Toward a Self-Directed Life: A Psychodynamic Systems Approach to Treatment of College Students

Serious mental health struggles among college students are rising in the nation, increasing the need for access to treatment that can help them remain in school. College is a time of developmental transition as students work to establish themselves as adults in the world. This presentation highlights a novel remote access IOP that goes beyond mere crisis stabilization to help students grasp the meaning and achieve mastery of their struggles to lead more self-directed lives. Presenters use a case vignette to demonstrate a treatment model that integrates individual and group therapy, skill discovery and building, psychodynamic psychopharmacology, family work, and collaboration with college counseling centers.