A stress management program: inpatient-to-outpatient continuity.

Stress is a factor in many modern illnesses. The development of coping skills to deal with stress is an occupational therapy goal for many patients. The program presented here uses stress management techniques to improve the situational coping skills of adult psychiatric patients. When discharged to the outpatient clinic, the patients in this program continue to learn and practice stress management techniques to increase relaxation and lessen anxiety. A case example is presented.