Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
Our most intensive outpatient program. Teens spend the day in treatment and return home every evening.
What it is
PHP is our highest level of outpatient care. It is for teens who are medically stable and safe at home while needing focused clinical attention during the day.
The program runs during the day, Monday through Friday, 9am–3pm, more than IOP. Teens come to Joshua Tree in the morning and go home each evening, so family life remains part of treatment.
PHP is often the right fit in two situations: when a teen needs more support than IOP can provide, and when a teen is stepping down from inpatient, residential, or emergency care and needs structure during that transition.
Most teens are in PHP for about 2 to 6 weeks and step down into IOP as they stabilize. Length of stay is decided with the teen, family, and treatment team and reviewed throughout care.
Because PHP runs during the school day, school attendance is paused while your teen is in the program. Our educational liaison works with you and your teen's school to plan for that pause and for the return to class afterward.
What it includes
- Group therapy during the day, Monday through Friday, 9am–3pm
- DBT and CBT skills practice
- Nervous system regulation and somatic work (experiential therapy)
- Art therapy and music therapy (expressive therapy)
- Mindfulness practice, including nature walks at our lakeside Apex location
- Individual therapy alongside the group program
- Family therapy sessions
- An educational liaison who helps plan for the pause in school attendance
- Care coordination with outside providers, as clinically indicated
- Discharge planning and transition support, often into IOP
Who it's for
- Teens whose symptoms need more support than IOP provides
- Teens stepping down from inpatient, residential, or emergency care
- Adolescents ages 10–17
Programming is developmentally appropriate across ages 10–17, and our admissions team will explain how groups are organized for your child's age.
For parents
What parents need to know
Do they go home every evening?
Yes, every night. PHP is outpatient care, and your teen sleeps at home for the length of the program.
What happens with school?
School attendance is paused while your teen is in PHP, since the program runs during the school day. Our educational liaison works with you and your teen's school to plan for that pause and for the return to class afterward.
How involved will I be?
Family therapy is part of the work, and you'll have regular contact with your teen's treatment team while they're in the program.
What does the day look like?
Days run 9am–3pm, Monday through Friday. Groups follow the same three-part structure used across our programs: processing with peers, DBT and CBT skills practice with nervous system regulation, and experiential work with art, music, somatic exercises, and mindfulness. Individual therapy runs alongside the group program.
What happens after PHP?
Most teens step down into IOP as they stabilize. Discharge planning starts early, and transition decisions are made with the teen, family, and treatment team.
Questions parents ask
What's the difference between PHP and IOP?
Does my teen go home at night?
What happens to school during PHP?
How long does PHP last?
How quickly can we start?
Does insurance cover PHP?
Not sure if PHP is the right level?
Describe what is happening now. A licensed therapist will assess which level fits, and admissions will explain the schedule and cost before care begins.
