At Longleaf Hospital, we offer an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for adults age 18 and older whose lives have been disrupted by mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We also support those who are struggling with addictions to substances like opioids, alcohol, and cocaine. This program can be beneficial for people who need a more structured therapeutic schedule than they would receive in traditional outpatient therapy but don’t require the round-the-clock care of inpatient treatment. In an IOP, people take part in programming for about half the day most of the week, which offers them the flexibility to carry on with their daily lives with fewer interruptions. This schedule also gives them the chance to practice the skills they are learning in therapy in real-life settings and then get feedback in group and one-on-one counseling sessions. While everyone heals at their own pace, most people participate in the IOP at our hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana, for about two to six weeks. We evaluate everyone individually to decide the best time for them to transition to the next step on their healing journey.
