Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in Massachusetts
Our mental health intensive outpatient program (IOP) in Sharon, Massachusetts, runs three to five days a week, three hours a day, with day and evening blocks built around work and family. Group therapy, individual sessions, and medication management on one team, in person or by secure telehealth across Massachusetts.
- 3 to 5 days, 3 hours a day Day and evening blocks that fit around a job
- Therapy + medication CBT, DBT skills, ACT, EMDR, and a prescriber on the same team
- In person, virtual, or hybrid Sharon, MA, five minutes off I-95, or from home by secure video
- Joint Commission accredited Most insurance accepted; we verify your benefits
An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is mental health treatment that runs three to five days a week, three hours a day, so you can get far more than weekly therapy without stepping away from work, school, or family. At Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health in Sharon, MA, IOP combines group therapy, individual sessions, and medication management on one team, in person or by secure video.
It is for adults whose depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, or stress has outgrown a weekly appointment, and for people stepping down from our partial hospitalization program or a hospital stay. Call 855.520.0531 or verify your insurance online to find out if IOP is the right level.
Who an intensive outpatient program is for
IOP is the middle level of care: at least nine hours of treatment a week, more structure than a therapist’s office, less than a full program day.1 People arrive from both directions.
- Stepping up. Weekly therapy, with or without medication, has been in place for months and the symptoms are not moving.
- Stepping down. You are finishing PHP or leaving a hospital stay and need several days a week of support before going back to once-a-week care.
- Still working. You are getting through the workday but not much else, and you need treatment that fits around a job rather than replacing it.
- Safe at home. You have a stable place to live and do not need round-the-clock supervision, but you need more than one hour a week.
If you are not sure whether you need IOP or PHP, the intake assessment settles it. If you are in immediate danger, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room first.
What a day in our mental health IOP looks like
Each session is three hours. Most people attend three days a week to start and adjust from there, with day and evening options so the schedule fits around work.
- Check-in. How the days between sessions went, where your mood is, and what you want from today.
- Skills group. Structured teaching from DBT and CBT: emotion regulation, distress tolerance, catching and testing the thoughts that drive anxiety and depression.
- Process group. Working through what is actually happening in your life with people doing the same, led by a clinician.
- Individual therapy. One-on-one sessions with your therapist to apply the group work to your situation.
- Medication management. Check-ins with a prescriber when medication is part of your plan, coordinated with your therapy.
- Homework. Specific things to try between sessions, because IOP works by practicing skills in your real week and bringing the results back.
In person, virtual, or hybrid IOP in Massachusetts
Every part of IOP runs in person at our Sharon center and over secure video through our telehealth program. Some people attend entirely from home. Others come in some days and log in on others, or switch to virtual on the days the commute is the problem.
You choose the format at intake and can change it as you go.
IOP vs. PHP: which program fits
Both programs use the same therapies and the same team. The difference is how much of your week they take.
| Intensive outpatient (IOP) | Partial hospitalization (PHP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | 3 to 5 days a week, 3 hours a day | 5 days a week, 5 hours a day |
| Best for | Symptoms that weekly therapy has not moved, with room to keep working | Symptoms that have stopped daily life, or the first weeks after a hospital stay |
| Work and school | Usually continues | Usually paused during the program |
| Format | In person, virtual, or hybrid | In person, virtual, or hybrid |
| What comes next | Step down to a continuing-care plan | Step down to IOP |
Our post on PHP vs. IOP walks through the decision, and IOP vs. individual therapy covers the other boundary.
Conditions treated in our intensive outpatient program
- Depression, including treatment-resistant depression. Our post on whether IOP works for depression covers what the research shows.
- Anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, OCD
- Bipolar disorder
- PTSD and complex PTSD, with EMDR available
- Adjustment and stress disorders, including burnout that has become something more
- Co-occurring conditions, since most people arrive with more than one
How long an intensive outpatient program lasts
Length depends on how you respond rather than a fixed calendar, and your plan is reviewed with you as you go. The schedule usually eases as things stabilize: five days a week can become three, and three can become a continuing-care plan with the same clinicians.
IOP is designed to end with you still in treatment at a lower intensity, not to end abruptly. Nothing you built in the program gets dropped at the door.
