What to Expect During Your Stay
The Young Adult Comprehensive Assessment and Treatment (YA CAT) program through Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) is designed to be a 5-8 week program where an individual will take part in a comprehensive assessment as well as intensive evidence-based treatment. It is our strong belief that spending the time to gain full clarity of what is going on and why it is going will ultimately provide individuals with the best results and opportunity to live the life that they want for themselves.
During one’s stay in the YA CAT program, an individual will spend significant time meeting with their primary treatment team for individualized treatment throughout the week, including, individual and family therapy, medication management, case management, and career/academic supports, as well as spending time in structured groups and other activities to compliment an individual’s overall treatment.
Daily Schedule
We created the YA CAT program to be strategically designed to meet the goals of the program, which are to fully assess an individual and to treat various underlying issues. The groups and other activities allow our treatment team opportunities to observe, assess, and provide treatment to an individual in multiple settings. These activities are offered 7 days a week to keep individuals engaged and stimulated in the program each day.
Individuals will meet with each member of their primary treatment team (psychiatrist, psychologist, and social worker) multiple times each week from Monday through Friday.
- Psychiatry meetings at least 2x per week
- Meetings with primary therapist 4x per week for therapy and testing
- Additional 2-3 visits per week with their social worker for check-ins and case management
Group Sessions
- Processing groups (2-3x per week): Lead by a social worker or psychologist
- ACT/DBT/CBT skills training (1-2 x per week): Lead by a social worker or psychologist
- Learning CAFÉ (academic and career focused group 4-5x per week): Lead by an education specialist
- Executive functioning skills group (1x per week): Lead by an education specialist
- Expressive therapy groups for art, music, recreation (7 days a week): Lead by expressive therapists
- Healthy living group (2-3 x per week): Lead by nurses and/or registered dietitians
- Community check-in (7 days a week): Lead by psychiatric technicians or nurses
- Wrap-Up/gratitude/mindfulness group (7 days a week): Lead by psychiatric technicians and/or nurses
Outings
- Daily recreational outings for active groups and community engagement
- Weekly outing under the direction of an expressive therapist to engage in the ROPES course at HMHI
- Weekly volunteering outing with expressive therapist and/or staff
- 2-3 Additional structured recreational groups during the week for activities to provide fun, entertainment, and engagement
Take a Virtual Tour
The building for our program embodies more of a home-like feel rather than that of a hospital or institution. We take great pride in providing an atmosphere that is both safe and comfortable for individuals during their time in the program. Our spaces allow individuals to either enjoy each other’s company or enjoy their alone time. All individuals in the YA CAT program will have their own bedroom and bathroom. We believe it's important for individuals to have a space that is solely theirs.
Phases of Treatment
The Phase System at YA CAT is based on principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a mindfulness therapy that aims to help individuals create a value-driven, meaningful life while effectively handling the pain and stress that life inevitably brings. The Phase System gives clients an opportunity to work on many different skills:
- Observing their feelings and thoughts
- Practicing new skills to deal with painful thoughts and feelings effectively, in a way that they have much less influence over themselves
- Clarifying what is truly important and meaningful in their life and using these values to guide, inspire, and motivate to make positive changes
There are three phases at YA CAT. Each client will start on Phase 1 upon admission and move to the other phases as goals for each phase are met. Each phase has its own privileges and responsibilities associated with it. Each phase focuses on the following objectives:
- Phase 1 (Focus): Safety toward oneself and others, willingness to participate in treatment, and individual and family goal setting
- Phase 2 (Clarity): Application of learned skills from therapeutic tools to observe one’s thoughts and feelings, clarification of values
- Phase 3 (Valued Direction): Carrying out actions that are consistent with one’s values, discharge planning, and re-evaluation and resetting of goals
Length of Stay for Treatment
The typical duration of the YA CAT program is 5-8 weeks for a majority of the individuals in the program.However, there are times where an individual may benefit from a longer length of stay to accommodate their treatment and aftercare planning goals. We strongly encourage individuals and families to plan on the typical range of time so that they can reap the full benefits of the program.
Family Involvement In the YA CAT Program
The involvement of family and other loved ones can be an important aspect of an individual’s assessment and treatment. We strongly encourage families to be involved as much as possible—with the consent of the individual participating in the program. This is essential in helping us understand the individual’s behavioral or mental health issues and assess each individual's needs.
Involvement with the family can greatly contribute to the overall treatment of each individual and is more likely to lead to positive outcomes. Weekly family psychotherapy may be part of our assessment and treatment, either in-person or via a HIPPA-compliant video conferencing platform. It may not always be practical or clinically indicated for regular family visits since many of the individuals in our program come from all across the country as well as internationally. However, our program specializes in the ability to incorporate family involvement with the assessment and treatment even when the work is done remotely.
