One man has just finished residential treatment. He feels stronger than he has in years, but a whole day on his own still feels like too much. Another man has a boss who expects him back at work next week. He has tried to quit on his own before, and this time he wants real help that fits around his job.
Both men want what their families want for them, and that is a man back at work and back at the family table. For each of them, the PHP vs IOP choice comes down to how much structure he needs while he heals. If you love a man like either of them, you want a program that treats him with dignity and gives his faith a place in his care.
We run both levels of care at SOZO Recovery Center in Arkansas. A man can start in one level and step into the other as he grows stronger. Our admissions team helps your family find the right starting point on the first call.
What PHP and IOP mean
PHP stands for partial hospitalization program. Our PHP is ASAM Level 2.5, and a man gets 20 or more hours of treatment each week from our clinical team.
The word hospitalization can make a family picture a locked ward. Our PHP is a structured day of treatment. It fits a man who needs daily monitoring or management and does not need 24-hour care.
IOP stands for intensive outpatient program. Our IOP is ASAM Level 2.1, and a man gets at least nine hours of treatment each week. In the name, intensive means he puts real hours into treatment. Outpatient means he keeps living at home, and he sleeps in his own bed and answers to his own alarm clock.
The level numbers come from the ASAM Criteria, the standards the American Society of Addiction Medicine sets for addiction care. Our guide to the ASAM levels of care shows the full scale if you want to see it before you call.
We run four of those levels in one program. Residential treatment is Level 3, PHP is Level 2.5, IOP is Level 2.1 and outpatient care is Level 1, and we also run sober living. A man can move through these levels without leaving our care, and your family deals with one program from the first call on.
PHP vs IOP side by side
When families weigh PHP vs IOP inside our faith-based program, the biggest difference is the number of treatment hours each week.
| PHP | IOP | |
|---|---|---|
| ASAM level | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Hours of treatment each week | 20 or more | At least nine |
| Who it fits | A man who needs daily monitoring or management and does not need 24-hour care | A man who keeps up his work and family commitments during treatment |
| What the week includes | Individual therapy, group counseling, experiential therapy and family therapy | Group counseling, individual counseling, relapse prevention therapy, and drug and alcohol education |
| Christian principles and the 12 steps | Part of the program | Part of the program |
PHP gives a man more time with our clinical team. That daily structure helps a man who still needs our team close at hand while he gets stronger. IOP builds treatment around his job and his home, and it fits a man who is ready to manage more of his week himself.
In both levels, we treat co-occurring disorders at the same time as the addiction. A man who struggles with his mental health beside his drinking or drug use gets help for both in the same plan.
Who fits PHP
Our clinical team assesses each man across the six dimensions in the ASAM Criteria when he comes to us. A man fits PHP when that assessment shows moderate to high risk in at least two of the six dimensions. A man at that level of risk needs the daily care that PHP gives.
You do not have to score these dimensions at your kitchen table. You also do not have to pick the level for him, because the assessment makes the match. Your part is the phone call.
A PHP week includes individual therapy and group counseling, and it also includes experiential therapy and family therapy. We use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) among our methods. Family therapy brings the people who love him into the work, and a wife or a parent gets a real part in his recovery.
For your family, PHP means the man you love has daily contact with a clinical team that knows how he is doing. Our post on what a PHP day looks like shows how those hours fill a real day at SOZO. You can also read about our partial hospitalization program and the care it gives men in Arkansas.
Who fits IOP
IOP fits a man who is ready to keep up his work and family commitments while he stays in treatment. He may be stepping down from PHP, or the assessment may show that IOP is the right place for him to start. Either way, he gets faith-based care from our clinical team.
An IOP week includes group and individual counseling, along with relapse prevention therapy and drug and alcohol education. He puts that work into practice at his job and at home, where his recovery has to hold up.
IOP lets a man keep his paycheck and his place at home while he gets help. Our post on IOP that fits a full-time job shows how a working man makes room for treatment in his week. The page for our intensive outpatient program has the full details on our IOP.
How a man moves between PHP and IOP
The ASAM Criteria call for regular reassessment, and a man moves to a more or less intensive level of care as his progress and needs change. We follow those standards, and our clinical team reassesses each man as he goes.
When a man in PHP is ready for a lighter week, he steps down to IOP inside the same program. He keeps his faith-based approach and his 12-Step work, and your family does not have to look for a new program.
The step can go the other way, too. If a man in IOP needs more support, he can step back up to PHP, because the reassessment works in both directions. His plan changes as he changes, and nobody has to guess when he is ready for the next step.
The other levels work the same way. A man finishing residential treatment can step down into PHP, and a man finishing IOP can step down to outpatient care at Level 1. When a man needs detox first, we coordinate detox placement with partner facilities. Our admissions team then helps him start the level of care with us that fits him next.
Where faith fits in both levels
Our program joins Christian principles and the 12-Step method with evidence-based clinical practice, and a man finds that approach in PHP and in IOP. In PHP, he has more time to put those principles to work with other men in group and with his counselor one on one. In IOP, he takes those principles home and puts them to work at his job and with his family.
For a family of faith, this means the man you love gets clinical care and Christ-centered care from one program. Our admissions team can answer your questions about the faith side of our program when you call.
Questions families ask about PHP and IOP
Is PHP more intense than IOP?
Yes. PHP is ASAM Level 2.5 with 20 or more hours of treatment a week, and IOP is Level 2.1 with at least nine hours a week. PHP also gives a man daily monitoring or management from our clinical team. IOP gives him fewer hours with us and more time at work and at home.
Do you have to do IOP after PHP?
Not always. The ASAM Criteria call for regular reassessment, and our clinical team uses it to match a man to the level that fits him when he is ready to leave PHP. Inside our program, IOP is the next level down from PHP, and a man who is ready for less structure can step down to it.
Is PHP better than IOP?
Neither level is better for every man. The right answer to PHP vs IOP is the level that matches what a man needs today, and our assessment shows which one that is. Both are SOZO programs, and he can move between them as his needs change. Our admissions team can talk through both levels with you on the phone.
Can a man keep his job during IOP?
Yes. A man in IOP keeps up his work and family commitments during treatment. Tell our admissions team about his job when you call, and we will keep it in mind as we help you find his level of care.
Start with one call to our admissions team
Starting takes one phone call, whether you are calling about your husband, your son, your brother or your father. You do not have to settle PHP vs IOP first. Call our admissions team at 501-984-5317, and we will listen to what is going on. Then our clinical team assesses him and matches him to the level of care that fits.
The admissions team also checks your family’s coverage on that first call. If a man is in danger right now, call 911. You can learn about our admissions process before you pick up the phone. Our main office is at 505 West Grand Avenue, Hot Springs, AR 71901.
If you are the man reading this, you can make that call yourself. You do not have to keep trying to quit on your own. Whether you start in PHP or in IOP, we want the same thing for you. We want you back at work, and we want the chair at the family table to be yours again.