Welcome

Licensed, Structured Intensive Outpatient and partial Hospitalization Programs for youths and adults.

A Higher Level of Care. Intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programming provide multiple hours of clinical services, including individual, group, and family therapy, medical and psychiatric assessment, stabilization and care, medication management, and nutrition and dietary support services, to establish a solid foundation of good habits, behavior modification, self-regulation, self-management, and coping skills. 

Recovery in Real Life. lift is dedicated to providing residential-treatment caliber services in a family-focused outpatient environment. Our best-in-class day treatment programming was specifically designed to provide a needed vehicle for patients to recover while residing at home with their families, and taking part in the activities and routines that bring joy. 

Expert-Run Treatment. lift’s outpatient programs were crafted throughout two decades of research and practice by a nationally-recognized certified eating disorder specialist, seasoned family therapist, adolescent specialist and credentialed school-based mental health expert, Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS, in partnership with medical directors Dr. Alyssa Bennett and Dr Deborah Lipchitz. We provide expert-level services, delivered by a curated clinical team of seasoned, licensed specialists.

The Lift Difference. Our mission at lift is to provide concentrated and comprehensive treatment for mental health diagnoses and eating disorders for patients and their families. Our small-milieu settings allow for customization of care from admission through discharge/after-care. lift is the only Southwestern Connecticut program with PHP and IOP services offerings exclusively created and run by specialists and licensed providers. Unlike any other regional program, our direct service providers consist of a multidisciplinary clinical team of experts with 100 years of combined experience on the front lines of mental health. 

Evidence-Based Clinical Modalities. lift provides level of care assessments, individual therapy, family therapy, group therapies, dietary evaluations and sessions and psychiatric evaluation and medication management/monitoring as needed. lift is a Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT) treatment program and incorporates Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) modalities.

Hours and Specifications. Partial Hospitalization Programming (5 hours of services per day, 5 days per week) and Intensive Outpatient (3 hours of services per day, 3 days per week) are both now available in-person at our downtown Westport, CT campus. These offerings provide concentrated clinical services through group, individual and family therapies. Each PHP patient receives two individual sessions per week, a family/support system session, dietary sessions, and access to a personal care partner, who keeps all treatment team members, both external and internal, up to date and rowing in the same direction with regard to treatment goals. Care partners also assist clients with therapy assignments, exposures, difficult communications, life skills, futures planning and discharge planning. All IOP patients receive individual therapy, and family/support system sessions. 

The lift Assessment Process. At lift, we aim to find the root cause of eating disorders and mental health. Our programs are focused on identifying and treating core issues, rather than symptom management. As such, we have a specialized assessment process, which includes a complete neuropsychological assessment at admission. Many of our patients have never had a neuropsychological assessment, and therefore have disclarity on diagnostics. Some patients have had multiple unsuccessful treatments at programs throughout the country before landing at lift. Knowing that if we want different results, we must do what has not yet been done, we begin treatment by promptly conducting a deep dive into personality, temperament, and individual psychology. In uncovering the diagnostic factors driving mental health symptoms, we are better equipped as a treatment team to understand and treat each patient with clarity and compassion. For more information on the lift assessment process, click here (link to Dr Beitell’s page or testing page.)

Academics. Academics are a priority at LIFT. Our adolescent and young adult clients are passionate and dedicated learners, and we do not wish them to fall behind or compromise their academic lives in focusing on their mental health. For the majority of clients, academic life is an important part of mental health, and so we have worked to ensure that intensive treatment participants may remain enrolled in school, and are provided with designated educational blocks throughout the week. 

Insurance and Accessibility. lift provides the same level of distinctive clinical excellence and customized care that Lift Wellness Group is known for, with the proud addition of direct insurance billing, in order to offset the costs of treatment for our patients. For a verification of insurance benefits, please provide us with your insurance card, front and back, full name and date of birth of primary cardholder, full name and date of birth of patient, and home address.

Recovery is not a punishment, but a reward. lift wishes to ensure that our clients can develop access to MORE joy, and constantly identify new REASONS to recover. As such, the lift clinical team facilitates on and off-campus enrichment, including time to learn life skills, experience outings to participate in creative activities and the arts, enjoy the beach and natural environment, visit local libraries, museums, and civic events, volunteer, attend their spiritual or religious services, go on shopping excursions, practice intuitive and restorative body movement, creative expression, meal preparation, nutrition groups, and a diverse array of dining exposures. Our proximity to downtown Westport, with its myriad of cultural offerings and opportunities, provides rich opportunities for clients to explore, discover, and create. 

Kosher Programming, Vegetarian and Vegan Dietary Modifications. The cumulative expertise at lift specialty group informs our belief in removing barriers and obstacles to recovery, and supporting clients’ individual requirements. We understand that often, individuals require modifications in treatment, and this should not be preventive in their reaching out for help and seeking care. We have designed a facility capable of supporting dietary modifications and exemptions. Our small-milieu size facilitates customization in meal planning and support services, ensuring that we can meet clients where they are at, building on dietary restrictions when appropriate or aligned with treatment goals. 

Food As Medicine. Our state-of-the-art kitchen allows for clients to work hand-in-hand with our registered dietitian, from menu planning, to food prep, food challenges, and therapeutic meals. A primary goal at lift is to ensure that all clients develop a positive relationship with food, and embrace the tenants of ‘all foods fit,’ ‘variety,’ and ‘moderation.’

Groupwork. Daily group therapy, life skills, kitchen exposure for meal preparation and education time is provided within programming schedule, to prepare clients ‘in vivo' for the transition back into the world post-treatment. 

Family Focus. As a program developed by family therapists, loved ones are a fundamental component of our clients’ recovery process. We rehabilitate weary families through support, psychoeducation, skills development, family therapy, and coaching. By empowering parents and family members to become optimally effective with their loved one, we set the stage for communicative, emotionally attuned and harmonious relationships following treatment. This work is paramount towards a minor maintaining therapeutic gains. We are wholly committed to providing parents and loved ones with needed tools, through our caregiver support groups, family therapy, family meals, and family education sessions. We believe that your family can emerge stronger than ever, together. 

Inclusivity. lift is an inclusive program, serving all genders, ethnicities, diagnoses, cultures, and religions. We are firmly Health At Every Size (HAES) informed and take a firm non-diet approach to treatment. Our facility has been designed with size-inclusive seating, and recognizes that eating disorders occur with equal frequency to individuals in larger bodies. We are an LGBTQ+ and allies recognized safe space. At lift, we identify, rather than compare. Our humanity is the commonality that bings us together, and we learn from one another how similar we are on the insides. Interpersonal relating, shared support, mutual empathy and bearing witness to one another is a healing and transformationally therapeutic act.