Online IOP for College Students and Emerging Adults in MA

Our Admission Process

At the Austen Riggs Center, we take the same attentive, personalized approach to the patient admission process as we do to your voluntary treatment once you’re here.

Therapist and patient chatting during a treatment session
Steps in Our Admission Process
Our step-by-step admission procedures help ensure the likelihood that you will benefit from voluntary treatment in our open setting. After discussing the required commitment in time and money, we move on to the in-person admission consultation, almost always held on the day of admission.
Gather Information
We gather relevant clinical and medical information necessary to determine if you are likely to respond well to the Riggs experience.
Discuss the Riggs Difference
We explore the implications of our voluntary, open setting, where each patient develops an alliance with clinical staff and takes the lead in their own treatment.
Consider the Cost
We review with you (and anyone else responsible for payment) our fee structure, payment policies, health insurance coverage, and if applicable, need-based fee reduction process.
Admission Consultation
After answering your questions along the way, we arrange the in-person admission consultation, which about 90% of the time results in an offer of admission.

Admission Consultation

The final step in our admission process is a three-hour process that includes a tour of the Riggs campus and discussions concerning all aspects of the Riggs experience.
At the in-person admission consultation, you and your family take a patient-led tour of our campus. You meet with the admissions officer while family members speak with a social worker. Then you, your family, and the admissions officer talk things over. About 90% of the time, we offer admission at this point. If not, the admissions officer outlines the reasons and may recommend another treatment option.

The Patient Waiting List

Our waiting list consists of prospective patients for whom Riggs appears to be a good fit as determined by our director of admissions, pending the scheduling of the in-person consultation.
The number of prospective patients on the waiting list can change quickly, meaning that the wait time can vary from two months to just a week or so. We do not like asking people to wait who are truly struggling. Experience has shown, however, some value in a waiting period during which patients can sustain substance abstinence or demonstrate a capacity to manage self-destructive impulses, giving them a running start once they get to Riggs.

What to Bring?

Patients and their families often ask about what Riggs supplies and what they should bring. You’ll find essentials here such as linens and towels, toilet tissue, bar soap, and more. Some former patients have compiled a helpful list of suggested items you may wish to bring.

Taking the First Step

If you are considering voluntary treatment at Riggs for yourself or a family member, please contact Admissions for more information. Referring Clinicians: If you are considering referring a patient to Riggs, please contact Admissions with any questions, or to begin the process.

Speak with Admissions

If you’re ready to take the first step toward recovery at Riggs, please contact us.

Financing Your Stay

Among the most important considerations for patients and their families is the cost of voluntary treatment at Riggs. Our all-inclusive fees vary according to the program, length of stay, and intensiveness of services provided. We will always communicate with you honestly, openly, and clearly about financing your stay at Riggs.

People We Treat

At Riggs, we welcome adults (aged 18 and up) from across the country and around the world who seek a self-directed behavioral treatment approach to help them return to a more satisfying life. Our intensive, voluntary residential treatment is for people who are not in acute crisis, but for whom outpatient treatment just isn’t enough.

Start the Admission Process

From first contact to admission consultation, let’s find out if we’re a good fit.