Coming Back Home Part 2: Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
The second phase of the Dove House journey is the Intensive Outpatient Program, better known as IOP, and the best way to describe it is all in the name…intensive. After residents complete phase one, Stages of Change, they move on to IOP with their cohort of peers. With the foundation laid from their first couple of months at Dove House, they’re ready to begin the deep work that happens in this program over the next 12 weeks.
During IOP, the women meet three days a week for three hours a day with Dove House Operations Director Celli Dugger. Celli says she was born a social worker and has worked at Dove House for a decade. She loves watching the transformation that takes place for residents during this portion of their time at Dove House, where they begin to learn about long-term recovery.
“Getting sober is easy,” said Celli. “Staying sober is the hard part.”
In IOP, residents learn about the disease of addiction, the chemical changes in the brain, triggers for using substances, communication skills, thoughts, feeling, behaviors and how these elements work together in sobriety. According to Celli, this is where clients truly begin to connect the dots.
“They’re not so impulsive anymore. They’re slowing down and opening up, sharing what they learn with each other,” said Celli. “Change takes time, and you can’t be on autopilot.”
This is also why Dove House intentionally groups residents into cohorts to build trust and share similar experiences with other clients. As the women begin to remove distractions and focus on recovery, they must be open and vulnerable, which can be challenging without a safe and confidential environment.
“They are learning who they are and that this is a safe place,” said Celli.
IOP is a big step for Doves in the process of coming home to themselves. And much like Stages of Change, Celli, the experienced social worker, says she is simply there to serve as a guide in the journey. And that guide is certainly needed! The Doves describe their experience in IOP as peeling back the layers of an onion.
“It’s been helpful to learn that we’re not defective—our brains are. I’ve learned I can reframe my thoughts, and instead of reacting, now, I’m now responding,” said one Dove House IOP participant.
After each level of care, the women commemorate with a graduation ceremony. They celebrate all they’ve learned and how much they’ve grown, which is something the group leader, Celli, loves witnessing. She recognizes that even though she’s the teacher, in some ways, she becomes a student.
“These women teach me so much,” said Celli. “They’re really who I learn from.”
