The Path Program is for young people who: 

• Are 35 years old or younger 
• Have recently started experiencing symptoms of psychosis or milder forms of these symptoms that indicate future risk for psychosis 
• Are committed to achieving their goals for school, work, and relationships 

If you are outside of this age range or if you have been experiencing symptoms of psychosis for more than 2-3 years, the Path Program Extension Clinic may be able to support you. Learn more about the Path Program Extension Clinic.

Still not sure whether the Path Program is the right fit? Answer a few confidential questions about your mental health to help assess whether the Path Program may be able to help you. 

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Yes. The Path Program currently has a 2-3 month waitlist, but we assess and enroll potential participants on a rolling basis. 

If you believe that you or someone in your life are experiencing signs of psychosis, please don’t hesitate to contact our team for an assessment. If eligible, we will add you to our waitlist and provide recommendations for support in the meantime. If you are not eligible for the Path Program, our team will still provide recommendations for care based on the assessment.

Here are a few other resources for support:

• Check out other local resources in the San Francisco Bay Area, including other early psychosis programs.
• Learn more about psychosis, related experiences, and how to support loved ones through stories of those with lived experience and educational content.
• Participate in research: We are always recruiting for research studies that are open to eligible individuals regardless of health insurance status. For those that participate, the Path Program will provide a clinical assessment and make treatment recommendations to families and providers. 

At this time, the Path Program can only enroll participants that have private insurance. The following private insurance carriers are currently accepted: Blue Cross, Managed Health Network (through Health Net), Magellan Behavioral Health (through Blue Shield), Kaiser (referral required), Optum/United Behavioral Health, Aetna, Cigna, and Tricare.

If you do not have health insurance, or if your insurance provider will not cover enrollment in the Path Program, here are two steps you can take:

1. If you have government health coverage, like Medi-Cal, reach out to the Felton Institute. The Felton Institute’s Early Psychosis Division offers treatment to address the early signs of psychosis and bipolar disorder. For a list of all early psychosis programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit our local resources guide.
2. Participate in Path Program research. The Path Program is currently recruiting paid volunteers for a number of studies to advance knowledge about psychosis. These studies are open to eligible individuals regardless of health insurance status and include a detailed clinical interview with results that can be shared with your family or current health provider, with your permission, to inform your treatment.

Because the Path Program is focused on the early stages of psychosis, when treatment is most effective, most of our participants graduate from our program after about two years.  

Every participant in the Path Program receives a clinical assessment to provide diagnostic clarity and improve understanding around recent experiences of psychosis. Diagnostic assessments occur at entry into the Path Program. Our team is also available to provide second opinions to community clinicians providing ongoing care.

Participation in the Path Program looks different for each person, based on their unique needs and preferences. While we do offer each participant the opportunity to engage in a number of services, you can choose to engage in whichever and however many of our services that you determine best meet your needs. 

Our services include:​

• Expert diagnostic assessment
• Psychotherapy
• Medication management
• Family support & education
• Case management

The time commitment required for the Path Program is dependent on the number of services that you choose to engage in. For those that choose to utilize every service listed above, you can expect to spend 3-4 hours per week engaging with our program. For those that opt to utilize fewer services, the weekly time commitment will be less.

Medication is not a requirement for those participating in the Path Program, nor is it always recommended. 

Medications approved for treating psychosis, also known as “antipsychotic medications” or “dopamine-blocking medications”, are designed to block dopamine receptors in the brain, which are associated with the sensitivity of the sensory system and are known to have effects on cognition and perception. For some, the effects of dopamine-blocking medications are very helpful for reducing the impact of psychosis symptoms, and for others, they may be less helpful, if helpful at all. In some cases, the side effects of being on the medication can outweigh any benefit.

Research focused on the impact of dopamine-blocking medications has found that:

• On average, the impact of psychosis symptoms are reduced by a “small to moderate amount” among those that take dopamine-blocking medications
• About 20-25% of those taking dopamine-blocking medications do not experience an impactful benefit from doing so
• About 30-40% of those taking dopamine-blocking medications do experience a large benefit (significant reduction in symptoms)
• 35-50% of those taking dopamine-blocking medications experience a modest benefit, which must be weighed against the negative impacts and side effects

In determining whether medication is the right fit for a participant, the Path Program will consider a participant’s personal preferences, the symptoms they are experiencing, and the side effects they experience after taking the medication, which vary from person to person.

It’s also important to note that the effectiveness of dopamine-blocking medications (as with all medications) does not increase with a higher dose of the medication, once the range of FDA approval is reached. In other words, a “double dose” doesn't lead to a “double effect”. So, there is typically little reason to increase an initial dose of medication past the average range.

To learn more about dopamine-blocking medications, watch this presentation by Dr. Demian Rose of the Path Program.

It’s important to remember that the Path Program, like all coordinated specialty care programs, is a transitional program that aims to help participants and their families navigate the uncertainties that arise with psychosis and chart a personalized path toward stability and recovery based on the individual’s unique goals for life.

The Path Program team will assess each person’s readiness for transition and collaborate with them and their family to identify post-program goals and a plan for continued care after the program, including ongoing mental health support (therapy and medication management as needed), peer support, physical health care needs, and more depending on the client.

The Path Program supports individuals 35 years old or younger who have recently started experiencing symptoms of psychosis or milder forms of these symptoms that indicate future risk for psychosis. 

If you are outside of this age range or if you have been experiencing symptoms of psychosis for more than 2-3 years, the Path Program Extension Clinic may be able to support you. Learn more about the Path Program Extension Clinic.

At this time, the Path Program can only enroll participants that have private insurance. If you do not have health insurance, or if your insurance provider will not cover enrollment in the Path Program, find other local support resources. For some, there are research opportunities available that provide clinical assessments, monitoring, and sometimes treatment that do not require insurance and participants will be compensated for their time and participation in research.