How to start an intensive outpatient program
- Call or send the form. An admissions specialist talks through what has been happening and answers your questions. The call is confidential, and a family member can make it on your behalf.
- Verify benefits. We check your insurance, explain any out-of-pocket cost, and handle authorizations. You can also verify online first. Our post on whether insurance covers IOP explains how the cost side works.
- Assessment. A licensed clinician meets with you, in person or by video, to confirm IOP is the right level and build your initial plan. You do not need a referral.
- Your schedule. You pick the days and the day or evening block that fit your week, and we set a start date.
IOP near Boston: getting to Sharon, MA
Our center is at 374 Old Post Road, Sharon, MA 02067, five minutes off I-95 and close to Route 1, within a short drive of Norwood, Canton, Stoughton, Foxborough, Walpole, Mansfield, Easton, Dedham, Westwood, and Brockton. Sharon also has an MBTA Commuter Rail stop on the Providence line for anyone coming from Boston or Providence by train. If the drive is the problem, the virtual and hybrid options remove it.
Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health is accredited by The Joint Commission and is in-network with most major insurance plans. Verify your benefits online or call 855.520.0531 and we will do it for you.
Footnotes:
- Medicare.gov. Intensive Outpatient Program Services. Describes IOP as a level of care between once-weekly therapy and inpatient or partial hospitalization care, with at least 9 hours of therapeutic services each week. medicare.gov
Starting IOP in Massachusetts, step by step
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Call or verify your insurance
A confidential call with an admissions specialist. We check your benefits, handle any authorization, and answer your questions. No referral needed.
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Clinical assessment
A licensed clinician meets with you in person or by video to confirm IOP is the right level and build your initial plan.
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Pick your IOP schedule
Three to five days a week, three hours a session, in a day or evening block, in person in Sharon or by telehealth.
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Group, individual, and medication
Skills groups and process groups built on CBT and DBT, individual therapy, and medication management when it is part of your plan.
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Step down and continuing care
As things stabilize, five days becomes three, and three becomes a continuing-care plan with the same clinicians.
Specialists in this care
Frequently asked questions about an IOP
What is an intensive outpatient program?
An IOP is structured mental health treatment that runs several days a week for a few hours at a time, so you keep living at home and, usually, keep working. Ours runs three to five days a week, three hours a day, and includes group therapy, individual sessions, and medication management when it is needed. It sits between weekly therapy and a partial hospitalization program.
How many hours a week is IOP?
Nine to fifteen. Each session is three hours, and most people attend three days a week to start, adjusting up to five when more support is needed and back down as things stabilize.
Can I work while in an IOP?
Yes. That is the point of the format. Sessions run in day and evening blocks so you can attend before or after work, and the virtual option removes the commute. If you need time off for the first week or two, medical leave or workplace accommodations are common ways to cover it.
What is the difference between IOP and PHP?
Hours. IOP is three to five days a week, three hours a day; PHP is five days a week, five hours a day. IOP is for symptoms weekly therapy has not moved while you keep working. PHP is for symptoms that have stopped daily life or the first weeks after a hospital stay, and most people step down from PHP into IOP. Our post on PHP vs. IOP goes deeper.
Is there a virtual IOP option?
Yes. The full program runs over secure video through our telehealth program, and you can go hybrid: some days in Sharon, some days from home. You choose the format at intake and can change it as you go.
Is IOP covered by insurance?
Most insurance plans cover intensive outpatient treatment when it is medically necessary, often with prior authorization that we handle for you. Verify your insurance online or call us and we will check. Our post on whether insurance covers IOP explains deductibles, copays, and what IOP costs without coverage.
Does IOP work for depression?
IOP is one of the most common levels of care for depression that weekly therapy has not moved, because it adds frequency, group support, and coordinated medication management without a hospital stay. Our post on IOP for depression covers who benefits most.
Do I need a referral to start IOP?
No. Most people call us directly, and a family member can make the first call on your behalf. We can also coordinate with a therapist or psychiatrist you already see.
Can I use FMLA or workplace accommodations for IOP?
Many clients are able to use medical leave or accommodations, our team can help guide you.
We accept most insurance plans
We work with most major insurers so you can focus on getting better, not on paperwork. Verify your benefits today. It only takes a minute and it's completely confidential.
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