Marissa Empey was in crisis and needed help. Her regular counseling sessions with her therapist weren’t often or long enough to talk through what she needed, and a “horrible” experience she had at an inpatient facility soured her on the idea of returning to one.
She needed something in between, and that’s where Gundersen’s Partial Hospitalization Program came in. Marissa’s therapist suggested she give the program a try, and it ended up being the perfect fit in her continuum of mental health care.
What is the Partial Hospitalization Program?
Gundersen’s Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) was created in 2008 and is an intensive outpatient program for patients who can remain safe at night – meaning they return home every evening. The sessions in the program are group based, and the aim is to help people who are struggling with psychiatric issues that impact their daily functioning.
When patients enter the program, they go through an intake process with a psychiatrist who reviews medications. Once admitted, the patient begins group sessions that same day. They run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday, with a lunch break from 12 to 1, and each cohort follows a curriculum that takes two weeks to complete.
Healthcare providers involved in the program include master’s-level therapists, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists and social workers – all there to support patients and their needs.
Patients can come to the PHP from anywhere; they don’t need to be Gundersen patients, which is unique for behavioral health, says Mollie McRae, the program manager for the PHP. In fact, patients don’t even need a primary care provider; they can self-refer into the program.
Once completed, Gundersen will then help patients establish ongoing care, either within the system or through other community resources.
Needing more
Marissa was referred to the PHP due to an increase in symptoms of chronic PTSD and stressors, including repeated job loss, conflict with her ex-husband and her lack of social support. The root of her hardship is the chronic pain she suffers from, which leaves her unable to work and struggling financially.
“I’ve had this disability of 10 years, so I’ve been to a lot of facilities,” she says, referring to the inpatient care she’s tried. “It seems like since the pandemic, inpatient psychiatric care has really suffered.”
Marissa grew up in Idaho and practiced Mormonism. She has two children living there with their father – a forced decision because of her physical disability.
“The interpersonal conflict really escalated,” she says.
She moved to La Crosse for a fresh start and eventually connected with a therapist at Gundersen who, after hearing Marissa’s request for more intensive treatment, referred her to the PHP. So, after leaving her job because of a decline in her mental health, Marissa committed to the program. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she says she was pleasantly surprised.
“It was so incredible to be able to get that intensive therapy and not have to give up so much of your autonomy,” she says.
A treatment program for everyone
McRae says common mental health conditions that are addressed in the PHP are mood disorders, anxiety, depression and trauma-related disorders. The PHP is also intended for people who are overwhelmed with life and need help navigating their days. For others, it a sudden loss of a loved one, leaving the surviving partner unable to find a way forward.
Patients who benefit from the program typically need a level of care above what is normally provided on an outpatient basis, such as weekly psychotherapy and/or monthly visits with a psychiatrist. The program may be used for patients not at the threshold for inpatient hospitalization or a “step-down” after a recent inpatient admission. The PHP can help gradually transition patients back to everyday life with more present psychotherapeutic support.
“Crisis is so ill defined; it can be different for everybody,” McRae says. “We see the gamut of what services are needed and who comes through our doors,” adding, however, that substance abuse treatment is not part of the program.
Over the past three years, the PHP has begun following a curriculum that coordinates a smaller group of providers who work in tandem with one another, thereby building off the others’ work and eliminating duplicative information.
“It’s very cohesive, and we have a much smaller team, so it’s a better team approach,” McRae says. “We have two main therapists and a main psychologist. They do the bulk of the programming, so they’re very in tune with each other, and I think they provide a patient a really comprehensive assessment and complement each other very well.”
‘Ten out of 10’
Marissa, 35, was a psychology major in college, so she appreciated the program’s work in that realm. And she says learning in a group setting was beneficial, as many of the people were higher functioning, which allowed for deeper intellectual conversations.
Marissa is passionate about behavioral health because she’s fought against such stigma in her life. She says the program is for anyone who could use more than a weekly or monthly counseling session but isn’t to the point that an inpatient program is necessary.
“It was great. Ten out of 10,” she says.
Can we help you?
The program serves up to 10 patients in a cohort, and currently, access is immediate. Gundersen’s is the only Partial Hospitalization Program in the area. McRae wants people to know that this help is available close to home.
“There’s help out there,” she says. “There is help out there for crisis stabilization, and we can get (patients) in quickly. … They don’t have to do this alone. We’re here to help support them.”
If you want to know more about the program or schedule an intake appointment, call transitional services at (608) 775-7987.