Over 27 million individuals experiencing a mental illness are going untreated, according to a recent study by Mental Health America. Almost a quarter of all adults with mental illness reported that they were not able to receive the treatment they needed. While this number has not declined since 2011, two key barriers continue to contribute to this phenomenon: the overall undersized mental health workforce and the lack of available treatment types including in-patient and intensive community services.

At Lightfully, we understand that access to mental healthcare is a real problem in the United States. Indeed, our company was founded to improve access to care and change the paradigm of mental healthcare delivery in our country. Offering virtual mental healthcare for those who can’t access in-person treatment is essential to our mission.

Lightfully is pleased to offer our Virtual Intensive Outpatient program based on research that indicates for clinically appropriate clients, virtual online intensive outpatient therapy is as effective as in-person intensive outpatient therapy. The leading indicator of therapeutic success is the relational alliance between the clinician and the patient, and through our Equip model, Lightfully clinicians are specifically trained in delivering mental telehealth.

We are starting with offering a Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program to adults 18 and older living with Depression and other mood disorders, Anxiety and OCD disorders, Personality, and Trauma-related disorders. Our Virtual IOP program provides telehealth group, family and individual therapy for individuals. The therapy is secure and confidential and allows individuals to access care from their home.

Virtual IOP services can offer support in a variety of ways. There are 3 ways in which Virtual IOP can be utilized by individuals. First, our Virtual IOP can be a stop in someone’s stepdown process both within Lightfully or stepping down from another PHP or RTC program. We know that if clients are able to access all levels of care, it provides them with higher opportunities for sustained recovery.

Secondly, someone could utilize Virtual IOP as walkway to home and outpatient services. Think of the moving walkways in an airport. You can walk, ride or walk/ride and either way you get to the same destination. However, the moving walkway can offer a little more support on the way to the gate. For some individuals, after completing all of our in person treatment options, they still would benefit from support as they transition home and back into life.

Lastly, Virtual IOP can serve as a starting point for someone in their healing journey. Asking for help can be scary. Virtual IOP can introduce someone to the group therapy process and additional support that may be lacking in an outpatient environment. There are other individuals that may not be able to leave their home, or live in more rural parts of the state, or have medical conditions that prevent them from being able to participate in in person treatment. Again, our goal is to create treatment that is accessible to a variety of individuals.

Telehealth has really exploded since Covid-19 and it has become a requested format for care. We are on the cutting edge of mental health treatment for both in person and virtual options. At Lightfully, our clinical purpose is to see value and work with the light in everyone so we can help them achieve meaningful and measurable transformation. For some clients, that transformation will happen in our facilities and for others, it can happen in their own homes.