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Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) in Los Angeles

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Full-Day Addiction & Mental Health Treatment

A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a structured day treatment program for adults who need more support than weekly therapy provides but do not need 24-hour supervision. You attend treatment during the day, then go home or to sober living at night.

At Legacy Healing Center in Los Angeles, our PHP runs Monday through Saturday. It combines daily group therapy with individual counseling, family services, wellness therapies, and psychiatric care when a client’s needs call for it. In this guide, we explain what the program involves day to day, how it compares with our other levels of care, and what happens after you complete it.

Location

7543 Woodley Ave, Van Nuys, CA

Weekly Schedule

Monday - Saturday
9:00AM-3:30PM

Group Size

10-12
people per group

Coverage

We Accept Most
Major Providers

What Is a Partial Hospitalization Program?

A partial hospitalization program is a full-day level of addiction treatment that does not include an overnight stay. The ASAM Criteria, the framework many states and insurers use to match people with a level of care, classify our program as Level 2.5. Level 2.5 programs generally deliver at least 20 hours of structured treatment each week.

Our Los Angeles program runs about six hours a day, six days a week, which comes to roughly 36 hours. That is well above the Level 2.5 threshold, and it is the main way our PHP differs from intensive outpatient care. The extra hours give you more contact with clinicians and peers during the day, while your evenings stay available for home life.

Clients reach PHP from different points in their treatment. Some step down from residential care and need more structure than outpatient therapy can offer. Others enter PHP directly, provided they are medically stable and need intensive support while living at home or in sober living. Either way, the design is the same: you spend the day in structured treatment, then apply what you learn in your own routine.

That cycle is central to how we work. You practice coping strategies outside program hours and return each day, which builds emotional resilience, sharper decision-making, and confidence in sustaining recovery.

What to Expect in Legacy’s PHP

Our PHP is made up of several parts that work together across the week. This section walks through each one, starting with the group work that fills most of the day and ending with the practical support that keeps treatment workable alongside your life. Each part connects to the others, so it helps to read them in order.

1. Daily Group Therapy

Groups form the backbone of the day. We run groups on themes such as relapse prevention, emotional regulation, relationship dynamics, and goal setting, and most of the morning and afternoon blocks are spent in them. Hearing how other people handle similar problems often makes an idea click in a way a clinician’s explanation alone cannot.
Groups also give you regular practice speaking openly and receiving feedback. For many people in early recovery, that is a difficult skill at first. It becomes easier with repetition, especially in a room where everyone is working on the same kind of problem.

2. Individual Counseling

Every client also works one on one with a licensed therapist. Individual sessions give you room to talk about your personal history, your specific triggers, and goals that do not fit neatly into a group. Your therapist can also connect what you are learning in group to your own situation, so the group material stays personal.

3. Psychiatric Care and Medication Management

When a client has mental health or dual diagnosis needs, psychiatric care becomes part of the plan. In practice, that means reviewing current medications, watching for side effects, and adjusting treatment as symptoms change. If you already have a prescriber, your case manager can coordinate with them, so your care stays consistent across providers.

4. Family Services

Addiction affects the people around a client as well, so we include family in the process. Our family services offer psychoeducation that helps relatives understand addiction and recovery. They also include facilitated sessions with loved ones and family therapy. Families who take part learn what their loved one is working on and how they can support that work at home.

5. Wellness Therapies

Alongside the clinical work, we offer wellness therapies such as yoga, meditation, art therapy, and fitness sessions. These give you other ways to handle stress and emotion, through the body and through creative expression. Some people find those routes easier than talking a problem through, and they give you tools you can use outside program hours.

6. Case Management

Our case managers help with the practical problems that can disrupt recovery. That includes employment, housing, legal matters, and coordination with outside providers. If you need to plan around work or school, raise it early, so your schedule and your treatment plan fit together from the start.

