If you’ve been told you need “more than weekly therapy,” you’ve probably run into two terms: partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP). They’re both day programs, and you go home at night in both. The difference is how much of your week they take up.
What a day in PHP looks like
You arrive in the morning and spend most of the day in treatment. That usually means a few group sessions, an individual session with your counselor, skills practice and check-ins with the care team. You go home in the evening and come back the next day.
PHP is rated ASAM Level 2.5. ASAM is the national scale insurers and Virginia Medicaid use to describe addiction treatment, and Level 2.5 means 20 or more hours of treatment a week.
PHP tends to be the right call when:
- Weekly therapy isn’t holding and things keep sliding
- You’re coming out of detox, residential treatment or a hospital stay
- You need daily structure but can live safely at home
What a week in IOP looks like
IOP meets several times a week for a few hours at a time. It’s mostly group-based, with individual sessions added. Most people keep their job or classes while they attend.
IOP fits when symptoms are getting in the way of daily life but you can still manage work, school or family with support around it. It’s also the usual next step after PHP.
Stepping down
Many people start in PHP and move to IOP as things settle, then to regular therapy. When those levels are all at the same agency, you keep the same team the whole way and don’t repeat your story at every step.
You don’t need to pick the level yourself. The intake assessment does that with you.
What to do next
Call our intake team or request an appointment online. We’ll ask a few questions, check your insurance and set up an assessment. If it turns out a different level of care fits better, we’ll tell you and help you find it.