Life can be overwhelming and stressful as a young adult. From the pressures of everday life to the pressures of college, it can be difficult to cope. Butler Hospital recently started two new programs to help young adults address their mental health concerns in an outpatient setting.
The True Self Intensive Outpatient (LGBTQ+) program is designed to meet the specific psychological needs of individuals 18 to 26 years old in the LGBTQ+ community. The College Student Intensive Outpatient progam treats students currently enrolled in college courses. These programs are known as Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), which meet three or four days a week for three hours a day. IOPs are designed to accommodate work and family life, and allow patients to receive intensive treatment with minimal interruption to their daily routine.
Gerrit Van Schalkwyk, MD, or “Dr. Gerrit,” as he is known at Butler, is child and adolescent psychiatrist, chief of the Adolescent Unit at Butler Hospital, and the doctor for the IOP programs.
“Many patients are not at the point of crisis to where they need to be in a hospital, but their need for care exceeds what they are able to receive in individual, weekly, or even twice weekly therapy,” said Van Schalkwyk. “These programs allow patients to received intensive clinical support including group therapy, individual therapy, and frequent psychiatric assessment.”
The True Self program serves young adults who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning, and who seek to address their mental health concerns in an affirming and supportive environment.
“We developed this program recognizing that the experience of accessing healthcare for LGBTQ individuals can be traumatizing,” said Van Schalkwyk. “It’s our goal to create an environment which is supportive, and is staffed by clinicians that have special expertise and sophisticated understanding of the clinical needs of youth that are lgbtq identified.”
“The college program was created in recognition of the face that college students are busy – it’s difficult for them to take extended periods of time off school to get the treatment they may need,” said Van Schalkwyk.
The program allows college students to continue with their studies while receiving treatment and the supportive environment empowers young adults to learn how to gain control of their mental health and strive to achieve their personal goals in school.
The meeting times for the programs are:
IOP for College Students: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday | 3:15 to 6:15 p.m.
True Self: Monday through Thursday | 3:15 to 6:15 p.m.
All programs are held on the campus of Butler Hospital, located at:
345 Blackstone Boulevard
Providence, RI 02906.
Services are covered by most health insurance plans, and we are happy to assist you with reviewing your coverage options. To start the process, contact our Behavioral Health Services Call Center at 1 (844) 401-0111. For more information about True Self (LGBTQ+) visit butler.org/TrueSelf or for College IOP visit butler.org/college.
