Transitions Mental Health Program

Augusta Health’s Transitions Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a structured outpatient group program of psychotherapy and psychoeducation. Grounded in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), it uses a theoretical approach built on cognitive therapy while providing skills to deal with intense emotions.

The goal of this program is to provide participants the tools to reduce the impact of their illness. Patients needing this level of care are having significant trouble dealing with daily life. Usually 2-4 weeks of participation provide patients the help they need to resume (or begin) regular counseling sessions with a therapist familiar with this approach, and weekly group therapy.

Adults of all ages who are not effectively managing their daily lives but can maintain their safety outside the hospital are invited to participate. Community health/mental health providers and inpatient units make referrals to Transitions for this unique approach. All referrals start with an initial evaluation with one of the Augusta Behavioral Health licensed clinicians.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

The DBT Approach to Psychotherapy Involves Proven Skill-Building Methods Taught as 4 Modules. At the core are the Mindfulness and Distress Tolerance modules, which provide the framework for the IOP experience. Mindfulness involves learning how to remain in the present. You will learn 3 important skills towards doing that. Distress Tolerance is learning crisis survival and frustration tolerance skills, which keep us from making a bad situation even worse. The remaining modules are introduced and mastered through weekly group therapy, which follows completion of the IOP. Those modules are called Interpersonal Effectiveness and Emotional Regulation.