Registration for Remote Access IOP Program Now Open

Your time at Riggs begins with a six-week Initial Evaluation and Treatment phase.

Initial Evaluation and Treatment

When you come to Riggs, you enter a six-week period of Evaluation and Treatment. A multi-disciplinary Treatment Team works with you to address the problems that bring you here, so that you can return to your community in a healthy, satisfying way. For some people, this initial phase is enough; others benefit from staying longer for an extended period of work.

During this phase, you’re usually settling in, discovering which aspects of the program are best suited to your needs, getting to know other members of the community, and beginning to allow yourself to be known. The initial six-week period culminates in a case conference. At this two-hour meeting, clinical staff gather to meet with you, hear about the work so far, review the initial assessments, and make recommendations consistent with your goals.

The clinical work presented at the case conference includes reports to the staff on the following:

Psychotherapy, including initial ideas about sources of difficulty in the context of your life story
Results of the comprehensive psychopharmacology assessment
An intergenerational family history and initial family assessment
Results of a physical examination, with referrals as needed for further medical care
Assessments focusing on skills and needs related to social relationships, emotional self-management, nutrition, and substance use
Results of psychological testing, and, if applicable, neuropsychological testing

Some individuals have completed psychological testing in other settings prior to coming to Riggs. However, because of our particular expertise in this area, we include a new psychological assessment as part of the Initial Evaluation and Treatment phase for everyone unless the previous assessment was recent.

Your Treatment Experience

While your treatment will reflect your own choices, all of our residential treatment programs start with intensive psychotherapy as the core, and include a range of complementary elements.

Admissions Process

If other treatments haven't worked, Riggs may be right for you. Unlike at other psychiatric hospitals in Massachusetts or elsewhere, our relational, patient-driven behavioral treatment approach addresses underlying issues, not just symptoms.

Learn More About Admission