A Day in the Los Angeles PHP

Our program runs Monday through Saturday, and each day follows the same two-block structure. The morning block runs from 9 a.m. to noon, and the afternoon block runs from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. A catered lunch is provided each day between the two blocks.

Each block carries a theme for the day. The themes repeat every week, while the specific groups inside them follow the four-week rotation covered later in this guide. The tables below show what each day focuses on, so you can see how the week builds.

Each morning block centers on one theme, and the table shows what that theme covers on each day.

Day

Morning theme

What the group covers

Monday

Disease model and other theories of addiction

Compares how different frameworks explain addiction, including the view that addiction is a chronic brain disease and the moral model, which treats substance use mainly as a matter of choice and responsibility.

Tuesday

Seeking Safety

Takes a present-focused approach to trauma and substance use. It teaches coping and safety skills without requiring you to recount traumatic events in detail.

Wednesday

Relapse prevention

Helps you identify warning signs, high-risk situations, and early triggers, then practice a response to each. The goal is a written plan you can use outside the program.

Thursday

Co-dependency, enabling, and support networks

Explains how people close to a client can unintentionally support continued use, and how to build relationships that help recovery.

Friday

Coping and life skills development

Covers practical tools for daily life, including stress management, routines, clear communication, and step-by-step problem solving.

Saturday

12-step education

Explains how programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous work, what the steps involve, and how peer meetings run. You decide for yourself how to use that information.

The afternoon block follows the same pattern, with a single theme for each day.

Day

Afternoon theme

What the group covers

Monday

Anger management

Uses the idea of an anger iceberg. Anger often sits on top of hurt, fear, or shame, and you learn to recognize what lies beneath the visible reaction.

Tuesday

Stages of change

Helps you place yourself on the path from not yet considering a change to maintaining one over time. Knowing your stage helps your team choose the next kind of support.

Wednesday

Identifying and working through trauma

Explains how trauma can affect mood, sleep, relationships, and substance use. You identify your own patterns and learn to work with trauma reminders in daily life.

Thursday

Managing difficult emotions with DBT skills

Teaches emotional regulation and distress tolerance, drawn from dialectical behavior therapy. You practice the skills in group, then use them outside program hours.

Friday

Decreasing risk

Focuses on practical steps that lower the risk of harm from substance use and from high-risk situations. You identify where your risks are highest and plan around them.

Saturday

Wellness versus the absence of disease

Explores the difference between not using and being well. You look at physical health, sleep, relationships, and purpose, which support long-term recovery alongside sobriety.

Community meetings run each day with a theme of their own. They give you a shared, lower-pressure setting to practice connection without substances, and they sit apart from the clinical groups.

Day

Community meeting theme

Monday

Goal setting

Tuesday

Sober fun, with activities such as Legacy Olympics, Game Time, Recovery Jeopardy, and Brain Games

Wednesday

Getting moving

Thursday

Mindfulness

Friday

Client awards and milestone coins

Saturday

Recovery readings

The Four-Week Group Rotation

Our group topics follow a four-week rotation, so the groups you attend in week one differ from those in week three. Every week also includes a gender group or mixed cohort session. The table below lays out each week, and the paragraphs after it explain how the weeks build on one another. 

WeekMorning groupsAfternoon groups
Week oneAddiction and the brain: the disease model; the link between PTSD and addiction; building a relapse prevention plan; identifying healthy relationships; new client orientation on treatment educationThe anger iceberg and affect recognition; recognizing what lies beneath; understanding motivation and your stage of change; psychoeducation on trauma; mindfulness; new client orientation on why recovery matters
Week twoPost-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS); detaching from emotional pain and building self-compassion; the DAM steps and stepwork; developing boundaries and refusal skills; CBT and the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviorsFour strategies to solve a problem and practicing radical acceptance; positive and negative reinforcement and consequences; combating shame and how trauma is treated; distress tolerance; lowering your risk for other health conditions.
Week threeThe moral model and responding to stigma; integrating the split self and creating meaning; everything is spiritual; healing families and the impact of addiction; behavioral activationBuilding awareness of our resentments; building internal and external motivation; identifying and coping with trauma reminders and triggers; emotional regulation and staying in wise mind; developing a personal recovery plan
Week fourAddiction is complex: the biopsychosocial model; red and green flags; the journey forward and putting your plan into action; SMART goals; self-esteem and self-love; cognitive coping and challenging cognitive distortionsCoping in the moment with cognitive and behavioral strategies; how to change behaviors through solution chain analysis; building resilience and reducing the impact of trauma; interpersonal effectiveness and assertive communication; evaluating your decision and reservations about long-term recovery

