Mood
Structured support and a steady routine for when motivation and energy are hard to hold on your own.
Levels of care
Intensive Outpatient Program
in Houston
The structured core of care at The Lovett Center: 10 to 15 hours of treatment a week, in eight-week cycles, while you keep living at home and going to work. Built for adults in Houston working through depression, anxiety, trauma, bipolar disorder, or substance use.
10–15 hours a week · 3–4 days a week · Daytime or after work · Adults 18+ · Montrose, Houston
Who it's for
Consistent support, so you can keep
living your life.
IOP fits the person who needs more than a weekly therapy hour can hold, but not the round-the-clock structure of a hospital.
An intensive outpatient program is structured treatment you attend several days a week while you live at home. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration describes it as ambulatory care, more than a few hours a day across multiple days, that serves as an alternative to inpatient or residential treatment. At Lovett, that means clinically deep group and individual work built around your job, your family, and your routine, not in place of them.
It is a significant level of care, structured to give you the support you need. Research on intensive outpatient programs finds it is an effective option for many people who do not need medical detox or 24-hour supervision. Since mental health and substance use so often occur together, our team treats these co-occurring conditions in an integrated approach, which is considered the best practice for care.
- You need real structure, but can live at home safely
- You are stepping down from PHP or inpatient care, or starting here directly
- You are working, in school, or caregiving, and need treatment to fit around it
- You are facing depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, or substance use
- You have a stable, supportive home to return to each day
Right-sizing your care
When a different level of
care fits better
IOP is the right fit for many people, and the wrong one for some. Honest level-of-care matching is part of the work.
-
When more structure is needed
If outpatient care is not holding things steady, we will say so. Partial hospitalization, detox, and residential treatment happen at Prairie Recovery Center, our sister facility in Round Top, Texas. We coordinate the referral, then take over again for your step down.
PHP and higher levels of care -
When less intensity is enough (Outpatient)
If weekly individual therapy can hold the work, outpatient care is a sustainable cadence, and a common step down after IOP.
Explore outpatient -
When mental health and substance use overlap
Co-occurring conditions are treated together in one plan. For substance use and dual-diagnosis needs, our dual diagnosis track carries the depth.
Dual diagnosis treatment -
When care needs to come first
IOP is not for an active crisis, medical detox, or anyone needing 24-hour supervision. Lovett does not provide on-site detox or residential care; when that level is needed first, we help you arrange it, then welcome you for step-down. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
Conditions
What our IOP
treats
Our IOP supports depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, and PTSD, alongside co-occurring substance use.
Anxiety
Skills for panic, worry, and avoidance, practiced in group and one-on-one, then carried into daily life.
Mood
Stabilization, psychoeducation, and medication coordination to even out the highs and the lows.
How the work happens
Therapies used in
your IOP
Your plan blends evidence-based and relational therapies, individual sessions, group work, family involvement, and skills practice, matched to what you are working through.
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Psychodynamic Therapy
Depth-oriented work that looks beneath the symptom to the patterns underneath, the foundation the rest of your care builds on.
About psychodynamic therapy -
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Identify and reshape the thought patterns that drive depression, anxiety, and substance use.
About CBT -
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Build skills for managing intense emotions, distress, and relationships.
About DBT -
EMDR
Structured processing that helps the brain integrate painful or traumatic memories that keep symptoms going.
About EMDR -
Group Therapy
The cornerstone of IOP: shared work with peers who understand the road, in a guided, confidential setting.
About group therapy -
Family Therapy
Recovery rarely happens alone. Family sessions rebuild communication and a real support network.
About family therapy
Insurance
Your plan may cover
more than you think.
Most major plans cover intensive outpatient care. We will check your benefits and explain what they mean in plain language, at no cost and with no obligation.
Plans we accept
Coverage varies by plan and individual benefits. Verifying takes a few minutes and tells you exactly where you stand.
Getting started
Admissions in
three steps
No long intake maze. A few conversations, and you know your plan.
- 01
Reach out
Step 1
Call or send a message. We listen, answer your questions, and check your insurance benefits for you.
- 02
Comprehensive assessment
Step 2
A clinician meets with you to understand your history, your goals, and what you are facing, then recommends the right level of care.
- 03
Start your IOP
Step 3
We build your individualized plan and place you in a group. You begin treatment while keeping the rest of your life intact.
Who leads your care
A team with unusual
depth
Your IOP is led by physicians and clinicians with specialized training in addiction medicine, the kind of bench this category rarely has.
Common questions
Intensive outpatient,
answered.
Most clients attend our IOP for about eight weeks, in structured cycles. That is the typical arc, though your clinician may adjust the length based on your progress and goals. The aim is a clear beginning, middle, and finish, not an open-ended commitment.
Our IOP runs 10 to 15 hours a week, usually across three to four days, with daytime and after-work options. Sessions blend group work, individual therapy, and skills practice. You attend on your scheduled days and live at home the rest of the time.
Intensive outpatient care is structured treatment you attend several days a week without staying overnight. It runs more than a few hours a day, more than two days a week, as an alternative to inpatient or residential care. It is more support than weekly therapy, with the freedom to keep living at home.
IOP fits if you need real structure but can live safely at home. It works well for people stepping down from a higher level of care, or starting treatment for the first time, who are managing work, school, or family alongside recovery. A comprehensive assessment is the surest way to know, and we will tell you honestly if a different level fits better.
No. IOP is an outpatient level of care, so there is no overnight stay and no hospital admission. You attend scheduled sessions and return home each day, which is what separates it from inpatient or residential treatment.
The main difference is hours. A Partial Hospitalization Program runs more hours per week for people who need near-daily support, while IOP is lighter and easier to fit around work and home. Both are outpatient, and both let you live at home. Many people step down from PHP to IOP as they stabilize.
Compare IOP and PHPYes. Our IOP treats depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, and PTSD, alongside substance use when it is part of the picture. Attending several days a week gives mood and anxiety symptoms steady, consistent support that a single weekly session can struggle to match.
Most major plans cover intensive outpatient treatment, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Magellan, and TriWest. Coverage and out-of-pocket costs vary by plan, so we verify your benefits for free and explain exactly what they mean before you start.
Verify your insuranceWhen a mental health condition and substance use occur together, we treat them in the same plan rather than separately. This integrated approach, named as best practice for co-occurring disorders, combines therapy, skills, and medication coordination so both are addressed at once.
Dual diagnosis treatmentStart the conversation
The next step is
a conversation.
If IOP in Houston sounds like the right fit, or you are not sure and want to talk it through, our admissions team is here.
- Free, confidential benefits check
- No obligation, no pressure
- Speak with a real person who knows the program
Prefer to call?
(713) 589-5991In a crisis or an emergency? Call or text 988, or call 911. This form is not monitored around the clock.