Our DBT Program Reduced ER and Inpatient Visits by 100%!
Our DBT Program Reduced ER and Inpatient Visits by 100%!
Our DBT Program Reduced ER and Inpatient Visits by 100%!
Integrative Counseling working with Congruent Counseling Services has been providing a full DBT treatment program for the past 4 years. In the period from January to June of 2018, we had 16 clients ages 14 to 48 in our program. We offer three separate programs for different age groups. All of these clients have a history of not succeeding in treatment – meaning regular outpatient therapy did not work for them. They either needed more treatment or a different type of treatment. 12 out of 16 of these clients had at least one prior visit to the ER and/or inpatient crisis hospitalization stays. The four who did not have prior admissions were referred by clinicians who referred them to either inpatient treatment or our DBT program (they chose our DBT program).
A little background:
When clients come for an initial consultation, I normally tell the same story when they ask how effective the program is: I tell them I have been working in the field for 25+ years. My specialty is working with difficult teens and young adults; often substance-abusing, depressed, anxious, aggressive teens and young adults. In the past it may have taken 3-6 years to help some of these difficult clients make change, sometimes with multiple inpatient stays. But, knock on wood, these kids survived to adulthood and are leading healthier, happier lives. With DBT, we have seen change for the better in 6-12 months.
The Evidence:
One concrete measure of this improvement is the number of ER visits and inpatient hospitalization stays. Prior to seeing us, these 16 clients had been to a total of 39 hospital visits and stayed for a total of 330 days. 90% of these stays were within 9 months of starting our program. After starting the program, we had a total of 6 visits to the ER or Inpatient for a total of 35 days.
Now the big news:
As of January 1, 2019, 3 of these clients have been successfully discharged. The 4 who had never been to the ER or inpatient have still never been to the ER or Inpatient. 13 of the clients are still enrolled at a lower Relapse Prevention level. Are you ready… since being in relapse prevention or discharged we have had 0 ER or Hospital Visits for a total of 0 days!!!!These clients are stable and have learned how to manage their emotional instability. Keep in mind, some of these clients have a personal and family/biological history of Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Trauma, Major Depression or Addiction concerns. These clients are predisposed to mood and behavioral fluctuations. Yet, they report feeling better and have learned to manage these fluctuations successfully. We are proud of these outcomes and proud of our clients who have worked so hard to achieve this level of control. They have learned to recognize and manage their feelings and impulses to live happier, healthier lives.
