Individual therapy often focuses on:

  • Unique needs of the person and steps to addressing mental health needs
  • Spiritual integration with mental health efforts
  • Coordination with other care elements: psychiatry, physical therapy, nutrition consultations, etc.
  • Follow-up from adjunctive treatment modalities (e.g., EMDR, biofeedback, etc.)
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Program Schedule

The program schedule includes:

  • Individual and group therapy (see Therapeutic Modalities)
  • Spiritual integration sessions
  • Prayer groups
  • Expressive therapy groups
  • Skills building groups
  • Psychoeducational groups
  • Medical consultations
  • Exercise groups

Mass is offered in the Silver Spring, Maryland office on a regular basis, and on special holy days. Daily Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation are celebrated with local religious communities and/or local parishes.

Clients are also encouraged to attend local Twelve-Step meetings throughout treatment, if appropriate.

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Housing & Transportation

Clients have a variety of housing options in the Silver Spring area that they can arrange on their own.

Options currently include:

  • Religious houses for men or women
  • Nearby hotels

IOP clients who already live in the Greater Washington, D.C. area may choose to commute to our office.

Clients may travel to and from our Silver Spring office suite by car, ride share, or public transportation. Free parking is available on-site. Our office is in a convenient downtown area, just a five-minute walk from the Metro and other amenities.

More details about these options can be provided in anticipation of a client’s admission to the IOP program or by contacting us.

Sustaining Progress in Care

The comprehensive and integrated approach that marks our IOP process includes many aspects that support mental and spiritual healing.

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A Diversity of Spiritual & Prayer Experiences

In the IOP, both caregivers and clients recognize that mental health wellness goes hand-in-hand with spiritual wellness. This integrated spiritual approach flows out of a centuries-old Catholic and broadly Christian tradition of spiritual accompaniment. It involves helping our clients to explore how God is at work in their lives, listen for the voice of the Spirit, discern life choices, and grow toward greater wholeness.

We ensure this integrated experience through:

  • Regular spiritual integration sessions with an expert spiritual caregiver
  • Days of reflection and retreat at an off-site retreat center – a time of prayer and outside input from vetted expert speakers on a variety of mental health or spiritual topics
  • Mass is celebrated at the Silver Spring, Maryland office suite, and on special holy days. Mass is also available regularly at the locations where many of our IOP clients reside, which also offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation
  • Meditative and quiet spiritual experiences such as centering prayer and a prayerful reading of the Scriptures (Lectio divina), among other opportunities
  • An on-site prayer and meditation room

Mass is also offered frequently at religious houses where many of our IOP clients reside, and among the many local Catholic parishes.

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Medical Care & Support

Medical services are provided on site by the staff psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP), nurse, and internal medicine consultant. The PMHNP, in collaboration with a supervising psychiatrist, consults with clients regarding symptom management and medication needs

Clients meet weekly with the staff nurse to assess response to medication and monitor any ongoing health issues. The internist sees each client for an initial history and a physical with lab work, and then is on site weekly for client support. SLI has established referral relationships with local healthcare resources for the provision of specialized medical or other support services.

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Fitness & Nutritional Support

Clients receive integrated fitness and nutritional counseling to maximize physical health. Fitness testing is provided by an on-site licensed physical therapist to assess strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and mobility. Clients develop individual fitness plans designed to restore movement, relieve pain, improve strength, and prevent disability, if needed. Group fitness classes help to improve aerobic and strength conditioning.

Client assessments conducted at the end of treatment determine progress and inform discharge planning. Nutrition education groups explore the impact of nutrition on both physical and mental health. Clients may be referred for individual nutrition consultation with a dietitian when necessary to address any acute or chronic dietary concerns.

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Beyond IOP: Continuing Care

Discharged clients are encouraged to participate in Continuing Care, which is a muilti-year program that facilitates the reintegration process as the client returns to his or her ministry, diocese and/or community. This includes a re-entry workshop, phone or online support with a Continuing Care liaison, and ongoing workshops.

Each client is assigned a Continuing Care liaison, who helps them develop a contract outlining the behaviors that will help maintain and improve recovery.

Continuing Care workshops are held every six months for three years followed by two additional yearly workshops. Clients are followed in this way for a multi-year period and may request continued participation if there is a clinically indicated need.

Clients also may receive a free ongoing education subscription to Saint Luke Institute’s online education platform for mental health and wellness in ministry, SLIconnect.org upon request and authorization from their Continuing Care liaison.

Cost

We are committed to providing excellent care at a reasonable cost, and will assist our clients with receiving out-of-network coverage.

No clergy or religious is denied admission or service based on an inability to pay. Charity discounts for dioceses and religious institutes are available. Inquiries about charity discounts and finances should be directed to the Chief Operating Officer of Saint Luke Institute.

Privacy

We value your privacy. Our therapists follow the strictest confidentiality principles set forth by Maryland and federal law. We will discuss confidentiality with you on your first visit.

When a diocese or religious congregation entrusts a priest or religious to our care, we are able to provide regular updates about progress with the individual’s informed consent.

Contact

Michelle Short

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Accreditation & Licensure

Saint Luke Institute is accredited by The Joint Commission and our Intensive Outpatient Program is licensed by the State of Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The Joint Commission is an independent, objective evaluator of health care organizations. Accreditation from the Joint Commission is a “gold seal of quality” and a mark of distinction for patient care and safety.

Saint Luke Institute has continuously achieved this standard of quality over many decades.