Online IOP for College Students and Emerging Adults in MA & VT
Is Residential Treatment Right for Your Loved One?
Riggs works with families to understand the whole situation and support the patient’s treatment. Families often arrive after years of trying to help—through crises, hospitalizations, outpatient treatment, or ongoing uncertainty. At Riggs, family involvement is approached thoughtfully, individually, and always in coordination with the patient.
When You Have Been Trying to Help, but Nothing Seems to Change
Families come to Riggs from many different positions. Some have been intensively involved for years. Others are more peripheral to the patient's daily life. Some want to participate actively; others prefer not to. Family involvement at Riggs is not one size fits all.
When families do engage, Riggs includes them in the work in order to understand the patterns in which everyone has been living and to support the family in supporting the patient.
A person's difficulties rarely develop or persist in isolation. Family members often hold important parts of the history and carry their own experience of what has been happening.
When appropriate and desired, family meetings help everyone begin to see patterns more clearly. Family therapy—meetings focused specifically on the family system—is available when indicated. Nothing is required.
With the patient's authorization, admissions staff can speak with family members before admission. All family contact is coordinated with the patient's knowledge and consent. The patient's privacy and the integrity of the treatment relationship are central throughout.
Online Information Series for Prospective Patients & Families
These free online sessions are designed for individuals and families who are trying to figure out if residential treatment is the right choice. Our Director of Admissions and Director of Psychological Testing will walk you through how Austen Riggs works, who it tends to help most, and what the process of getting evaluated looks like.
Start with a Conversation
A first call is not a commitment. You, a family member, or a clinician can call to describe the situation, ask questions about our model, cost of treatment and financial assistance, admission process, or whether this setting may be useful now.
How Residential Treatment Differs from Inpatient or Outpatient Care
Inpatient hospitalization is typically designed for acute crisis stabilization and safety.
Outpatient treatment allows people to continue daily life while engaging in therapy or medication management.
Residential treatment at Riggs offers a different kind of setting: an immersive, open, voluntary environment for people who need more support and structure than outpatient care can provide, but who do not require a locked hospital setting.
Treatment includes intensive psychotherapy, therapeutic community life, 24/7 nursing care, clinical social work involvement, and continuity across levels of care as patients move toward greater independence.
Six-Week Residential Evaluation and Treatment
At Austen Riggs, the goal is not simply symptom reduction. The six-week evaluation is designed to help patients, families, and clinicians better understand the emotional, relational, developmental, and psychiatric factors contributing to suffering and to identify what kind of treatment is most likely to help.
When Outpatient Treatment May No Longer Be Enough
It can be difficult to know when outpatient therapy is no longer providing enough support. Residential treatment may be worth considering when someone is experiencing:
- Repeated crises or hospitalizations without lasting improvement
- Ongoing struggles with relationships, emotional regulation, or daily functioning despite prior treatment
- Trauma symptoms, mood instability, dissociation, psychosis, or substance use alongside other psychiatric difficulties
- Difficulty managing school, work, or major life transitions
- Longstanding patterns that remain difficult to understand or change in outpatient care
- The need for a setting where daily life itself becomes part of the treatment
Admission Process
At Riggs, the admission process includes a comprehensive evaluation to help determine whether residential treatment is the right next step.
For Families: What to Expect
There is no single way families participate at Riggs. The information below outlines what families can generally expect regarding length of stay, involvement in treatment, communication, and practical considerations.
Length of stay
There is no fixed length of stay. The six-week residential evaluation and treatment is a complete clinical process in itself. Some patients return to outpatient care after six weeks. Others choose to continue treatment.
The median stay is approximately six months:
- 37% stay one to three months
- 42% stay three to nine months
- 21% stay nine months or longer
Family involvement
Family meetings may occur when appropriate and desired, and family therapy is available when indicated. Nothing is mandatory.
Riggs approaches family involvement individually, based on the patient’s circumstances, wishes, and treatment needs.
All contact is coordinated with the patient's knowledge and consent.
Privacy and communication
Riggs protects patient privacy while also helping families understand the treatment process, expectations, and practical logistics.
Communication with family members occurs only with the patient’s authorization. The integrity of the treatment relationship remains central throughout care.
Location
Riggs is located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts:
- Approximately 2 hours from Boston
- 3 hours from New York City
- 1 hour from Albany
The admissions team can help families think through visits, communication, and logistics.
Who Tends to Do Well at Riggs
Riggs may be a good fit for adults who:
- Are motivated to engage in treatment and self-reflection
- Can participate safely in an open, voluntary setting
- Would benefit from intensive psychotherapy within a therapeutic community
- Are interested in understanding longstanding emotional and relational patterns
Riggs is generally not the right setting for people who:
- Require a locked or involuntary environment
- Have an active or primary substance use disorder or primary eating disorder
- Are currently unable to participate meaningfully in psychotherapy
Frequently Asked Questions
Can families participate in treatment at Riggs?
Families may participate when appropriate and desired. Family involvement is individualized and coordinated with the patient’s knowledge and consent.
Are family meetings required?
No. Family meetings and family therapy are available when clinically indicated, but nothing is mandatory.
Can Admissions staff speak with family members before admission?
Yes. With the patient’s authorization, Admissions staff can speak with family members before admission to help everyone understand the process and determine whether Riggs is the right setting.
How does Riggs protect patient privacy?
Patient privacy and the integrity of the treatment relationship are central throughout treatment. All communication with family members occurs only with the patient’s authorization.
How long do patients usually stay?
The six-week residential evaluation and treatment is a complete clinical process in itself. Some patients leave after six weeks, while others continue treatment. The median stay is approximately six months.
We Talk About Cost Early
Riggs is a private-pay residential treatment program. We are not in-network with insurance plans and are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement. When patients have out-of-network benefits, we help families seek reimbursement.
Patient Outcomes & Results