Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Maps the thoughts and situations that drive use, panic, or shutdown, and builds replacement skills you can run in the middle of a workday.
Intensive outpatient program · Arlington, VA
Intensive Outpatient Program in Arlington, Virginia
Structured outpatient treatment — about 3 hours a day, 3 to 5 days a week, with morning and evening tracks — for addiction, mental health, and dual diagnosis. Real clinical intensity that still fits around work, school, and family.
- 3 hrs/day · 3–5 days/week
- Day & evening tracks
- Most insurance accepted
What IOP is
Treatment that fits inside a real life
An intensive outpatient program sits between full-day PHP and weekly therapy. You come in for several structured sessions a week — group work, individual therapy, and psychiatric care — and keep your job, your classes, and your household running in between.
That's the advantage. Every skill you learn in group gets tested the same week in the environment you actually live in, while a clinical team is still close enough to catch what slips.
The schedule
About 3 hours a day, 3 to 5 days a week
The structure is the same across all three programs — addiction, mental health, and dual diagnosis. What changes is the focus of your groups and the targets in your individual plan.
Opening
Check-in & goal setting
Each session opens with a check-in on cravings, mood, sleep, and medication, plus a quick review of what happened since the last group — the week between sessions is where IOP is actually tested.
Core
Process & skills group
The heart of the session: facilitated process work and structured CBT or DBT skills training, with relapse-prevention and psychoeducation blocks rotating through the week.
Alongside
Individual therapy & psychiatric time
Weekly individual therapy and scheduled psychiatric or medication check-ins, coordinated with your group work rather than run as a separate track.
Morning, evening, or virtual
Pick the track that doesn't cost you your job
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Morning track
For people on leave, working evening shifts, or stepping down from PHP who want to keep a daytime rhythm.
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Evening track
Built for people holding a full-time job or in school — treatment starts after the workday and still leaves the night intact.
Telehealth · Virginia
Virtual track
Secure telehealth groups for Virginia residents when commuting to Arlington several times a week isn't realistic.
Telehealth programming is available for Virginia residents, since our clinicians are licensed in Virginia. In-person IOP in Arlington is open to Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC residents.
Therapies we use
Evidence-based therapy, several times a week
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness, taught in a sequence across the weeks you're in program.
Relapse-prevention planning
Concrete trigger mapping, craving protocols, and a written plan for the specific people, places, and hours that put you at risk.
EMDR & trauma-focused therapy
Structured trauma processing in individual sessions, paced so it fits alongside work and family rather than destabilizing them.
Group & process therapy
Small facilitated groups with people carrying something similar — the accountability that weekly one-on-one therapy usually can't provide.
Family therapy & education
Sessions that repair communication, set workable boundaries, and teach the people around you what actual support looks like.
Clinical care
Psychiatric and medical care behind the groups
IOP isn't just a busier therapy schedule. Medication, monitoring, and psychiatric review run alongside the group work for as long as you're in program.
Psychiatric evaluation
A board-certified psychiatric evaluation early in your admission, with ongoing review as your plan changes across the program.
Medication management
Our medical staff may prescribe and adjust psychiatric medication for depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and ADHD, with regular follow-up rather than a single prescription.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
For substance use, our medical staff may prescribe Suboxone, Vivitrol, naltrexone, or Antabuse, with dose adjustment handled inside your program schedule.
Drug screening & monitoring
Routine screening used clinically — as information for your treatment plan and, when you need it, documentation for court, employers, or licensing boards.
Three programs, one structure
Addiction, mental health, and dual-diagnosis IOP
Addiction IOP
Group and individual work focused on craving management, trigger mapping, and relapse prevention, with MAT integrated where it's clinically indicated.
Mental health IOP
Structured outpatient care for depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and OCD, built around skills, stabilization, and steady psychiatric follow-up.
Dual-diagnosis IOP
One integrated plan when substance use and a mental health condition feed each other. Same team, same schedule, both conditions treated together.
Who IOP is for
You may be a fit for IOP if you're
- Stepping down from PHP, residential, or detox and needing continued structure while you return to work, school, or family life.
- Stepping up from weekly therapy when once-a-week clearly isn't holding the week together.
- Unable to take a full leave of absence, but honest that a single therapy hour a week isn't enough.
- Safe at home and stable overnight, with a supportive-enough environment to practice what you learn in group.
Levels of care
How IOP compares to PHP and outpatient care
Most people step down through these levels as stability builds — and step back up if things get shaky. You aren't locked into where you start. For a full side-by-side breakdown, read our guide to choosing between PHP and IOP.
- 016 hrs/day · 5 days/week
Partial Hospitalization (PHP)
Our most structured outpatient level. Full-day clinical programming with daily medical and psychiatric oversight.
- 023 hrs/day · 3–5 days/week
Intensive Outpatient (IOP)
Group and individual therapy several times a week, with morning and evening tracks that fit around work, school, and family.
