Outpatient Day Treatment or Partial Hospitalization

Addiction is a complicated mental health condition that calls for a rigorous and long-lasting treatment program. The treatment program consists of several stages, often beginning with a medically supervised detox and ending with regular peer-support group meetings for maintenance. Outpatient day treatment, or partial hospitalization, often serves as a transitional step between time spent in an inpatient treatment program or intensive outpatient treatment program and outpatient treatment.

This level of treatment requires that the patient commit to treatment sessions that can last up to eight hours a day, five to seven days a week. This accommodates the patient’s need for the integration of healthy habits and coping skills into the patient’s home life, while he or she spends the nights sleeping in his or her own familiar bed. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration acknowledges, “Clients who remain within a system of ongoing care relevant to their needs are more likely to maintain their gains in abstinence and overall lifestyle changes.”

In outpatient day treatment or partial hospitalization, patients sincerely engage in a structured program designed to strengthen one’s journey in recovery. If enough progress isn’t made or a relapse occurs, a transition to a more appropriately intense addiction program may be recommended or required in more severe cases.