Week one builds the foundation. It introduces how addiction works, connects trauma to substance use, and gives you your first practice identifying triggers and building a relapse plan. The two orientation groups in that week make sure you understand the program before the rotation moves on.

Week two moves into skills. You learn how thoughts and behaviors shape each other, how to set boundaries, and how to handle distress without reaching for substances.

Week three turns toward meaning and motivation. The group on the moral model and stigma, the session on healing families, and the work on resentments and motivation all address why change feels hard and what keeps people going. Week four pulls these threads together by focusing on the skills you will carry forward, including a recovery plan you can put into action after discharge.

The Therapies Behind the Groups

Our groups draw on several evidence-based therapies, and each one teaches a different kind of skill. This section explains the main approaches we use and where you will see them in the week. Knowing the approach behind a group makes it easier to get more out of each session.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT shows how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect one another. In our groups, you learn to notice distorted thinking, test it against the facts, and replace it with a more accurate thought. You will see this work in the week two CBT session and in the week four cognitive coping topic.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT gives us a set of skills across four areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Our Thursday afternoon group on managing difficult emotions is built on these skills, and several topics in the rotation draw on them too. You practice the skills in group and then use them between treatment days.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a conversational approach that helps you explore your own reasons for change. Our clinicians ask questions that bring out your goals and the costs of continued use. The approach works from your own reasons rather than trying to argue you into recovery.

EMDR for Trauma

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, known as EMDR, is a structured therapy for trauma-related distress. We offer it as part of our PHP for clients whose treatment plan includes trauma work. If you have a trauma history, you can raise EMDR with your clinical team to see whether it fits your plan.

Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma-informed care means the whole program is designed with trauma in mind. That shapes how our staff communicate with you and how the groups are structured. You receive psychoeducation about trauma, help identifying your triggers, and support for building resilience.

Relapse Prevention, Stages of Change, and Mindfulness

These three approaches run through several groups. Relapse prevention focuses on warning signs and planned responses. Stages of change helps you see where you are in the process of change and what the next step looks like. Mindfulness trains your attention to the present moment, which supports the emotional skills taught in DBT and gives you a steadier base for the rest of the day.

What the Research Says About PHP

Research on partial hospitalization for substance use is still limited, and we want you to know that before you read our summary. The studies available are small and specific, so they guide how we run the program more than they predict how any one person will do. This section explains what the evidence shows and what it does not.

Much of the outcome research on substance use treatment comes from intensive outpatient settings. Much less is known about relapse after partial hospital treatment specifically. The most direct study we found on this question followed 113 adults entering an alcohol and drug partial hospital program in New England, published in the Journal of Substance Use in 2017.

That program lasted about a week on average, which may not match a longer program like ours. One month after discharge, 62 of the 89 participants who completed follow-up, about 70 percent, reported abstinence. Two findings stand out from that study. Participants who saw a mental health provider more often were more likely to be abstinent, and so were participants who attended more 12-step meetings. Baseline drinking levels and symptoms of depression or anxiety did not predict outcomes.

The study ran at a single site with a small sample, followed people for one month, and had no comparison group. Its findings point to the importance of what happens after treatment, but they cannot tell us how a longer program would perform.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse publishes research-based treatment principles. Among them, treatment must last long enough to produce stable behavioral changes, and continuity of care is essential. That guide was written for people in the criminal justice system, so we treat it as general guidance rather than evidence about PHP itself.

