Specialized treatment program for adolescents (ages 13 to 18) in the early stages of psychotic illnesses.
Early intervention is associated with better long-term outcomes for people with psychotic illnesses. ASAP (formerly "Connecting Adolescents with Psychosis" or "CAP") provides a setting where adolescents can get the support they need to return to the activities that they enjoy.
ASAP is for patients who are currently presenting with prodromal or psychotic symptoms which are currently interfering with daily functioning and are found to be distressing to the individual.
What is Psychosis?
Common Signs Include:
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Seeing or hearing things that others do not
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Having unusual beliefs
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Unclear thinking or trouble keeping thoughts in order
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Feeling as though your mind is “playing tricks on you”
All of these symptoms make it very difficult to manage emotions and can make it more challenging for a person to connect with others.
What is ASAP?
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Early intervention treatment program for young people who are in the early stages of psychotic illnesses
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Specialized PHP/IOP track within the Child & Adolescent Day Program at the IOL
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Primarily follows a group therapy model
- ASAP is also part of the Psychosis-Risk Outcome Network (ProNET) and Accelerating Medicines Partnership-Schizophrenia (AMP®). Learn more >>
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As a parent, receiving news that your child is experiencing early psychosis is excruciating. It feels as if a robust, unexpected force knocked you completely off of your feet and literally took the breath right out of your body. As time goes on, and with the unwavering assistance from the IOL, you learn to walk again and become the mental health advocate that your child, and so many others, need. Your child receives the dedication, and professional support and services, that he or she requires to do the same. With the IOL, you and your child learn to accept, maneuver, and grasp this new norm. Without the IOL, I don’t know where we would be today. We are forever grateful.
- Jen, mom of a 14 year old patient
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Services Offered
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Group therapy
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Individual therapy
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Family therapy
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Medication management
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Evidence based diagnostic and symptom assessment, including the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) and the Structured Interview for Psychosis Risk Syndromes (SIPS)
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Cognitive remediation – games that have been shown to improve memory, attention, concentration, processing speed and improve long-term outcomes
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Educational support
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Support and education for family members
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Community trips to help with rehabilitation
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Finding the right support when your child faces psychosis is critical. The Advanced Services for Adolescents with Psychosis (ASAP) program understands just what a child with psychosis deals with daily and more importantly the team is not afraid to work with the individual in a way that will best help these children out of their darkness. The caring and compassionate way they treated not only my son, but my family was something I will never forget. In a system that often leaves parents feeling helpless and confused, the ASAP program creates an environment that embraces family involvement. Navigation of school systems, health care needs and identification of other potential causes of psychosis were just some of the key components of this highly educated group that makes this team stand out from others. The ASAP program utilizes cutting edge information and has access to some of the leading research being conducted in the area of psychosis. Together, as a team we worked to get my son to the place he is today, while providing the education my family needed to go on to best support my son and our family. I am forever grateful to the Institute of Living ASAP program.
- Debbie, mom of a 17 year old patient
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Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. No group programming on Wednesdays.
1:00 pm – 3:50 pm
Summer hours:
10:00 am – 12:50 am
Hours may vary based on individual need.
Transportation is provided for those who live in Hartford.
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As an adult, throughout my time in this program I saw the worst and best of myself. I learned that the demons I had inside have potential to manifest themselves in the perspective of other people, but the program taught me not only how to fight them off, but how to understand them more clearly so I know clearly what is in my reality. Even as an adult, my family's involvement was still important and pivotal to understanding the healing process of psychosis so my family members better understood what I was going through so I didn't feel alone. As my time in program concluded, I'm now fully aware of what happened during my fight was a horrible struggle, but in the end I won the fight because I was willing to take control and fully accept my help from the program.
- Anonymous, former patient
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Family Support Group
Family Support Group for prior families and current families of the program, 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month 4-5pm. Support group includes space for families to connect, share, and gather more information about how to help their loved ones.
Our Team
Psychiatrist:
Jennifer Zajac, DO, MS
Program Manager:
Patricia Graham-Sullivan, LCSW
Clinical Coordinator:
Frescia Velarde, LCSW
Case Worker:
Tonya Gray, BA
Patient Resources
Download Our Brochure:
ASAP Brochure
Download these Fact Sheets:
ProNET: Psychosis Risk Outcome Network
ASAP is part of the Psychosis-Risk Outcome Network (ProNET) and Accelerating Medicines Partnership-Schizophrenia (AMP®), which is a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency, and multiple public and private organizations. The overall aim of the AMP Schizophrenia (SCZ) initiative is to generate tools that will considerably improve success in developing early-stage interventions for patients who are at risk of developing schizophrenia.
If you are interested in learning more about the ProNET study, please contact the study staff. They will be happy to answer your questions and provide you with more information.
Contact Us:
Frescia Velarde, LCSW
Frescia.Velarde@hhchealth.org
Download the brochure