A Program Evaluation of a Partial Hospitalization Program Applying a Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Model

Abstract

This study evaluated the efficacy of a partial hospitalization (PH) program based in the Meier Clinic’s private counseling center in Bothell, Washington, which was originally developed in the late 1980s. PH programs became popular from the 1960s to 1990s and were supported by significant research in validation and standardization during this time. PH program development was intended to offer a more cost effective and practical transition between psychiatric hospital inpatient and outpatient care. Three proposed hypotheses for this research study were proved true; (a) the Meier Clinics PH program under evaluation was effective in reducing depression and anxiety, (b) the Meier Clinics PH program under evaluation was effective in improving the overall mental health of the patient, and (c) varying the 5 interns that provide therapy in the Meier Clinics program each year have no significant affect on the program effectiveness. A logical expectation of efficacy was based on the literature review for PH programs and clarifying how the Meier Clinics program followed the structural parameters of the standardized PH program. The study included 87 participants, 53 female and 34 males, which went through the PH program from 2012 through 2015. The participants were diagnosed for depression and/or anxiety, commonly comorbid with other axis I and/or II disorders, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual o f Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Each of the clients filled out the Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-32) questionnaire (Eisen, Wilcox, Left, Schaefer & Culhane, 1999) both before and after the PH program.