Frequently Asked Questions

What does recovery-oriented mean?

Recovery-oriented programming is focused on assisting individuals to move toward their values, improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential. Instead of focusing primarily on symptom remission, recovery-oriented services promote a variety of factors, including Respect, Strengths/Responsibility, Culture, Hope, and Peer Support.

Someone I care for is enrolled in the ROTP. How can I support them during their recovery?

Social support is an important part of recovery. Below are a few suggestions for how to support your loved one while they are enrolled in the ROTP.

Please note that not every suggestion is appropriate for every person. It is always helpful to check in with your loved one and ask them for their own preferences, with the understanding that preferences might change over time as they progress in their recovery.

  • Patient Visitation:
    • Patients can have visitors weekdays from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm and on weekends from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm. To facilitate a smooth visit, please bring I.D., such as a driver’s license. Mobile phones are not allowed on the units. If desired, you can also bring food and eat together.
  • Patient Phone Calls:
    • Patients can make phone calls from hospital phones (personal phones are not allowed in the ROTP). Even brief phone calls can help support patients and allow them to share their progress.
  • Weekend Outings:
    • The ROTP offers patients the opportunity to leave during the weekend. Consider scheduling some time to spend together.
  • Family/Loved Ones Meetings:
    • The ROTP offers virtual and in-person meetings with patients’ loved ones. Such meetings give the patient the opportunity to share their progress in the program; treatment team members also provide relevant information, including medication management information and discharge planning. Please note patients must give consent for meetings, which will not be conducted without the patients’ approval.
  • Patience and Understanding:
    • Our patients range from a recent onset of serious mental illness, to having experienced symptoms of serious mental illness for several years. In many instances, these individuals experience disruption across several areas of their life, including relationships, health management, education, leisure, and employment. It is important to remember ROTP patients are working hard to understand their experiences and are actively learning how to cope so they can better engage in meaningful areas of their life. Cultivating patience and understanding as they progress through recovery is important. It may also be helpful to learn more about related mental health diagnoses and treatment recommendations (see Educational and Support Resources tab for more information.)

Will the ROTP assist with housing and employment?

Although the ROTP is an inpatient program, meaning patients are housed in the hospital for the duration of their enrollment (up to 90 days), the ROTP is not a housing program. We do assist with discharge planning. However, patients cannot be guaranteed stable housing upon discharge, as this varies on an individual basis. Considerations include the availability of housing opportunities, of which the ROTP does not have direct control.

Many patients with serious mental illness experience difficulties with stable employment due to symptom impairment. While the ROTP currently does not offer supported employment, individual therapy sessions do provide opportunities to assist patients in their search for employment, including:

  • Reviewing and editing cover letters and résumés
  • Practicing interviewing skills
  • Problem-solving barriers and stressors that impaired stable employment in the past
  • Opportunities to conduct internet searches for current employment opportunities
  • Patients with weekend shiftwork have also maintained employment by taking weekend passes to attend work

I was accepted into the ROTP and I am preparing to enroll. What should I bring with me?

Below is a list of items you might consider bringing with you, if possible:

  • 2-3 clothing outfits and undergarments (you will be able to do laundry in the ROTP). Please note that clothing with drawstrings and hooded clothing is not allowed due to hospital safety guidelines.
  • Shoes that provide support to assist with recreational outings; please note shoes cannot have laces. Please bring slip-on shoes, if possible.
  • Books or non-spiral notebooks
  • Reading glasses, if needed

Please note hygiene products will be provided. Additionally, cell phones will not be permitted while on the unit, though you can retrieve your cell phone for use during weekend outings. Items that are not allowed on the unit (e.g., cell phones, cameras) will be securely stored in the hospital, and items can only be withdrawn with patient’s approval.