Exciting New Program Coming To NWAI!

NW Anxiety Institute is extremely thrilled to be opening an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for children and adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and other anxiety disorders.

NW Anxiety Institute’s program is the first of its kind in the Pacific NW and will offer daily intensive therapy for kids struggling with debilitating anxiety because of their OCD. At NW Anxiety, we specialize in Exposure Response Prevention. Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) is well established as the treatment of choice for OCD, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, and other anxiety disorders, and many individuals improve greatly with traditional weekly therapy which is why it will be incorporated into the IOP. 

The Intensive Outpatient Program is designed for children and adolescents whose anxiety is debilitating and significantly impairing their quality of life. Many of the adolescent patients at NWAI are unable to attend school regularly due to their symptoms and require intensive treatment.

The “intensive” in IOP refers to the frequency of therapies in a relatively short time frame. Patients will continue to systematically challenge their fears in a collaborative and supportive way, however, much faster than can be done in weekly therapy.  Furthermore, the frequency allows us to maximize on therapy success and gains before a client can return to their obsessions or compulsions in the six days between appointments. 

When a patient is enrolled in our IOP treatment becomes their focus. They are not distracted by friends, school, and family dynamics, and can put forth their energy to overcome their fears and make considerable behavioral change. Successful exposure therapy requires four principles:
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1. Frequency
2. Duration
3. Intensity
4. Latency

These principles are necessary for an individual to challenge an irrational thought, learn and maintain new behaviors, and evoke emotional processing. Essentially, the more (frequency) a patient can engage in a difficult (intensity) exposure task, while maintaining that task until their anxiety diminishes (duration) the more successful the exercise will be. Ah yes, they also have to minimize any delay while initiating the task (latency). 

The ideal patient for our IOP is a child/adolescent between the age of 10-18 who is suffering greatly with OCD or another anxiety disorder. This individual believes they would benefit from a three-week structured program to aggressively target their symptoms, and regain their independence. 

Interested in registering your child? ​