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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Treatment Program
Treatment philosophy
The team’s philosophy is to apply evidenced-based treatments with a strong foundation of behavior therapy. The inpatient hospital setting and the staff provide a level of support 24 hours a day, seven days a week that allows the patient to do the difficult work that is required for the treatment to be effective. Because OCD symptoms have socially isolated many of the patients, the Center includes emotional and family therapies aimed at treating the whole person.
To support the patient in this intensive work, the staff and milieu foster an atmosphere for change that enables the patient to engage in exposure and response prevention. This atmosphere results from the blend of support and encouragement from peers with OCD and the multidisciplinary team who provide feedback and assistance in meeting treatment goals.
Upon admission, the team conducts an assessment of OCD symptoms and aids the patient in creating a hierarchy of the symptoms. The hierarchy leads to the development of a behavior plan. A behavior plan specifies what the treatment team will support the patient in addressing on a weekly basis and starts at a manageable level of anxiety. All behavior plans are made as collaborative efforts between the behavior therapist and the patient
The behavior treatment plan contains information and a plan of action to address ways to assist patients through their morning and evening routines without ritual and, most importantly, how to implement staff-assisted exposure and ritual prevention sessions. The cognitive behavior therapist works closely with the patient to create a flexible plan to tackle OCD. Both the members of the treatment team and the patient are responsible for the integrity of the exposure-ritual prevention group. Every effort is made to capitalize on every opportunity.
In addition to the behavior plan, patients also set weekly goals in a contract-setting group. In the contract, the patient takes the lead in designing the goals for the week and the behavior changes needed to meet the goals. Patients receive weekly feedback about their progress toward these goals from all of the participants in the contract-setting group. These groups motivate the patient to change and accept increasing amounts of control of their treatment and recovery. Patients who are further along in their treatment serve as inspiration for the patients who are newer in the programs and as leaders in providing constructive feedback about the effort made toward weekly objectives.
Equally important is the alliance and collaboration that develops between the patient and the staff. Throughout their stay at Menninger, the team asks patients to face what they fear most and to live with uncertainly with the aim to support the patient in his/her quest to independently complete exposure-ritual prevention sessions. These sessions are aimed at fostering habituation and reducing symptoms. Staff encourage patients to take these steps through empathizing, providing education about the cognitive-behavior therapy model and treatment philosophy and practicing with the patient. The patient’s peers often offer their own special empathy and provide the most intense challenges to fellow patients who may have a history of the most treatment-resistant of OCD symptoms.
In addition, adolescents and adults with OCD can expect:
- Attending four to five groups daily
- Meeting with the psychiatrist once a week
- Participating in family therapy weekly
- Meeting with the behavior therapist one to two times a week
- The opportunity to participate in a family workshop, which is scheduled every other month
The treatment, milieu and peer support create a culture for change, which is a sharp contrast to the culture of helplessness that individuals often find themselves in before taking the step of coming to the Menninger OCD Treatment Program. Family members and other caregivers are also typically exhausted. Coming to Menninger offers the patient and family/caregiver a fresh start.
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