Clinical note: The clearest lesson from the study is that follow-through matters. People who kept up with mental health visits and 12-step meetings after discharge did better. That is why aftercare planning at Legacy starts before a client leaves.

Who PHP Is For, and When It Is Not Enough

PHP works well for some people and not for others, and we would rather you know which group you fall into before you start. This section describes the clients who tend to benefit most from our program and the situations where a different level of care is safer. Reading both sides will help you judge whether our PHP fits what you need right now.

Who Tends to Do Well in Our PHP

Clients who do well in our PHP are usually stepping down from residential care, are in early recovery and need more than weekly therapy, or are dealing with a relapse and need to stabilize. Many also have a co-occurring condition such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD that needs treatment alongside substance use. They have a home or sober living setting that supports sobriety and makes daily attendance workable.

When a Higher Level of Care Is Safer

PHP may not be enough if you need 24-hour medical monitoring or medically managed withdrawal. Clients who are not yet medically stable usually start with luxury detox or residential care, and we make that call during intake. PHP is also the wrong fit if you need immediate safety support or cannot travel to the facility each day.If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 at any hour.

Who Tends to Do Well in Our PHP

Clients who do well in our PHP are usually stepping down from residential care, are in early recovery and need more than weekly therapy, or are dealing with a relapse and need to stabilize. Many also have a co-occurring condition such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD that needs treatment alongside substance use. They have a home or sober living setting that supports sobriety and makes daily attendance workable.

When a Higher Level of Care Is Safer

PHP may not be enough if you need 24-hour medical monitoring or medically managed withdrawal. Clients who are not yet medically stable usually start with luxury detox or residential care, and we make that call during intake. PHP is also the wrong fit if you need immediate safety support or cannot travel to the facility each day.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 at any hour.

Clinical note: Needing more help than you have right now is a reasonable decision. What matters is which level of care fits your medical and emotional needs today. An assessment answers that question better than guessing from a list.

How PHP Compares With IOP, Outpatient, and Residential Care

Each level of care asks for a different amount of time and a different amount of support, and most people move between them as their needs change. This section compares our PHP with our intensive outpatient, outpatient, and residential programs, so you can see where PHP fits in the sequence.

The ASAM Criteria give a useful reference point for hours. Standard outpatient care provides fewer than nine hours a week, and Level 2.1 intensive outpatient provides nine to nineteen hours. Our PHP sits above both, and our residential program adds 24-hour support on top of structured treatment.

Level of care

Weekly time commitment

Overnight stay

Typical fit

Standard outpatient

Fewer than 9 hours

No

Lower-intensity needs, or continuing care after a higher level

Intensive outpatient (IOP)

About 9 to 15 hours, three to five days

No

Step-down from PHP or residential care, or a work or school schedule

Partial hospitalization (PHP)

About 36 hours, Monday through Saturday

No

Daily structure in early recovery or after residential care

Residential

At least 25 clinical hours, with 24-hour support

Yes

Round-the-clock support, typically 30 to 45 days

The main differences come down to hours and where you sleep. Our PHP has more weekly hours than our IOP, and residential care keeps you at the facility overnight. You can learn more about our intensive outpatient program, residential treatment, and outpatient care. 

Choosing Between These Levels

Four factors matter most when choosing a level of care: medical stability, the level of risk you face, your home environment, and your work or school demands. Someone who is medically stable, has a supportive home, and needs more than weekly therapy often fits PHP well. Someone with a demanding job and steady daily routines may do well in IOP. Someone who needs round-the-clock support belongs in residential care. Your clinical assessment weighs these factors together, so the choice reflects your whole situation. 

Benefits and Trade-Offs of PHP

PHP offers real advantages, and it also asks more of your time and your home life than some other levels of care. This section lays out both sides, so you can weigh them against your own situation before you decide.

