Mood
Daily structure and close support for when depression has grown hard to manage with weekly care alone.
Levels of care
Partial Hospitalization (PHP)
in Houston
The most structured level of outpatient care at The Lovett Center: full days of treatment while you return home each evening. Built for adults in Houston who need more support than weekly therapy or IOP can hold, for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, or co-occurring substance use.
Most structured outpatient level · Daytime treatment · Home each evening · Adults 18+ · Montrose, Houston
Who it's for
A higher level of care,
without leaving home.
PHP fits the person who needs intensive, near-daily treatment to get stable, but has a safe home to return to at night.
A partial hospitalization program is the most intensive form of outpatient care. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration describes it as ambulatory, less-than-24-hour treatment delivered during the day, in sessions of several hours on a regular schedule. You get the structure of a full treatment day, then return home each evening. At Lovett, that means clinically deep group and individual work built around stabilizing you, not a hospital admission.
It sits one step below inpatient care and one step above IOP. Federal guidance on the continuum of care places PHP between residential or inpatient treatment and standard outpatient therapy, for people who need intensive, near-daily support but not round-the-clock 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 more structure than weekly therapy or IOP can give right now
- You are stepping down from a hospital stay and want to keep that progress
- Your symptoms have intensified, and a few hours a week is no longer enough
- You are facing depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, or co-occurring substance use
- You have a safe, stable home to return to each evening
Right-sizing your care
When a different level of
care fits better
PHP is the most intensive care we offer. For some people a lighter level, or a higher one, is the better fit, and honest level-of-care matching is part of the work.
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When you are ready to step down (IOP)
As you stabilize, our Intensive Outpatient Program keeps real structure with fewer hours, so you can ease back into work and home. Many people move from PHP to IOP as the next step.
Explore IOP -
When weekly care is enough (Outpatient)
If individual therapy and psychiatry once a week can hold the work, outpatient care is a sustainable long-term cadence, often a later step after PHP and IOP.
Explore outpatient -
When substance use is central
When a substance use disorder drives the picture, our dual diagnosis track carries the depth, treating addiction and mental health together in one plan.
Dual diagnosis treatment -
When more than outpatient care is needed
PHP is not for an active medical 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 PHP at Lovett
treats
PHP gives intensive support to higher-acuity mental health conditions, alongside co-occurring substance use.
Mood
Stabilization, psychoeducation, and medication coordination during periods of acute mood instability.
Trauma
Intensive, trauma-informed care that meets the symptoms with the frequency they sometimes require.
How the work happens
Therapies used in
your PHP
Your treatment day blends evidence-based and relational therapies, group work, individual sessions, 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, the daily work of stabilizing.
About DBT -
EMDR
Structured processing that helps the brain integrate painful or traumatic memories that keep symptoms going.
About EMDR -
Group Therapy
The backbone of the treatment day: guided, confidential work with peers who understand the road.
About group therapy -
Family Therapy
Recovery rarely happens alone. Family sessions rebuild communication and a real support network at home.
About family therapy -
Couples Therapy
A safe, non-judgmental space to rebuild trust and communicate again when the work involves your relationship.
About couples therapy
Insurance
Most major plans cover
partial hospitalization.
PHP is a recognized level of care that most major plans cover, though benefits and out-of-pocket costs vary by plan. We check yours and explain what it means in plain language, at no cost and with no obligation.
Plans we accept
Coverage varies by plan and individual benefits. A quick verification 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 symptoms, and your goals, then recommends the level of care that fits, whether that is PHP or another step.
- 03
Start your program
Step 3
We build your individualized plan and place you in the right groups. You begin intensive treatment while keeping your evenings and your home life.
Who leads your care
A team built for
higher-acuity care
PHP is led by physicians and clinicians with specialized training in psychiatry and addiction medicine, the depth this level of care demands.
Common questions
Partial hospitalization,
answered.
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is the most intensive level of outpatient care: structured treatment during the day, with you returning home each evening. It is used when someone needs more support than weekly therapy or IOP can provide, but does not need 24-hour supervision. The goal is to stabilize symptoms quickly while you keep living at home.
No. Despite the name, PHP is an outpatient level of care with no overnight stay and no hospital admission. You attend a full schedule of treatment during the day and return home each evening. The word "partial" refers to the intensity of a treatment day, not an inpatient bed.
PHP is meant to be a focused, short phase of care. Most people attend for a few weeks to stabilize, then step down to a less intensive level like IOP. Your clinician sets and adjusts the length based on your progress, so it stays a clear stabilizing step rather than an open-ended commitment.
The main difference is intensity. PHP runs more hours, on more days of the week, for people who need near-daily support to stay stable. IOP is lighter and easier to fit around work and family. Both are outpatient and both let you live at home, and many people step down from PHP to IOP as they improve.
Compare PHP and IOPPHP fits people whose symptoms have intensified, who are stepping down from a hospital stay, or who need intensive daily treatment but have a safe home to return to at night. It treats depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, and co-occurring substance use. A comprehensive assessment is the surest way to know, and we will tell you honestly if a different level fits better.
Yes. When a mental health condition and substance use occur together, we treat them in one integrated plan rather than separately. For substance use disorders that can include medication support: buprenorphine or naltrexone for opioid use disorder, and naltrexone or acamprosate for alcohol use disorder, alongside therapy.
Dual diagnosis treatmentCost depends on your insurance plan and benefits. PHP is a recognized level of care that most major plans cover, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Magellan, and TriWest, though coverage levels and out-of-pocket costs vary. We verify your benefits for free and explain exactly what they mean before you start, so there are no surprises.
Verify your insurancePHP is intensive and fills much of the day, so most people step back from work or school for a short time while they stabilize, then return as they step down to IOP or outpatient care. Because you are home every evening and weekend, you stay connected to your family and your life throughout. We can talk through leave and scheduling during your assessment.
PHP is a stabilizing step, not the whole journey. As your symptoms ease, the same care team steps you down to IOP, then to outpatient therapy and psychiatry, so support tapers gradually instead of stopping all at once. This continuity is part of what makes a stepped model effective.
Explore IOPStart the conversation
The next step is
a conversation.
If PHP 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.