01
In Sessions
Individual and group therapy on a schedule that works around the school day, with CBT, DBT, and family work at a lower intensity. Then your teen goes home to their own bed each night.
Teen Outpatient Treatment
Your teen sleeps in their own bed and comes to our Southern California campus after school. Outpatient care can be a step down from our residential houses, or a starting point when nights at home feel manageable.
- 6-12 weeks
- Ages 12-17
- After school
- Joint Commission accredited
- Family-owned since 2021
What this is
Treatment During The Day, Home At Night
This is not a lighter version of residential care, and it is not a video-call program. Your teen comes to our Southern California campus after school, works with licensed therapists, and goes home for the night. It often follows a stay in our houses, with a team that already knows your teen, and it can also be the right starting point when nights are not the main concern.
When this level of care fits
- 01
Nights At Home Feel Manageable
You feel comfortable going to sleep at night, and meals are not a crisis. Your teen's week can often wait until the next session.
- 02
They Are Still Attending School
Your teen can get through a day at their own school. They need treatment alongside school, and not a year away from it, so their daily routine can stay in place.
- 03
Stepping Down After Residential
The residential stay builds a foundation, and the next few months can be about practicing at home with clinicians who already know your teen.
- 04
Your Family Can Participate
Group sessions, family work, and coaching all happen in the same week. Outpatient treatment works best when both your teen and the parents take part.
- 05
The Hardest Hours Are Not Overnight
Mood, anxiety, or a pattern that after-school sessions can reach often fits here. If two in the morning is when things feel hardest, this is not the right level of care.
- 06
Honest Guidance If It Is Not Enough
If outpatient starts and the week becomes too hard, Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will recommend residential care instead of stretching this level past what it can safely offer.
Weekly life
Where Treatment Happens Each Week
Therapy sessions happen on this campus, while evenings and nights happen at home, where we do not have staff. The clinical work is the same, at a lower intensity.
02
With Family
Parents join family therapy and coaching between sessions, since you are your teen's overnight support at this level of care. Your role goes beyond dropping them off.
03
At Home
Your home becomes part of the treatment. We write a plan for phone use, Sunday evenings, and coping skills, then review with you whether it is helping.
Our approach
What This Level Of Care Includes
Built for teens who can do this work while sleeping at home. Sessions take place in person on our campus, and this is not a video-call program.
- Core of the plan
After School, On This Campus
Session times leave the school day in place, and we coordinate with the district when the plan calls for a school counselor to be involved.
The Same Therapies, Fewer Hours
CBT, DBT, and family therapy in the same mix as residential care, at a lower intensity, for teens who can sleep safely at home.
Family Still In The Plan
Sessions and coaching keep you involved at each step, so you are part of the work alongside your teen's clinicians.
A Written Plan For Home
The bedroom, the phone, Sunday evening, and your teen's friendships all go into the treatment plan. If the plan is not working, we talk with you openly about the next level of care.
- When needed
Honest Guidance If More Support Is Needed
If nights become hard again, we do not keep stretching outpatient care. Residential care on this campus is the other option, and we will tell you so.
Your part
You Hold The Hours Outside Our Sessions
Outpatient treatment has no overnight staff, so your participation is the other half of the program. You are your teen's steady support in the hours after they leave campus.
It's their appointment.
Being In The Sessions
Family therapy is half of this work, because a teen-only hour can only reach so far in a household we do not see.
We'll see how it goes.
Reviewing The Home Plan
We check the written weekly plan in session. If it is not working, we tell you early rather than waiting.
Figure out Sunday later.
Sunday Is Part Of The Plan
The first weekend after stepping down is often the biggest test. We write that plan before your teen leaves residential care.
Academics
They Stay At Their Own School
This program runs alongside the school your teen already attends. We do not enroll outpatient teens in our on-site school, and your teen stays with their own classes.
Their Own Campus
Your teen stays enrolled where they are, and we speak with their counselors when the plan calls for the school to be involved.
Hours That Fit Around School
Sessions run after school. If your teen cannot get through a school day at all, this is not the right level of care.
Working With An IEP Or 504
Please send us whatever they already have. We work with that plan instead of creating a separate one.
Please send your teen's current schedule and any IEP or 504 plan.
Length of stay
6
weeks, as a step-down or first course
Most courses run six to twelve weeks. We do not set an end date before the work is done.
12
How Long A Course Runs
A typical course runs six to twelve weeks, longer when stepping down from residential and shorter when the goal is narrow. We do not set an end date before the work is done. If the week becomes too hard, we will recommend residential care on this campus. Virtual IOP is a separate option when the drive is the main obstacle.
- The first two weeks focus on finding the right fit and writing a plan for home, with no pressure for a quick breakthrough.
- Most teens finish in six to twelve weeks, and some continue longer. We do not keep stretching a level of care that is not working.
- Aftercare means a next therapist and a family who already knows the approach, a steady handoff and not a quick goodbye.
When to call
Call Us. We'll Tell You If This House Fits.
If your teen can stay home and still do the work, or they are leaving our residential houses and need a next step, we're here to help. Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will be honest about which level fits. If the drive is the obstacle, our virtual IOP page is the place to look. If nights at home cannot be supervised safely, residential care is the better fit.
Before you call
The Details Families Ask About First
- Who treats your teen
- Clinical care is led by Alejandro Alva, M.D., our Medical Director, and Stacia Ponce-Rodriguez, LMFT, our Clinical Director.Meet the team
- Cost and insurance
- We verify your benefits at no cost before anyone is asked to commit, with plans including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, Cigna, GEHA, and Magellan. Benefits vary by plan, and verification is not a guarantee of coverage.How admissions works
- How progress is tracked
- Your teen's treatment plan is reviewed as their progress changes, and the next step is planned around that progress instead of a set date.
- Where we are
- Our three homes are in Orange County and Riverside County in Southern California. Families can tour them by appointment through admissions.Tour the homes
FAQ
Questions About Teen Outpatient Treatment
Answers to what parents often ask before calling about after-school outpatient care. If your question is not here, admissions can talk it through with you.
Who is outpatient treatment a good fit for?
Outpatient care fits teens ages 12 to 17 who can get through a day at their own school and sleep safely at home. It can be a step down from our residential houses or a first step.
Will my teen still go to their own school?
Yes, your teen stays enrolled at their own school, and sessions run after school on our Southern California campus. We do not enroll outpatient teens in our on-site school.
How long does an outpatient course usually last?
A typical course runs six to twelve weeks, longer when stepping down from residential and shorter when the goal is narrow. We do not set an end date before the work is done.
What is our role at home during outpatient?
Outpatient treatment has no overnight staff, so you are your teen's steady support after they leave campus. You join family therapy and coaching, and we review a written plan for home with you.
What if outpatient is not enough for my teen?
If nights at home cannot be supervised safely, residential care on this campus is the better fit. Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will tell you so instead of stretching outpatient care.