Who we treat

Cost

Length of Stay

Number of beds & staffing

Treatment philosophy

Program leaders

Program description

Treatment details &
clinical protocols

Adhering to treatment

Making treatment work

Program life

Daily treatment:
Adolescent Program

Daily treatment:
Adult Program

Family involvement

Psychoeducational groups

Discharge planning

What patients say

Admissions

Packing for your stay

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Treatment Program

Program life
The Menninger Clinic strives to offer a treatment experience that differs from a traditional hospital and helps the patient take full advantage of treatment.

Where patients reside
The Adolescent and Adult OCD Treatment Program Programs share a large one-story building—one of seven buildings on the 14-acre campus shaded by tall pines—with two other programs. The patient living buildings are much like a university residence hall with patient rooms up and down the hallway. The programs are co-ed, but roommates are the same gender.

Spacious common areas with sofas and tables, both large and small, anchor the halls. Rooms where groups meet, nursing stations with an open doorway, TV/game areas, a kitchen-snack room and laundry room round out the Program’s space.

On the campus, lawn chairs, gazebos, a pool, a full-size gymnasium, tennis courts, walking trail along with the sounds and sights of a backyard await patients during their unscheduled time.

Atmosphere on the unit
Staff dress in business and business casual attire. Patients are encouraged to dress comfortably. Appropriate attire is required on the unit at all times.

The patients and staff function together as a community. The patient community plays a vital part in the milieu. Patients meet weekly in a community meeting. This meeting provides a forum to welcome new patients and staff, say goodbye to those leaving and to discuss issues of interest to the patients. Each day patients and staff meet to plan the activities for evenings and for trips into the community.

A computer with Internet access is available on the unit. Patients may e-mail family members and friends.

The unit is left unlocked unless the staff or patient community determines that locking the unit is best for the safety of one of the patients and the patient community.

First days in the program

• With an Admissions coordinator, the patient and family complete the admissions paperwork.
• Members of the treatment team greet the patient and family on the unit.
  The staff checks the patient’s personal belongings to ensure the safety for all patients.
• The patient moves into his/her room. Rooms are set up for single and double occupancy. Each offers an in-room bathroom with tub/shower, individual desks, a closet and a window. A handicapped accessible room is also available. The adolescent and adult OCD Treatment Program programs are co-ed. Roommates are the same gender. Room assignments are set by the treatment team according to patients’ clinical necessity. Patients socialize in the common areas and not in one another’s rooms.
• A staff psychiatrist and an internal medicine physician see the patient within 24 hours of admission.
• Staff introduce the patient to other staff and patients, and orient them to the program within the first few hours of admission.
• The treatment team and patient work together to stabilize symptoms and begin assessments that help the team better understand the patient and his/her needs. The treatment team and patient collaborate on goals for treatment, and a treatment plan is set.

Daily treatment: Adolescent OCD Program
The adolescent program in the OCD Treatment Program schedule features exposure and ritual prevention, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), specialized groups, skill-building groups and other therapy, as well as scholastic course work. Additional treatments and meetings are integrated into the daily program:

• Individual behavior therapy sessions one to two times a week
• Meetings at least once a week with the entire treatment team during rounds
• Meeting with the psychiatrist once a week
• Participating in weekly in family therapy
• Meeting with the behavior therapist one to two times a week
• Activity therapy, fitness and medical appointments as prescribed

The treatment team may change the schedule to meet the patient’s clinical needs and update it during the patient’s course of treatment.

Unstructured time
An important component of the program is teaching individuals how to use leisure and non-structured time in their daily lives. The staff considers the use of leisure time and relaxation as important aspects of personal mental health, which is a skill that can be learned. For this reason, our program incorporates periods of unstructured time during which the staff coaches individuals in how to use the time effectively and in ways they can use these skills following discharge.

Unscheduled time may be used to do therapy homework, socialize with other patients, relax with a hobby or activity, read or participate with other patients and staff in planned recreational activities. With approval from staff, group activities—on the unit, on the campus or in the community—may include events, games and movies.

Daily treatment: Adult OCD Program
The adult program schedule features exposure and ritual prevention, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), specialized groups, skill-building groups and other therapies.

The patient’s individualized treatment plan is integrated into the following core schedule. The treatment team may vary the schedule to meet the patient’s clinical needs and update the schedule during the patient’s course of treatment.

In addition to the core program, medication management sessions with the psychiatrist and primary nurse will occur one to two times a week, and the patient will meet with the cognitive-behavior therapist at least two times a week for treatment planning. The patient will also meet at least weekly with the entire treatment team during rounds and may participate in individual therapy sessions, family meetings and other therapies.

Unstructured time
An important component of the program is teaching individuals how to use leisure and non-structured time in their daily lives. The staff considers the use of leisure time and relaxation as important aspects of personal mental health, which is a skill that can be learned. For this reason, our program incorporates periods of unstructured time during which the staff coaches individuals in how to use the time effectively and in ways they can use these skills following discharge.

Unscheduled time may be used to do therapy homework, socialize with other patients, relax with a hobby or activity, read or participate with other patients and staff in planned recreational activities. With approval from staff, group activities—on the unit, on the campus or in the community—may include events, games and movies.

Supervision by staff
The patient’s treatment team determines the level of supervision the patient needs. Supervision levels change throughout a patient’s stay based on the team’s assessment of the patient’s clinical needs.

The supervision levels and the activities prescribed by the treatment team aim to help the patient accomplish treatment goals and provide for the patient’s safety. As the patient attains their goals, they typically earn privileges to participate in individual and group activities on and off the campus.