St. Mary’s Health System in Lewiston launched a new behavioral health program that provides daily therapy for people who can live and thrive at home.

The Intensive Outpatient Program is a bridge between weekly therapy and inpatient care, offering nine to 12 hours of weekly group therapy that can help people build skills and strategies for living with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. Anyone can ask to join the program.

Other behavioral health programs, such as the hospital’s day program, offer more structured daily support, but Aaron Landry, St. Mary’s director of social work, said this program gives people the flexibility to continue responsibilities at work, school or home.

“It provides that kind of moderate level of care to say: ‘OK, we’re going to wrap some more support around you so that you can remain in the community,'” Landry said. “You can go to work, you go home and sleep at night, but at the same time, we’re going to make sure that somebody is looking at you every day, monitoring your medication, giving you structure.”

The program’s length is tailored to what each patient needs, whether that is two weeks or two months. Three clinicians, nursing staff and a psychiatrist lead group therapy sessions five days a week from St. Mary’s newly renovated wing, which Landry said has enough snack and coffee offerings to “feel distinctly different from the hospital.”

Up to 30 patients can participate in the program. If there is enough need to expand, Landry said the hospital would hire more clinicians.

St. Mary’s received nearly $9 million in state funding in 2024 to support continued access to behavioral health unit services. Intensive Outpatient Program services are typically covered by insurance, but Landry said financial assistance is available for those paying out of pocket who qualify.

Patients can move from one program to the other, based on their level of need. Landry said the goal is always to help them transition to the least restrictive form of care possible.

The program offerings take the burden off emergency rooms, where people might end up without the right level of support. In Lewiston, Landry said widespread struggles with substance abuse have made it harder for people to find rapid, dedicated mental health care.

“We were finding that when we were discharging patients, there were significant waitlists everywhere,” Landry said. “And to take a patient and say, ‘OK, you’re going to wait six months for services’ — that’s not effective.

“So we recognized the community need, and we said ‘Our patients deserve more, and we need to find a way to meet that need.'”

People struggling with mental illness who have a secondary substance use disorder can also participate.

Landry hopes the intensive outpatient program becomes a go-to referral for local psychologists and a flexible option for community members looking for safety and stability at home.

People are encouraged to call 207-753-4946 for more information.