- 03Weekly · ongoing
Outpatient & aftercare
Weekly therapy, medication management, and relapse-prevention groups that keep structure in place long term.
Where we provide care
IOP for Arlington, Alexandria, Washington DC, and beyond
Our center is in Arlington, VA, and we regularly see IOP clients from Alexandria, Washington, DC, Falls Church, McLean, and Fairfax. In-person IOP is open to Virginia, Maryland, and DC residents, and telehealth programming is available throughout Virginia.
Common questions
IOP questions, answered
What does IOP stand for?
IOP stands for intensive outpatient program. It is a structured level of outpatient care — several group and individual sessions each week — designed for people who need more than weekly therapy but do not require the full-day intensity of PHP or a residential bed.
What is the IOP schedule?
Our IOP runs about 3 hours a day, 3 to 5 days a week, with morning and evening tracks. The schedule is available across all three programs — addiction, mental health, and dual diagnosis — and combines group therapy, individual sessions, and clinical care.
Can I keep working during IOP?
Yes — that is largely the point. Our evening track starts after the workday, and the morning track suits people on evening shifts or leave. Most people in IOP keep working or stay in school throughout the program.
How long does IOP last?
Most people spend roughly eight to twelve weeks in IOP, though length of stay follows your clinical progress rather than a fixed number. We reassess continuously and step you down to weekly outpatient care when the structure is no longer what's holding things together.
What is the difference between IOP and PHP?
PHP is more intensive: 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, with daily medical and psychiatric contact. IOP runs about 3 hours a day across 3 to 5 days a week with day and evening options. Many people start in PHP and step down to IOP as they stabilize.
Do you offer virtual IOP?
Telehealth IOP is available for Virginia residents, since our clinicians are licensed in Virginia. In-person IOP at our Arlington center is open to Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC residents.
Is IOP covered by insurance?
Most major commercial plans cover intensive outpatient treatment when it is clinically indicated. Our admissions team verifies your benefits, handles authorization, and tells you your expected cost before you start. Self-pay options are available if you're uninsured.
Can housing be arranged during IOP?
Yes. Optional structured living can be arranged for people who need a stable, substance-free place to stay while in programming, including patients traveling in from elsewhere in Virginia or from Maryland. It is optional, never a requirement.
In-person care at 5400 Shawnee Road, Arlington, VA for VA, MD, and DC residents. Telehealth for Virginia residents only.
When outpatient care is not enough
Detox, residential & inpatient referrals
Sometimes recovery starts with a higher level of care. When detox, residential, or inpatient treatment is the safest first step, we coordinate placement with trusted, vetted providers and take the guesswork out of the handoff.
- Same-day assessment for addiction, mental health, or dual-diagnosis needs
- Matched to a vetted detox, residential, or inpatient provider
- Seamless continuation of care with our outpatient team after discharge
Why families trust our referrals
We only refer to providers we have personally vetted for clinical quality, safety, and clear communication. From the first call to the day you step into treatment, our team walks with you through the process — so you are never left to figure it out alone.
Same day – 24 hrs
placement window
VA, DC, MD
regional partner network
Discharge planning & case management
Treatment doesn't end when the program does
The weeks after a program ends are where progress is most often lost. Our case management team builds the plan that carries you forward — the appointments, paperwork, support network, and practical logistics that keep recovery in place at home, at work, and with the people around you.
Discharge planning from day one
Your aftercare plan starts at intake, not the week you leave. Every step down — PHP to IOP to outpatient — is mapped with your clinical team so there is never a gap between levels of care.
Dedicated case management
A case manager stays with you through the whole episode of care, coordinating between your therapist, prescriber, family, and any outside providers so nothing falls through the cracks.
FMLA, disability & work paperwork
We help complete FMLA, short-term disability, and return-to-work documentation, and coordinate with employers and school administrators when you need protected time for treatment.
Community resource connection
Warm handoffs to local support — 12-step and SMART Recovery meetings, alumni groups, peer support, faith communities, and Arlington-area services rather than a printed list of phone numbers.
Housing, transportation & basic needs
Referrals to sober living and recovery housing, transportation options, food and benefits assistance, and legal or financial resources when stability outside the clinic is part of the plan.
An aftercare plan that covers your whole life
Written plans that address relapse prevention, medication follow-up, primary care, family communication, work or school re-entry, and what to do on the days that get hard.
Get help today
Talk to someone who's done this before
Whether you're calling for yourself or for someone you love, the first conversation is free and completely confidential.
- Admissions — 24/7(571) 586-2883
- Location5400 Shawnee Road, Arlington, VA
Insurance accepted
Insurance coverage for IOP
Intensive outpatient treatment is one of the most widely covered levels of care. We work with Anthem, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Sentara Health Plans, UMR, and Johns Hopkins Health Plans and confirm your approved sessions per week before you start.
Don't see your plan? Call us — we also work with out-of-network benefits and self-pay.