What Our PHP Offers

Our PHP keeps you in your own environment at night, so you can practice skills in real life on the same day you learn them. It gives you frequent contact with clinicians and peers, which makes it easier for us to notice problems early. Psychiatric care and medication management are available during treatment days when clinically appropriate. For many clients, PHP also bridges residential care and independent living, so the return home happens gradually rather than all at once. 

What to Weigh Before You Start

The schedule takes about six hours a day, six days a week, which leaves little room for full-time work. Plan your finances and responsibilities before you begin. Daily travel is part of the program too, so consider the commute in advance. Finally, PHP depends on a home or sober living setting that supports your recovery, because your evenings are part of treatment as well. 

Your First Week in PHP

Your first week is designed to move you from the decision to start into a working routine. It involves four steps, and each one feeds the next, so the sections below follow the order you will experience them. Knowing the sequence in advance can make the first few days feel less uncertain.

Admissions

Your first contact is with our admissions team, who will talk with you about your situation, the program, and your insurance. Insurance can be verified online in under two minutes, and the verification is confidential. This step gives you a clear picture of what to expect before you commit to a start date.

Clinical Assessment

Next, our clinicians complete an assessment covering your substance use history, mental health, medical needs, current medications, living situation, and goals. The assessment is how we decide whether PHP fits you. Its answers also shape the treatment plan that follows, so it is more than a formality.

Your Treatment Plan

Using the assessment, your team builds an individual plan with you. The plan sets goals and identifies your next steps. We adjust it regularly as your progress and needs change, so the plan you start with will not be the plan you finish with.

Orientation Groups

Week one includes two new client orientation groups. The first covers treatment education and what to expect in the program. The second focuses on why recovery matters to you. Together they give you the background you need before the rotation moves into deeper topics.

If you are coming from out of the area, our travel assistance team can arrange flights, airport pickup, and coordination, so the trip itself is one less thing to manage.

Working, Studying, and Getting to Treatment

Most people’s routines change when they start PHP, and that is worth planning for before the first day. This section covers how clients handle work and school, and how daily travel fits into the program. Raising these questions early gives you and your team time to build a realistic plan.

Work and School

Because the program takes about six hours a day, most people cannot hold a full-time job while they are in PHP. Many of our clients return to part-time work, school, or caregiving during or after treatment, with guidance from their clinical team. Plan with your case manager before you start, so you know which hours you can keep and what needs to change.

Getting to the Program

Daily travel is part of PHP, so think about the commute before you commit. If you live far from the facility, ask our admissions team about travel assistance and where you will stay. Clients in sober living have transportation assistance available, which can make the daily trip easier to manage.

Work and School

Because the program takes about six hours a day, most people cannot hold a full-time job while they are in PHP. Many of our clients return to part-time work, school, or caregiving during or after treatment, with guidance from their clinical team. Plan with your case manager before you start, so you know which hours you can keep and what needs to change.

Getting to the Program

Daily travel is part of PHP, so think about the commute before you commit. If you live far from the facility, ask our admissions team about travel assistance and where you will stay. Clients in sober living have transportation assistance available, which can make the daily trip easier to manage.

Medical and Psychiatric Care

Medical and psychiatric care supports the rest of the program, and it works best when it stays connected to your daily treatment. This section explains how we approach medications and medical needs in general terms. Your clinical team will give you specifics based on your own history and needs.

PHP includes psychiatric care and medication management when it is clinically appropriate. A prescriber reviews your current medications, watches for side effects, and changes the plan when your symptoms change. If you already have a prescriber, your case manager can coordinate with them, so your treatment stays consistent.

If your medical needs go beyond what PHP can safely provide, our team will explain why and recommend a different level of care. We would rather tell you that directly than keep you in a program that cannot meet your needs.

