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Licensed Psychologist         (561) 444-8040

Intensive Outpatient Therapy for Anxiety

Intensive Outpatient Therapy for OCD, Panic, Hoarding, Phobias, & Other Anxiety Disorders

Conveniently located in Palm Beach County, Florida, our intensive outpatient treatment programs (IOP) are an important treatment option for South Florida residents.  We welcome patients from Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and beyond…including patients from Broward (Fort Lauderdale) and Miami-Dade counties in South Florida. OCD intensive treatment/therapy is also ideal for out-of-town patients who wish to work with Dr. Seay.

Our intensive treatment programs are evidence-based, time-limited, and designed to help you quickly manage your symptoms. Specific programs exist for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, hoarding, phobias, and other anxiety disorders.  Treatments are tailored to be developmentally appropriate for individuals of all ages, including kids, teens, and adults.

Adult Intensive Treatment Programs

  • OCD Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for Adults
  •      (Specialty programs for “Pure-O” OCD & Sensorimotor OCD)
  • Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for Adults with Panic
  • Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for Adults with Hoarding
  • Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for Adults with Social Anxiety
  • Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for Adults with Phobias

Pediatric/Kid/Teen Intensive Treatment Programs

Although most people do not need the level of care provided by an intensive outpatient treatment program (IOP), intensive outpatient therapy is an important option for some individuals. There are many reasons why individuals may choose to participate in our Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program (IOP). The most common reason is that participating in an IOP offers the advantage of helping you make more rapid progress.

Individuals with more severe symptoms often find that intensive therapy helps them recover more quickly so that they can return to their responsibilities at home, work, or school. Some find that intensive therapy is the best way to reduce symptoms that have been particularly stubborn or treatment refractory. Still others elect to participate in intensive therapy as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization or residential treatment.

Intensive treatment is also appropriate for out-of-town patients who wish to complete a course of specialized intensive therapy before returning home. Out-of-town patients are responsible for arranging for their own travel and accomodations in Florida during their treatment but have the option of taking advantage of the special rates we have negotiated with several Palm Beach County, Florida hotels. For information about these special rates, please contact our office.

Intensive outpatient therapy is individualized and tailored to your specific treatment needs. For individuals with severe symptoms, we recommend multiple therapy sessions per day. Therapy sessions are typically held on weekdays only; however, weekend appointments may also be an option in some situations. In addition your daily appointments, you will be required to complete daily therapy-related homework outside of your sessions.

The exact length of treatment cannot be determined in advance because it will depend on the severity of your symptoms, your response to treatment, and the amount of effort you put into therapy-related homework assignments. However, because treatment is based on empirically-supported, time-limited intensive treatment protocols, most individuals improve significantly over the course of 3-4 weeks.

All intensive programs include the following treatment components:

  • Comprehensive Assessment & Treatment Planning
  • Psychoeducation: Understanding Your Symptoms
  • Healthy Coping vs. Unhealthy Coping
  • Active Treatment
  •      Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
  •      Other Exposure-Based Interventions
  •      Cognitive Restructuring
  • Skill Generalization / Relapse Prevention
  • Follow-Up

Note: ERP, other exposure-based techniques, and cognitive restructuring form the largest components of treatment.  Relapse prevention skills are emphasized over the entire course of treatment.

Intensive therapy consists of individual therapy conducted by a doctoral-level, Ph.D.-trained psychologist with specialty training in  anxiety disorders.  However, group therapy components may sometimes be offered depending on patient interest and the availability of other patients with similar symptom profiles.  Recent examples of group intensive treatment modules  have included somatosensory OCD (obsessive breathing, obsessive swallowing), Pure-O OCD (fear of harming others), and OCD focused on contamination (“Grunge Group”).

Read more about our OCD Intensive Treatment Program.