Mental health issues are more common than many people may realize, with more than one in five U.S. adults experiencing mental illness each year. ThedaCare is helping people navigate mental health challenges with professional support and an important reminder: no one has to face them alone.
Mental Health Day Treatment through ThedaCare Behavioral Health provides people with expert support to work through their struggles.
The program, offered at ThedaCare Behavioral Health-Menasha, provides six-week, intensive outpatient services. It begins with full-day treatment and progress to half days to provide ongoing support.
“It’s a great option for people who do not need to be hospitalized but may need more support than a regular appointment with a therapist can provide,” said Holly Wilson, LCSW, intake coordinator for the Mental Health Day Treatment program.
Most people in Mental Health Day Treatment are experiencing depression or anxiety. Others may have another condition such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality or schizophrenia.
Program Overview
The program was established within ThedaCare about 25 years ago and provides people a curriculum of coping strategies. It offers several treatment types, including art, music and group therapy. These combine with cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy, which can help people restructure thinking to manage difficult emotions.
“We cover a lot of different therapy modalities and that’s really because patients often gain the most benefit from different approaches,” Wilson said.
Adults ages 18 and older can take part in the program. It draws people from all ages and backgrounds.
“Mental health does not discriminate,” Wilson said. “It’s heartwarming to see someone in their 70s connect with a 20-year-old. The insight and life lessons that are shared are so valuable.”
When people enter the program, they are assigned a primary therapist who stays with them throughout their time. Participants attend multiple group sessions each day. That’s a prospect that often makes people nervous, Wilson said, but it’s one of the most important aspects of the program.
“There is something to be said about being in a group of people who really, truly understand where you’re coming from and what you’re dealing with in life,” she said. “A lot of times when people struggle with their mental health, they isolate themselves. But after participating in group sessions, I often hear patients say, ‘I haven’t had a conversation like that in a really long time, or I haven’t laughed like that in years.’”
Entering the Program
People may come into the program through self-referral or as a follow-up to inpatient mental health care in a hospital. Others are referred through ThedaCare Behavioral Health Walk-In Care-Neenah, said Kathleen Tithof, LCSW, a mental health clinician with the clinic.
“Anyone who is in crisis, anyone who feels like they need some services, can come to our walk-in clinic,” she said. That’s important to note, especially as September helps shine the national spotlight on mental health.
The clinic offers the care of two mental health clinicians, a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner and a substance use disorder specialist. Care is available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The walk-in clinic serves as an important resource for community members who are struggling with their mental health, either on an ongoing basis or for the first time. Supporting patients and their safety is key, Tithof said.
“Sometimes that does involve a recommendation to go to the hospital for an inpatient mental health stay,” she said. “But then we also have a lot of options for outpatient too. The day treatment program is one of those really great options.”
Learn more about Mental Health Day Treatment and other care options through ThedaCare Behavioral Health. For no-appointment-needed mental health care, visit ThedaCare Behavioral Health Walk-in Care-Neenah, open Monday through Friday.