How We Track Progress and Plan Step-Downs

Progress in PHP is tracked against goals you set with your team, rather than against the calendar. This section explains how we review your plan and how decisions about stepping down are made. Knowing the process ahead of time helps you take part in those decisions.

Your treatment plan is reviewed and updated as your needs change. Progress is measured against the goals you set together, and the plan shifts when those goals shift. Step-down decisions are made with your clinical team, and each transition is guided by them.

We begin aftercare planning while treatment is still active. That way, the next level of care is ready before you leave PHP, and you are not left searching for support during the most vulnerable stretch of your recovery.

What Comes After PHP

Most clients step down to a lower level of care after PHP, and the right next step depends on how stable you are by then. This section describes the options we offer and how each one connects to the program you just completed. Planning these steps early keeps the momentum from PHP going.

Intensive Outpatient (IOP)

Our IOP usually meets three to five days a week for about nine to fifteen hours in total. Many clients move to IOP first because it keeps daily structure while leaving more time for work, school, and home responsibilities. You can read more about our Los Angeles IOP.

Outpatient Care

Outpatient care offers the lightest structured support in this sequence. It suits clients who have built stable routines and need ongoing therapy and check-ins rather than daily groups. Some clients move here after IOP, and our outpatient program is available as the next step.

Sober Living

Our sober living homes are drug- and alcohol-free and include curfews, weekly check-ins, and house meetings. Residents receive transportation assistance and help connecting to outpatient support. Many clients use sober living to bridge the gap between PHP and independent life.

Aftercare and Alumni Support

Our aftercare support includes outpatient and alumni involvement, recovery goal planning, relapse prevention guidance, and placement in sober living when needed. Planning for it begins while you are still in treatment, so support continues after the program ends.

Cost and Insurance

Cost depends on your insurance, your level of care, and how long you stay. This section explains what affects your total cost and the tools we offer to estimate it. We would rather give you a clear way to estimate costs than a single number that may not fit your situation.

Verifying your benefits shows what your plan may cover, though verification does not guarantee coverage or payment. Our treatment calculator estimates cost and length of treatment based on your situation. Once our admissions team reviews your coverage and clinical needs, they can give you more specific numbers.

Start Your Recovery at Our Los Angeles PHP

Taking the first step can feel like a big decision, but it does not have to be complicated. Our team is ready to help you understand what PHP involves, what it may cost, and whether daytime structure fits your life right now. Three quick steps will give you clear answers before you commit to anything.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Partial Hospitalization Program

Yes. Our PHP does not require an overnight stay. Many clients return home each evening, while others stay in sober living. Your admissions team will help you choose the setting that best supports your recovery during the program.

Our program runs Monday through Saturday. Morning groups meet from 9 a.m. to noon, and afternoon groups meet from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. That adds up to about six hours a day, or roughly 36 hours a week.

PHP has more weekly hours than IOP. IOP usually meets three to five days a week for about nine to fifteen hours in total, which leaves room for work or school. PHP suits people who need more structure first.

Most clients cannot hold a full-time job during PHP, since our program takes about six hours a day. Many return to part-time work, school, or caregiving with help from their clinical team and case manager.

No. Residential treatment means living at our facility with 24-hour support. PHP is daytime treatment that lets you sleep at home or in sober living. Many clients move from residential care to PHP as a step down.

Length depends on your clinical needs. Our schedule follows a four-week rotation of group topics, but total time in the program is individual. Use our treatment calculator for an estimate, then confirm with your admissions team.

Coverage depends on your specific plan. Verifying your benefits shows what your insurer may pay, but verification does not guarantee coverage. Our admissions team can review your benefits confidentially and explain the costs you may face.

Intake starts with a clinical assessment covering your substance use, mental health, medical needs, and home situation. Our clinicians use those answers to decide whether PHP fits or whether another level of care would be safer.

Not always. Clients who are medically stable can enter PHP directly, while others need luxury detox or residential care first. Our admissions team and clinical assessment determine which path fits your medical needs. Ask about this early in your call.

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