Through its one-year old St. Charles site at 3805 E. Main St., Edward Hospital's behavioral health center, Linden Oaks at Edward, is offering Fox Valley adults and adolescents more intensive help for their mental health disorders and conditions than standard outpatient therapy.
Treatment options include either a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) or an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). Patients enter these programs directly or as a follow-up to inpatient care.
The PHP, which typically lasts about five to seven days, offers six hours of structured programming each day to treat anxiety, adjustment disorders, depression and other mood disorders. The IOP, a five- to 10-day program, runs three-and-a-half hours a day, and like the PHP, includes individual, group and family counseling sessions.
The programs use cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy because of their proven effectiveness and because they’re appropriate for shorter-term treatment.
"In cognitive behavioral therapy, the patient learns to identify and reframe distorted or destructive thought patterns that negatively influence behavior,” says Mark Molina, LCPC, program coordinator. “Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) focuses on mindfulness, techniques for regulating emotions, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness. Here the patient learns to accept their emotions without acting on them in ways that are not in their best interest. Through DBT, the patient develops skills needed to better cope with these negative emotions.”
Expressive Therapy is one of the newly expanded programs at the center and involves creative outlets ranging from poetry and music, to painting and collages.
"Not everyone finds it easy to express themselves with words," says Lekshmi Venugopal, MD, the psychiatrist on Linden Oaks’ St. Charles team. "This approach gives people other options for expressing how they feel."
Dr. Venugopal interviews every patient, provides a diagnosis, identifies personal strengths that can be developed, prescribes medication when appropriate and oversees their care. The St. Charles team also includes a nurse, a psychologist, licensed counselors and behavioral health associates.
“When patients are ready to leave the program we refer them to an individual therapist who is a good match and who can build on the therapy that's been helpful," says Dr. Venugopal. "Our programs plant the seeds so the patient can continue the work and grow and thrive."
For more information, call (630) 646-5200 or visit www.edward.org/lindenoaks.
