Addiction treatment does not always require stepping away from your entire life. For some, outpatient treatment offers the right balance of clinical support, structure and independence, allowing you to continue working, attending school, caring for family or managing other responsibilities while receiving treatment for a substance use disorder.
- Outpatient treatment lets you continue care while living at home or in supportive housing
- FHE Health offers two outpatient levels of care: Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP)
- Our Behavioral Health IOP meets Monday–Friday, 1:00–4:00 PM on our Deerfield Beach campus and serves substance use, mental health and co-occurring needs
- Patients can enter IOP by stepping down from FHE Health residential care, stepping down from an outside PHP or joining as commuters
- On-campus housing (with or without meals) and off-campus living options are available
- Medical, psychiatric and neuroscience-based services are integrated throughout outpatient care
At FHE Health, outpatient addiction treatment is part of our continuum of care. Outpatient care provides ongoing, structured support while allowing you the flexibility to continue your daily life. Depending on your needs, outpatient treatment can serve as a starting point for recovery or as a step-down level of care after more intensive treatment.
Outpatient care is also well supported by evidence. A SAMHSA advisory notes that intensive outpatient programs can be as effective as more intensive levels of care for most people who are at lower risk of severe withdrawal, have less severe symptoms and don’t require a 24-hour structured setting.
Levels of Outpatient Substance Use Treatment
Outpatient treatment looks different for each patient. FHE Health offers multiple levels of care so the structure you receive matches where you are in treatment.
Our Deerfield Beach campus brings together medical care, psychiatric services, therapy, specialized programs and supportive resources in one treatment community. We develop your treatment plan around your needs, goals, symptoms and circumstances, not a standard program schedule. For a closer look at how these programs fit together, see our guide to PHP and IOP as step-down care.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
PHP provides high-structure day programming for patients who need substantial clinical support but do not require 24-hour residential care. Programming includes about five hours of group therapy per day plus individual services. This makes PHP the more intensive outpatient option, with less flexibility for work, school and other daytime responsibilities.
Patients in PHP have access to:
- Our medical team and psychiatric providers
- Individual and group therapy
- NeuroRehabilitation services
- Family therapy as clinically indicated
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
IOP offers fewer treatment hours and greater scheduling flexibility than PHP. Our Behavioral Health IOP meets Monday through Friday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on our Deerfield Beach campus. Afternoon sessions can make it possible to maintain part-time or full-time employment, attend school or manage family responsibilities, depending on individual clinical needs.
The program provides structured treatment for adults experiencing substance use, mental health and co-occurring concerns who need more support than traditional outpatient therapy. It serves a mixed-gender population. Services include:
- Weekly individual therapy
- Case management support
- Structured group programming focused on recovery, mental health, wellness, coping skills and independent living skills
- Family therapy as clinically indicated
- Stepping down from FHE Health residential substance use treatment or from higher levels of care through Restore Mental Health
- Stepping down from a Partial Hospitalization Program at another facility
- Attending as a commuter from the community
Medical Integration and Psychiatric Oversight in Outpatient Care
Substance use disorders can affect more than behavior. They can involve physical health, mood, anxiety, trauma, sleep, relationships and other areas of your well-being. For patients with co-occurring mental health conditions, addressing substance use without addressing psychiatric concerns can leave important parts of the problem untreated.
We provide both mental health and substance use treatment, allowing patients with co-occurring conditions to receive integrated care.
We also offer NeuroRehabilitation services that use neuroscience-based assessment and treatment to better understand and address patterns of brain function associated with addiction and mental health conditions. Depending on your clinical needs, specialized services may include:
- qEEG brain mapping to measure electrical activity in the brain and identify patterns that may inform treatment
- Neurofeedback training to help patients learn to regulate patterns of brain activity
- Neurostimulation therapy, which uses forms of electrical, magnetic or vibrational stimulation
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
- Insomnia treatment for PTSD for patients whose trauma symptoms include persistent sleep difficulties
Medication-assisted treatment may also be considered for certain substance use disorders. We provide Vivitrol injections for qualifying patients. Patients who want to begin Suboxone can start during detox or residential treatment and be connected with an external provider for ongoing medication management. FHE Health also provides medically supervised detoxification for alcohol and opioids when a higher level of care is needed.
Evidence-Based Clinical Therapies
Therapy at FHE Health is built primarily around cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI), with additional approaches incorporated based on each patient’s needs. Your treatment may include:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Motivational interviewing
- DBT-informed treatment
- EMDR
- Solution-focused therapy
- Family therapy
- Trauma-informed treatment
- Recreational therapy
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Nutrition support
- Breathwork and yoga
Supportive Housing: Sober Living Communities
Outpatient treatment can be easier to navigate when your living environment supports the work you are doing in treatment.
Sober living is different from treatment itself, but it can provide a structured, substance-free environment for patients participating in outpatient care. For some, it offers a useful bridge between intensive treatment and greater independence.
FHE Health offers on-campus housing, with or without meals at additional cost, as well as off-campus living options. Our sober living homes give patients structured routines, shared household responsibilities and professional oversight as they step down through care, whether from residential treatment to PHP or from PHP to IOP.
Getting Treatment for Addiction While Managing Daily Responsibilities
One advantage of outpatient care is the ability to continue addressing important responsibilities outside of treatment.
Depending on your level of care, you may be able to keep working, attend school, spend time with family or handle other obligations while participating in treatment. Whether outpatient care is appropriate depends on your clinical needs, stability and ability to function safely outside a residential setting.
Starting with outpatient care tends to work best when you don’t need medical detox and have a stable, sober home environment. If you need detox or round-the-clock support, residential treatment may be the right first step, with outpatient care to follow. At FHE Health, your treatment team can determine whether PHP, IOP or another level of care is appropriate.
Knowing what outpatient care offers, and where it falls short, can help you decide whether it fits your situation.
- Lifestyle flexibility. Continue work, school or family obligations while in treatment.
- Affordability. Outpatient care typically costs less than residential treatment.
- Different levels of care. Step up or down based on your needs.
- Build community. Establish lasting relationships in a local network.
- Limited supervision. No 24-hour monitoring may not suit those in early or unstable recovery.
- Requires stable home life. An unstable environment can stall recovery.
- Exposure to triggers. Higher risk of encountering substances or stressors.
- Less immediate access to staff. Support is scheduled, not always on call.
Admissions and Insurance Verification for Outpatient Services
Starting treatment can raise practical questions: What level of care do I need? Will my insurance cover treatment? What happens after I call?
Our admissions team will walk you through your options. To help determine the appropriate level of care, we use validated screening tools that assess depression, anxiety, trauma symptoms, suicide risk and withdrawal, along with ASAM Criteria-based level-of-care assessment.
Insurance verification is also part of our admissions process. Our team can review your benefits and explain the next steps for accessing treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Outpatient Addiction Treatment
Continue Your Recovery with FHE Health’s Flexible Outpatient Care in Deerfield Beach, FL
You don’t have to choose between treatment and moving forward with your responsibilities.
FHE Health offers outpatient addiction treatment as part of a broader continuum of medical, psychiatric, therapeutic, neuroscience-based and supportive services. We also offer an alumni program for patients at different stages of recovery.
Whether you need the structure of PHP or the flexibility of IOP, your treatment team can help you find the level of support that fits your clinical needs and where you are today.
Call FHE Health at (833) 596-3502 or fill out our contact form to learn more about outpatient treatment, verify your insurance and determine the right level of care for you.
