What to Expect In a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)?
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a structured outpatient program that runs for 6-8 hours per day from Monday to Friday (typically). It is a behavioral health care program, mainly used to treat substance use and/or mental health concerns.
While a PHP is the most intensive outpatient program, it does not require 24/7 hospitalization or on-site stay as it happens with inpatient or residential programs. This means that once licensed mental health specialists recommend it as the right level of care for you after a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, even severe behavioral health concerns can be treated in outpatient settings where you can stay connected with your loved ones and daily life.
What Is a Partial Hospitalization Program?
A partial hospitalization program is an intensive outpatient day treatment program used to treat substance use and mental health conditions.
It runs for 6-8 hours per day, for 5 days per week. It offers a level of flexibility, which means you can stay connected to your daily life responsibilities and loved ones to a certain extent.
It is a higher level of care than an intensive outpatient program (IOP), but offers the same services at a higher level of intensity. It is a lower level of care than inpatient and residential programs – it is used to treat severe concerns that do not require hospitalization.
You can return home after the PHP treatment program sessions. If your home is not safe or supportive, you can also live in a sober living house for the time being.
What Happens During a PHP Program?
A partial hospitalization program offers the following services:
- Individual and group therapy
- Skills training
- Medication management, if required
- Holistic healing practices
- Relapse prevention
- Mental health PHPs are tailored for anxiety, depression, trauma, and other concerns
- Dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health concerns
- Case management services, such as housing, employment, financial, and legal assistance.
For a long time, inpatient/residential treatment was considered the gold standard of treatment for substance use and mental health concerns.
Today, we know that many people can make meaningful progress in outpatient programs when they receive the level of care that’s right for them. Not everyone requires the same level of care that inpatient and residential programs offer. You do not need to put your life on hold, as healing and recovery can be your reality even with structured outpatient programs.
Learn More About Structured Outpatient Support
Whenever you are ready, you can look at what structured outpatient care looks like for you and how it can fit around your life.
What Does a PHP Schedule Usually Look Like?
The partial hospitalization program schedule can vary from person to person, as it is personalized to meet you where you are. However, a typical schedule can look like this:
- 6 to 8 hours per day
- Runs from Monday to Friday, typically
- Daytime programming, which means you can return home in the evening
- Your day will typically involve intensive therapy and other programs for your recovery
- You will have breaks between sessions
- You will have regular morning and evening check-ins
- Once you have achieved meaningful stability and growth, a step-down transition to an intensive outpatient program can be planned to make your transition to daily life easier.
Outpatient treatment programs are meant to fit around your life to make healing and recovery a seamless part of your life.
Who Is PHP Best For?
While only a licensed and experienced clinician can recommend a partial hospitalization program for you, it can be the right level of care for you if:
- Your substance use and mental health symptoms are disrupting your daily life and functioning
- Your substance use is increasingly becoming harder to manage
- You find that your mental health concerns, such as anxiety or depression, are disrupting your life and relationships
- You find that your behavioral health needs have outgrown weekly therapy
- Your coping strategies are no longer working
- You need more consistent care and structure in your life
- You are stepping down from inpatient or residential care.
What Is the Difference Between PHP vs IOP?
PHP
- More structured daytime care - 6-8 hours per day for 5 days per week
- Higher time commitment
- Often used for stabilizing severe substance use and mental health concerns
- Can be an ideal option when symptoms are harder to manage daily
- Can step down into an IOP
IOP
- More flexible weekly care - 9-15 hours per day, with flexible scheduling
- Lower time commitment
- Often used while maintaining more daily responsibilities
- Can be an ideal option when a higher level of structure is needed, but functioning is more stable
- Can step up to PHP if more care is needed, or step down to weekly therapy
Talk Through Which Level Of Care May Fit Your Situation
You do not need to have everything figured out right from the beginning. You can reach out to licensed and experienced clinicians to understand which level of care can meet your substance use or mental health needs and goals.
Do You Live at Home During PHP?
Yes. A partial hospitalization program follows a daytime programming for 6-8 hours per day, which means you can return home after the treatment sessions
This gives you an opportunity to practice what you have learned in PHP, reinforcing a healthier way of life.
If you do not have a safe and supportive environment at home, then you can also consider sober living options that offer safety and community.
Why Structured Outpatient Support Can Help?
For many, weekly therapy is typically the beginning point of their healing journey. However, there comes a point, sometimes, where therapy stops being enough. This does not mean that therapy is wrong or you are wrong; it means your needs are not being met by weekly therapy when you feel like your symptoms are disrupting your daily life and stuck in the same patterns you want to heal from.
When you feel like more consistent care and structure in your daily life, you can benefit from a structured outpatient program like a partial hospitalization program, as it can offer:
- Consistent care
- Greater accountability
- Stabilization
- Emotion regulation skills
- Relapse prevention plans
- Practical support.
Structured Outpatient Treatment in West Los Angeles
Create Recovery offers partial hospitalization programs in West Los Angeles, which are designed to offer structure and a level of flexibility for you to stay connected to your daily life.
This commuter-friendly PHP in Los Angeles makes it realistic for Westside Los Angeles residents – in areas such as Playa Vista, Culver City, Mar Vista, Venice, Santa Monica, and Silicon Beach.
You Do Not Have to Choose the Right Level Alone
If you are at a point where your substance use and mental health concerns are interfering with your daily life and functioning, or weekly therapy stops being enough – it can be beneficial to explore structured options like a partial hospitalization program.
However, you do not have to navigate this on your own. You can speak with mental health specialists who will listen to you, your story, your experiences, your challenges, and your needs, and recommend the right level of care for you.
You do not have to have all the answers right from the beginning. A positive change can begin with just a simple conversation.
Get Clarity On Your Next Step
You can reach out to licensed and experienced mental health specialists who will sit down with you in safe and confidential settings to clarify your options and shed light on what the next step in your healing journey may look like for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About What to Expect In a PHP
What is a partial hospitalization program?
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is an intensive outpatient day program for substance use and mental health concerns. It runs for 6-8 hours per day, for 5 days per week. You can return home in the evening after your scheduled treatment sessions.
How many hours a day is PHP?
PHP typically runs for 6-8 hours per day, from Monday to Friday.
Is PHP inpatient or outpatient?
PHP is a structured outpatient program. You can return home after your treatment hours are over.
Do you sleep at a PHP program?
No, PHP programs do not require overnight stays at a residential or hospital facility.
What happens during PHP treatment?
PHP offers therapy, medication management, skills training, relapse prevention, and case management services.
What is the difference between PHP and IOP?
PHP and intensive outpatient program (IOP) are structured outpatient programs for treating substance use and mental health conditions, except that PHP is of a higher intensity than IOP.
Can PHP help with mental health and substance use disorders together?
Yes, PHP offers dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health concerns.
Can I work while in PHP?
As PHP requires a greater time commitment, it offers limited flexibility. But you can maintain certain work responsibilities even with a PHP – this depends on your work schedule.