Specialties & Conditions Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Lurie Children's Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a space for children to attend therapy more frequently than traditional outpatient approaches and focus on anxiety, depressive, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Our virtual program runs Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The average length of program participation for most families is four to six weeks. Our program serves children and teens (ages 10 through 16) that require more frequent treatment for psychiatric concerns but can attend school with minimal disruption.
Our Approach
We strive to create a safe, collaborative, therapeutic, and fun environment through developmentally appropriate curriculums to teach each child how to effectively cope with their problems. We utilize evidence-based approaches to individualize treatment and address the needs of each patient, including:
- Unified protocols for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders in children and adolescents
- Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP)
- Parent training
- Collaboration with outside providers
- Collaboration with school personnel
We require family involvement through separate weekly Multifamily Caregiver Education Series. These sessions provide each family with knowledge and effective strategies to support their child and teen.
What We Treat
The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) focuses on children with primary difficulties with anxiety and mood concerns (such as depression), and obsessive compulsive disorder.
As a reminder, IOP would not be the best fit for children:
- Whose current difficulties are largely externalizing (such as, physical aggression towards peers, staff, parents, severe property destruction)
- Whose developmental functioning would impede their ability to fully participate in a group space with similarly aged peers
- Currently experiencing symptoms of psychosis
Our Specialists
The multidisciplinary team includes Social Workers, Recreational Therapist, and a Clinical Director of Intensive Services. Team members meet regularly to discuss each child’s progress and refine treatment goals.
If IOP Team recommends adjunctive medication treatment, a referral will be made to a prescriber for an assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your child will be required attend the program Monday through Thursday, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Every Tuesday, families are required to participate in Multifamily Group, an educational series on various treatment modalities from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. In addition, caregivers will schedule a weekly session with their child’s primary clinician to address individualized treatment progress and goals.
Recreation Therapy (RT) within IOP improves socialization, leisure functioning and community reintegration. Based on the specific needs of the patients, the following programs may be developed and implemented:
- Arts and crafts
- Physical fitness/education
- Team building
- Leisure education
- Yoga
- Relaxation group/techniques
- Problem solving (learning and use of coping skills/tools)
- Dance and music activities
- Wellness groups
- Games and socialization activities
- Other programs as deemed therapeutic to meet the needs of the patients
IOP is a Monday – Thursday program from 3:30pm-5:30pm. If possible, do not plan your family outings and outpatient appointments on days when your child is expected to be in attendance. If you must miss a day for an important event, please let staff know ahead of time. If your child reports feeling ill please call the Program office at 312.227.0337 to report absence for that day. If attendance is inconsistent, their enrollment will be assessed.
Report all medications that your child is taking to staff. Existing Outpatient Prescribers should continue medication management while enrolled in IOP.
IOP includes involvement with family therapy sessions once each week and a multi-family group session once each week. Failure to attend any of these required sessions may result in discharge. In addition, we can support with work letters or FMLA documents.
Contact Information & Location
The Intensive Outpatient Program is a virtual program.
To contact IOP, please call 312.227.0337.
The fax number for the program is 312.227.9461.
Printable Parent/Patient Rating Forms
The following electronic forms are for patients currently enrolled in IOP. Only complete these forms if instructed by the IOP team.
Click the below links to download and print the parent/patient rating forms.
- Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders, Youth Report
- Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders, Parent Report
- CATS
- Moods and Feelings Questionnaire, Parent Report
- Moods and Feelings Questionnaire, Youth Report
MyChart
MyChart gives you safe, secure online access to portions of your child's electronic medical record (EMR). MyChart also serves as a secure message center to communicate with your child’s healthcare providers and complete online questionnaires for enrolled programs.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MYCHART
General Mental Health Resources
Books for Children
Anger & Impulse Control
- What To Do When Your Temper Flares by Dawn Heubner (for children ages 8-12)
Anxiety, Worry & Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- The Thought That Counts: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager’s Experience with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Jared Kant and Martin Franklin (teenagers)
- What To Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck by Dawn Heubner (OCD) (for children ages 8-12)
- What You Must Think of Me: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager’s Experience with Social Anxiety Disorder by Emily Ford and Michael Liebowitz (teenagers)
- Guts by Raina Telgemeier (Anxiety) (3rd-8th grade)
Depression
- Eight Stories Up: An Adolescent Chooses Hope over Suicide by Quincy Levine and David Brent (teenagers)
Feelings, Self-esteem & Miscellaneous
- Just As You Are: A Teen’s Guide to Self-Acceptance and Lasting Self-Esteem by Michelle Skeen, PsyD (teens)
- Next to Nothing: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager’s Experience with an Eating Disorder by Carrie Arnold and B. Timothy Walsh (teenagers and young adults)
Books for Caregivers
- Depression and Your Child: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers by Deborah Serani
- Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids – How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting by Dr. Laura Markham
- The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene
- Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them by Ross W. Greene
- If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents by Edna B. Foa and Linda Wasmer Andrews
- Why Smart Kids Worry and What Parents Can do to Help by Allison Edwards, LPC
- Start Here: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children and Teens Through Mental Health Challenges by Pier Bryden, MD and Peter Szatmari, MD
- Proactive Parenting: Help your child conquer self-destructive behaviours and build self-esteem by Mandy Saligari
- How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen so Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
- How to Talk so Teens Will Listen & Listen so Teens Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
Hotline/Support Numbers
- National Suicide Prevention: 1.800.273.8255
- National Hopeline: 1.800.784.2433
- Samariteens: 1.800.252.8336
- 800 DON’T CUT: 1.800.366.8288
- Crisis Text Line: Text “START” to 741-741/Text HOME to 741741
- The Trevor Project (LGBTQ youth): 1.866.488.7386
- TRANS LIFELINE: 1.877.565.8860
- NAMI Chicago Referral Helpline: 312.563.0445
- Warm Line: 866.359.7953
- For Crisis Support in Spanish: 1.888.628.9454
- CARES line for Patients with Medicaid: 1.800.345.9049
Related Specialties
Conditions We Treat
Philanthropy
Your support is vital in helping us continue to make a difference in the lives of patients and families. Lurie Children's relies on philanthropic funding to enhance its programs, services and research for children. To learn more, please e-mail the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation at foundation@luriechildrens.org or call 312.227.7500.