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When you’re being treated for addiction and someone mentions a partial hospitalization program, you might get a little wary. The word “hospitalization” makes it sound like you’re going into a hospital, but that isn’t what PHP is.
PHP gives you a full day of treatment while still allowing you to leave in the evening. It can be a good middle ground when you’re ready to step down from residential treatment but aren’t quite ready for a huge drop in support. It can also give you more help if weekly therapy or outpatient care just isn’t enough right now.
At OceanRock, PHP in Newport Beach gives you that support during the day while you start spending more of your time back in everyday life.
PHP is a level of addiction treatment that gives you a lot of support without requiring you to live at the treatment center. You come in for full days of programming and then leave in the evening to sleep at home or in supportive housing.
That can make PHP a good middle ground when you need more than traditional outpatient care but don’t need to live on-site. Your days are still centered around treatment, but your evenings give you a chance to start getting used to life outside that setting.
In practical terms, PHP gives you:
And despite the slightly intimidating name, partial hospitalization is simply a level of care. You aren’t being admitted to a hospital.
You don’t have to follow one particular path to end up in PHP. Some people arrive after spending time in a higher level of care, while others realize the support they have right now just isn’t enough.
You may come to PHP:
There’s no “right” way to get here. What matters is finding the level of support that best suits your needs right now.
Part of what makes starting treatment so nerve-racking is simply not knowing what to expect. Where am I supposed to go? What am I going to be doing all day? Who am I going to be with? Having some idea of what your day will look like can make walking through the door a little easier.
At OceanRock, you’ll come in for a full day of treatment and leave when programming is finished. During the day, you may take part in:
Multiple groups run throughout the day, so you aren’t necessarily following the exact same schedule as everyone else. Your schedule can be built around what you’re actually working on and what your clinical team believes you need.
At the end of the day, you leave OceanRock and return home or to supportive housing for the evening.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30am - 9:30am | Open Process 8:30am-10:00am | Open Process | Open Process | Open Process | Open Process |
| 9:30am - 10:30am | Recovery Mechanics | CBT/DBT Skills | Relapse Prevention | Recovery Mechanics | |
| 10:30am - 11:30am | Relapse Prevention 10:00am-11:30am | Life Skills | Emotional Regulation | Coping Skills | Community |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:30pm | Open Process | Open Process | Open Process | ||
| 6:30pm | Emotional Regulation | CBT/DBT Skills | CBT/DBT Skills | ||
| 7:30pm | Meditation | Meditation | Meditation |
Getting comfortable enough to really talk to a therapist can take time. So the idea of finally trusting someone and then having to start all over because you moved to a different level of care can be incredibly frustrating.
At OceanRock, you’ll tell your story once. If you move from residential treatment into PHP, your therapist and case manager can move with you. The same is true as you continue into IOP, outpatient care, or transition to sober living.
You don’t have to re-explain the hardest parts of your life to a stranger just because your level of care changed. You can keep working with people who already know you and understand what you’ve been working on.
Not everyone comes to treatment needing to work on the same things. Someone dealing with a lot of trauma or other mental health concerns may need something very different from someone who needs to spend more time focused on their substance use.
OceanRock separates some mental health and substance use programming so there’s enough room for both. The best course of action may be decided when you’re admitted, or you can ask for a different track if you feel like what you’re doing isn’t meeting your needs.
You can still work on both. The idea is simply to give more time and attention to the things that brought you to treatment in the first place.
It’s one thing to talk about handling difficult emotions or setting boundaries while you’re sitting in treatment. It can feel very different when you’re back home that evening and something actually happens.
PHP gives you a chance to start practicing what you’re working on while you’re still getting a lot of support. Programming focuses on things like:
You can bring what happens outside of treatment back with you the next day and keep working on it. That doesn’t mean avoiding the deeper trauma work. It means you’re also learning how to use what you’re working on when real life shows up.
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Different kinds of therapy can help with different situations and problems. Something that helps you deal with overwhelming emotions may not be the same thing that helps you work through trauma or change a pattern you keep falling back into.
At OceanRock, your treatment may include:
You may not need every approach. Having different options means your treatment plan can employ different ways of attacking the same problem.
Figuring out where you’ll stay while you’re in treatment can be a big part of figuring out whether or not PHP will actually work for you. Maybe home feels like a good place to be right now, or maybe being back in the same environment this soon feels like too much.
Because you don’t live at the treatment center during PHP the way one might during a residential stay, there are a few possibilities:
You don’t have to have the living situation figured out before you ask about PHP. Your circumstances and the amount of support you need outside treatment hours can be part of the conversation when you’re deciding what fits your needs best.
Being in PHP means you’re spending more time in your everyday life again, and unfortunately, everyday responsibilities come right along with it. Appointments still come up. Work paperwork still needs to get done. Sometimes you need help keeping all of that from becoming another source of stress.
Case management can help with things like:
Your discharge plan is something you build with your team over time, not something that gets handed to you on your last day. That gives you a chance to think through what you’ll actually need before you’re expected to go do it.
