Managing Responsibilities and Mental Health: How Gracepoint Brings Intensive Care to Outpatient Treatment

Maintaining mental wellness is a lifelong process. When seeking treatment for a mental health issue, there are various modalities to choose from based on your needs. At Christian Health, we fulfill our mission to offer compassionate mental health care to our community through a continuum of diverse care options, including our partial-hospitalization and intensive outpatient program, Gracepoint.

What Is Gracepoint?

Gracepoint is a voluntary program for adults over age 18 that provides structured outpatient behavioral health treatment as an alternative to inpatient mental health treatment. Patients come five days a week for a full day or a half day, depending on their needs. The program is most beneficial for those who are not in major crisis but are suffering from mental health symptoms that are negatively affecting their daily life. Some patients come to the partial hospital as a stepping stone from inpatient treatment before transitioning back to outpatient counseling.

After an assessment, the Gracepoint team develops a treatment plan based on the patient’s individual needs and goals. The plan includes a structured schedule of daily group therapy sessions and other therapeutic activities to support recovery, as well medication management, education, and discharge planning.

Who Does Gracepoint Help?

Many common types of mental health challenges can be treated and overcome at Gracepoint. The program helps those who are struggling to function at a high level and need something a bit more intensive than outpatient treatment.

This includes:

• Those who are struggling at work or to manage daily responsibilities
• Those with depression and anxiety
• Those suffering from erratic behavior or undesirable side effects due to medication
• Those coping with a personal crisis, grief, or loss

Treatment Activities at Gracepoint

A typical day at Gracepoint includes structured, scheduled activities, therapy sessions, and workshops.

• Group therapy: The clinicians at Gracepoint lead therapy sessions where patients can relate to others with similar struggles and have serious discourse about a variety of topics related to their mental health.
• Education: Experts conduct sessions focused on various topics designed to help patients thrive after they return to their daily lives, including medication management, nutrition, and overall wellness.
• Expressive therapy: Expressive therapy uses art, music, and dance as forms of creative expression to encourage patients to express their emotions and cope with their symptoms.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy: This modality helps patients learn healthier coping mechanisms to manage their symptoms and emotions.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy: This type of therapy teaches emotional regulation and how to build sustainable relationships.

Benefits of Intensive Outpatient Treatment

Gracepoint focuses on structure and routine, as well as mindfulness, wellness, and establishing a connected family feel to create a calming, therapeutic environment for patients to actively participate in their treatment and get better one step at time.

Gracepoint helps patients:

• Learn effective coping methods to alleviate their symptoms and function healthily in their day-to-day life
• Gain the motivation to follow a schedule by providing structure and routine
• Get educated on healthy habits, avoiding triggers, and promoting mental wellness
• Share their experiences with others going through similar struggles
• Express themselves through creative therapeutic activities
• Adjust their medication to treat their symptoms properly
• Get resources for continuing their treatment after they complete the program

Treatment After Gracepoint

Following discharge from Gracepoint, patients can continue their mental health journey through our continuum of care services.

Traditional outpatient therapy: After completing the program, many Gracepoint patients continue their treatment with outpatient mental health care. LiveWell Counseling, our outpatient counseling center, provides one-on-one counseling, medication management, and group therapy in a nonjudgmental, compassionate environment.

Voluntary inpatient treatment: If the mental health care team at Gracepoint determines a patient needs further treatment, they may recommend admission to Ramapo Ridge, our inpatient behavioral health hospital. The team at Ramapo Ridge is dedicated to cultivating a serene and secure oasis for patients to help them thrive and avoid triggers during their mental health journey.

Is Gracepoint Right for You?

If you believe that you or someone you love could benefit from a partial-hospitalization program, we can help. For more information about Gracepoint, please call (201) 848-4435.