Sometimes outpatient therapy and psychopharmacology stall—sliding into chronic crisis management rather than meaningful progress. Clinicians often find themselves providing more sessions, more after-hours availability, and more motivation, with diminishing returns. At a certain point, it becomes clear that outpatient care alone is not tenable, constructive, or clinically indicated.

The IOP supports outpatient therapists and prescribers by offering a more intensive context in which to explore treatment impasses and their meanings in real time. The combination of peer engagement and a multidisciplinary team approach helps patients translate their crisis or collapse into words that can be heard, tolerated, and understood—so they can return to, and make better use of, outpatient services.

College counseling centers have faced rapidly growing demand for intensive mental health services. In response, there has been a proliferation of healthcare programs that offer brief, skills-based treatment—which is appropriate for many students, but not all.

We offer something different. Our comprehensive treatment philosophy is grounded in close partnerships with college counseling centers and a personalized, developmental approach rooted in clinical expertise.

The IOP is particularly well suited for students in two situations:

Riggs maintains structured referral partnerships with Vassar College and MIT, providing clear pathways for coordination and ensuring continuity of care for referred students.

If your college counseling center is interested in learning more about a referral partnership, please contact Online IOP Director Spencer Biel, PsyD, at 413.931.1017.