Located in midtown Manhattan on East 60th Street off Fifth Avenue, the Day Program is designed as an adjunct to ongoing private, individual treatment. It is well-suited to individuals who have had to interrupt their educational or professional pursuits because of mental illness and/or addiction. This level of care often prevents the need to abandon such pursuits completely and may preclude the need for inpatient hospitalization. Our goal is to help individuals return to work or school at their best possible level of functioning.
Unique Features
Our program is unique in a number of ways:
- We take care of the whole person, not just symptoms and diagnoses.
- Patients often receive help for multiple problems, with specialists simultaneously approaching each issue–for example, substance abuse and an eating disorder.
- We try to involve families whenever appropriate.
- Patients continue in outside, individual therapy with their referring clinicians.
- We began over 25 years ago. Our therapists are seasoned clinicians, many with decades of experience.
- The program is located in Columbia’s midtown multi-specialty medical office building, facilitating access to other medical specialists for overall health care.
- We have received generous support from individuals, foundations, and companies, whose resources enable us to provide an unusually high level of specialized expertise. Major benefactors include the Lieber family, the Charles Engelhard Foundation, Mr. Stewart Rahr, and Advantage Testing, Inc.
Schedule
The Day Treatment Program is a flexibly scheduled intensive group therapy program that meets Monday through Saturday. Schedules are individualized and are arranged with input from the patient, the individual therapist, and the program staff. Flexible scheduling encourages a smoother return to independent functioning since the patient is allowed to gradually reduce group involvement as he or she resumes greater responsibility and autonomy.
After admission, each patient is assigned a staff coordinator who serves as the liaison between the patient and other supports. Changes in scheduling, revision of treatment goals, and planning for discharge are addressed by the staff coordinator. Patients are required to continue in treatment with a private psychiatrist and/or therapist as clinically needed. If desired, the Day Program can arrange a referral to a Columbia-affiliated provider for private, individual care.
Program Components
The Day Treatment Program offers six kinds of services.
- Intensive Psychotherapy Groups use psychodynamic, supportive and cognitive techniques. There are four different tracks, grouping patients by age and life experiences. The focus is on individual issues as well as interpersonal interactions.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Groups increase an individual’s ability to cope with interpersonal difficulties. The groups use mindfulness strategies, covering topics that include distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and impulse control. Senior consultant: Barbara Stanley, PhD
- Substance Abuse Recovery Groups incorporate proven therapeutic approaches to help individuals who are struggling with issues of addiction. Relapse prevention and Motivational Interviewing techniques are used with the goal of abstinence and sobriety. Toxicology testing occurs at least twice weekly to help monitor progress. Mental health and addictions components are closely coordinated to provide integrated dual diagnosis treatment. Senior Consultant: Jon Morgenstern, PhD
- The College Student Program offers groups consisting entirely of young adults. Some have had to interrupt their education to obtain intensive treatment, while others attend the program and continue their classes. The milieu provides a high level of structure and social support from staff and peers. Senior Consultant: David Kahn, MD
In addition, a special initiative called Learning is Healing provides free mentoring and to individuals in the day program who are returning to college. This initiative is provided through the generosity of Advantage Testing, under the supervision of its president, Arun Alagappan. - Eating Disorders Treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and associated conditions includes group therapy and supervised meals using research-proven techniques to change behavior and attitudes. Structured activities, such as meal planning, food shopping, and exercise, may be offered to help patients reach a healthy weight and develop good eating habits in a supportive environment. The Eating Disorders Assessment and Treatment Service can also provide individual evaluations, psychotherapy, and medication management. Senior consultants: Evelyn Attia, MD and Joy Bauer, RD
- Comprehensive services for psychiatric rehabilitation (The Lieber Recovery and Rehabilitation Clinic) include Cognitive Skills Training Groups to address deficits in attention, planning, memory, and other thinking skills; Social Skills Training Groups to improve the ability to communicate and act effectively in interpersonal situations; Life Skills Groups to increase the ability to manage daily tasks, money, and time; Wellness Groups to promote healthy eating, exercise, and stress reduction; and a Transitional Work Program. Senior consultant: Alice Medalia, PhD
Evening Program
The evening components of the Columbia University Day Treatment Program are specifically geared to those individuals who have recovered sufficiently to return to their former level of functioning. Both mental heath and addictions-focused groups are available for those who have resumed schedules that preclude on-going involvement in Day Treatment. This aspect of the program plays an especially important role in providing long-term support and continuity of care.
Schedule
The Day Treatment Program offers groups mornings, afternoons, and evenings, Monday through Friday, and mornings on Saturday.
Initial goals are formulated at the intake interview and evaluated periodically. The number of sessions per week and the length of stay in the program are determined in consultation with the staff, the patient, and the patient’s private individual therapist.
Evening and Saturday groups are offered for those who need to return to full-time work or school. Patients may attend both the day and evening programs.
Staff
- Betty Jeanne Kass, LCSW, Director
- Barbara Bulow, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Director
- Ann Axel, LCSW
- Nira Nafisi, PhD
- Chiara Battistello, LCSW
- John O’Leary, PhD
- Anja Behm, LMSW
- Heather Paley, LMSW
- Karen Frieder, Ph.D.
- Dailey Pattee, Ph.D.
- Len Genduso, LCSW
- Stacey Rosenfeld, PhD
- Enid Gertmenian-King, LMSW
- Laura Travaglini, MA
- Sarah Trosper, MA
- Tiffany Herlands, PsyD
- Jack Tuchman, LCSW
- Simone Hoermann, PhD
- Susan Turner, MD
- Julie Kern, MSOTR
- Elizabeth Wade, PsyD
- Jonathan Liss, PhD
- Robert Watson, PhD
- Jane Martin, LCSW
Consultants
- Evelyn Attia, MD
- Eric Marcus, MD
- John Clarkin, PhD
- Alice Medalia, PhD
- Eric Collins, MD
- Jon Morgenstern, PhD
- David Kahn, MD
- Maria Oquendo, MD
- Frederic Kass, MD
- Barbara Stanley, PhD
- Jeffrey Lieberman, MD
Referrals
Referrals may be made by patients, family members, therapists, or treatment facilities. Frequently, the Columbia University Day Treatment Program is recommended as part of a comprehensive discharge plan following hospitalization. To schedule an appointment, make a referral, or for further information, please call 212-326-8441.
Location
Columbia University Medical Center Eastside
16 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