Family sessions can feel uncomfortable, especially at first. A lot may go unsaid, or everyone may worry so much about saying the wrong thing that they stick to the safer conversations.
Spending more time in treatment can make a difference for substantial progress. One or two family sessions may only give you enough time to start getting comfortable. Over the course of a longer stay, there’s more opportunity to build trust and eventually get into some of the harder conversations.
The goal isn’t to promise that every relationship will be repaired. It’s to give you and the people you care about the time and support to have conversations that can be difficult to have on your own.
Leaving PHP doesn’t mean suddenly going from full days of treatment to figuring everything out on your own. As you need less support, you can gradually move into a level of care that gives you more time back in your everyday life.
That might include:
You don’t have to start over every time you make one of those moves. Your therapist and case manager can stay with you as your level of care changes.
Some people move through treatment fairly quickly, while others stay with OceanRock from detox through outpatient care over 6 to 12 months. There’s no need to decide what your entire timeline will look like when you’re just getting started.
Going back to work or school can feel like real progress, but it can also bring a whole new layer of stress. You may be ready to get back to more of your normal life while still knowing you need support.
PHP is a daytime program by design, but if being in treatment all day doesn’t work with your schedule, OceanRock also offers more flexible options, including:
Treatment shouldn’t become one more thing you’re constantly stressed about trying to make work. You can talk with your treatment team about what you need and which level of care can realistically fit the life you’re returning to.
Insurance can be confusing enough without trying to sort it out while you’re also figuring out treatment. And PHP coverage can work differently from residential treatment or IOP, so what your plan covered at one level of care doesn’t necessarily tell you what it will cover at another.
OceanRock is in-network with several major insurance carriers, including:
If your insurance carrier pushes for a shorter stay and you want to continue treatment, OceanRock can advocate for more time on your behalf. The team can verify your benefits and help you understand what your specific plan may cover before you make any decisions.
Spending your days in treatment means being around other people who are working through their own stuff too. It’s reasonable to want to know that the environment you’re walking into each morning is being looked after.
OceanRock keeps PHP staffed and supervised without making it feel like you’re under surveillance. People are paying attention to the environment, while you still have the freedom and independence that come with this level of care.
OceanRock is located in Newport Beach in Orange County, California. It’s a pretty beautiful place to spend this part of your life, with the coast nearby and weather that makes getting outside possible much of the year.
And at the PHP level of care, your evenings are your own. That gives you time outside the treatment setting to take a walk, grab something to eat, or simply get outside for a while before coming back to treatment the next day.
You’re here to do important and difficult emotional work, but it doesn’t hurt to have the ocean nearby while you’re doing it.
Is PHP the Same as Being Hospitalized?
No. Despite the name, PHP does not mean you’re admitted to a hospital. You attend treatment during the day and leave when programming is finished.
How Many Hours a Day Is PHP?
PHP involves full days of treatment. Your schedule is built around your clinical needs, with multiple groups running throughout the day.
Can I Work During PHP?
Because PHP takes place during the day, working a traditional daytime schedule can be difficult. If you need more flexibility, evening IOP or virtual IOP may be a better fit.
How Long Does PHP Last?
There isn’t one set timeline for everyone. Some people move through several levels of care at OceanRock over 6 to 12 months, but how long you spend specifically in PHP depends on your clinical needs and insurance authorization.
Do I Have to Complete Residential Treatment First?
No. You may enter PHP after detox or residential treatment, step up from a lower level of care, or begin PHP directly if an assessment determines it’s appropriate for you.
What’s the Difference Between PHP and IOP?
PHP provides more treatment and support during the week than IOP. IOP gives you more time outside of treatment and may be a better fit if you need less support or are returning to more of your regular schedule.
Will My Insurance Cover PHP?
Coverage depends on your specific plan, and PHP is authorized differently from residential treatment and IOP. OceanRock can verify your benefits and help you understand what your plan may cover.
 | Authored By: Oceanrock Editorial Staff The OceanRock Editorial Staff is the team behind the content on the Oceanrock Health website. Based in Newport Beach, California, we bring together the clinical expertise of our care teams with a commitment to clear, compassionate writing about addiction and mental health recovery. Drawing on the day-to-day experience of our clinicians, medical director, and admissions specialists, we write to demystify the recovery process, from detox and residential care through PHP, IOP, and outpatient support. |
You can be ready for more independence and still be scared of having less support. Or maybe you’ve been trying to hold things together with the help you have now, and you’re realizing you need more. At OceanRock, PHP gives you another option when the level of support you need is starting to change.
And if you’ve been to treatment before and it didn’t hold, that’s not a disqualification. You don’t have to show up certain that PHP is right for you, either. You can talk it through with someone who understands the different levels of care and can help you figure out where you fit.
When you’re ready, call OceanRock and tell us what’s going on. You don’t need the right words or a plan for the next six months. We can start with where you are today.
