Designing a Stress and Anxiety Management Program for a Behavioral Health Center

WHO

Since 1983, The Bridgeway has met the growing behavioral health needs of Arkansans to include inpatient care, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient services for people of all ages. Although the facility stands as one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in the state with a capacity of 127, the patients receive individualized care in small yet comfortable settings, which allows for greater care. The BridgeWay offers a continuum of services designed to help children, adolescents and adults who are experiencing behavioral, emotional or addiction problems that can lead to fractured lives. 

THE ASSIGNMENT

The Bridgeway reached out to me (Wendy) and requested that I design a program specifically tailored for stress and anxiety management.

THE PROGRAM

The Bridgeway gave me professional leeway to create a yoga program that would be an additional modality for managing stress and anxiety in the hospital’s six units. 

We began in the substance abuse unit, developing the program extensively over the first six months through my direct experience with patients and in communication with the Clinical Director and CEO. Together, we were creating a program that had not previously existed, therefore it required leading yoga sessions, receiving patient feedback, taking my professional opinion into account, and taking into account input from the unit’s physician, charge nurse, and the clinical directors to modify the program for the best outcome.

The program was tailored to the abilities of each unit’s patients. Each program utilized safe, appropriate physical movement, mindfulness, and breathing exercises. We also emphasized the impact of stress on the human brain and the positive impact of a regular yoga practice.

CHALLENGES

The greatest challenge within the hospital was the physical health of the patients. Behavioral health problems are often combined with physical health issues. We addressed the specific behavioral needs of the patients while taking into consideration their ability or lack of ability to participate in any physical poses. Our goal was to create the safest possible yoga program that gave the benefits of a regular yoga practice.

OUTCOMES

The yoga program we developed grew from one unit to five units that included substance abuse, adult psychiatry, full psychosis, adolescent, and intensive outpatient care.

The clinical director reported that upon discharge the yoga program was most often listed as the modality of treatment that gave the greatest benefit to the patient across all five units. The hospital frequently reported that the yoga sessions were consistently the most attended behavioral health sessions on site