Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in Scottsdale, AZ

What Is an Intensive Outpatient Program?

An Intensive Outpatient Program is a structured, clinician-led treatment program that meets multiple times per week. It sits between traditional weekly outpatient therapy (which typically involves one to two appointments per week) and a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), which meets five days a week for five or more hours per day.

IOP is often the right fit for people who:

• Have completed inpatient or PHP treatment and are stepping down to a lower intensity
• Need more support than weekly therapy can provide but don’t require a residential or full-day program
• Are managing a mental health condition, substance use disorder, or both — and are stable enough to live at home
• Want to maintain work or school obligations while receiving consistent clinical care
• Are in early recovery and need accountability, community, and clinical oversight to stay on track

What Does IOP at Rising Phoenix Look Like?

Our IOP typically runs three to five days per week, with sessions lasting three hours. The schedule is built to accommodate working professionals and those with family responsibilities.

Each week includes a combination of:

Group Therapy. Structured, clinician-facilitated group sessions are the core of IOP. Groups cover a range of evidence-based topics — from relapse prevention and coping skills to emotion regulation, trauma processing, and interpersonal effectiveness. Group therapy also provides something individual therapy cannot: the experience of recovery alongside others who understand what you’re going through.

Individual Therapy. Each client receives weekly one-on-one sessions with their primary therapist. These sessions go deeper into personal history, treatment goals, family dynamics, and any co-occurring mental health conditions that may be driving addictive behavior or emotional distress.

Case Management. Our case managers work alongside your clinical team to coordinate care, address practical barriers to treatment (such as housing, employment, or legal matters), and help plan for what comes next.

Psychiatric Services. For clients whose treatment includes medication — whether for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, or Medication-Assisted Recovery (MAR) for opioid or alcohol dependence — our psychiatric staff provides evaluations and ongoing medication management.

Wellness Programming. Rising Phoenix integrates wellness into every level of care. IOP clients have access to yoga, nutrition guidance, and mindfulness-based practices — because physical wellbeing and recovery are not separate pursuits.

The Therapies We Use

Rising Phoenix’s IOP uses a range of evidence-based therapeutic modalities selected to match each client’s needs. Depending on your treatment plan, your IOP experience may include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — The most widely researched therapy for addiction and mental health. CBT helps identify the thoughts, beliefs, and patterns that drive unhealthy behavior and teaches practical skills for changing them.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) — Especially effective for emotional dysregulation, trauma, and borderline personality features, DBT teaches four core skill sets: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) — A relatively newer, evidence-based trauma therapy that processes traumatic memories using eye movements and imagery rescripting. For clients with trauma histories, ART can produce significant relief in a shorter timeframe than traditional talk therapy — and without requiring you to recount the details of traumatic events in depth.

Somatic Experiencing (SE) — A body-focused approach to trauma and stress that works with physical sensations rather than narrative memory. Particularly effective for clients whose trauma has manifested as physical symptoms, chronic stress, or disconnection from their bodies.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) — A collaborative, client-centered style of guiding that strengthens motivation for change. Especially useful early in treatment when ambivalence about recovery is still present.

Medication-Assisted Recovery (MAR) — For clients managing opioid use disorder or alcohol use disorder, Rising Phoenix’s MAR approach integrates FDA-approved medications with clinical therapy. Medication alone is not treatment — but as part of a comprehensive program, MAR significantly improves outcomes and reduces relapse risk.

For a full list of our therapeutic modalities, see our Evidence-Based Therapies page.

Who Is a Good Candidate for IOP?

IOP works best for people who are medically stable, have a safe living situation, and are motivated to engage in structured treatment. It is typically not the right starting point for someone who needs medical detox, is in active crisis, or requires 24-hour supervision.

If you’re unsure whether IOP is the right level of care, our admissions team can help you figure it out — often in a single call. We’ll ask about your history, current situation, and goals, and give you an honest recommendation even if it means referring you somewhere better suited to where you are right now.

IOP as a Step-Down from PHP or Inpatient

Many clients come to Rising Phoenix’s IOP after completing a higher level of care — either our own Partial Hospitalization Program or an inpatient program elsewhere. The transition from intensive daily programming to independent living is one of the most vulnerable moments in recovery. IOP provides structure, clinical support, and community during that transition, significantly reducing the risk of relapse.

If you’re being discharged from an inpatient facility, hospital, or residential program and looking for step-down care in the Scottsdale or Phoenix area, our team can typically coordinate a same-week intake.

Insurance and Cost

Rising Phoenix is in-network with most major insurance providers. Most commercial insurance plans, including those offered through employers, cover IOP treatment for mental health and substance use disorders under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act — meaning your insurer is generally required to cover behavioral health treatment at levels comparable to medical and surgical benefits.

We offer free insurance verification before your first appointment. Our admissions team can typically tell you what your plan covers within one business day.

We also work with clients paying privately and can discuss financing options.

What Happens After IOP?

Completing IOP is not the end of treatment — it’s a transition to the next chapter. Depending on where you are in your recovery, next steps may include:

• Stepping down to our Outpatient Program (OP), which involves weekly individual and group therapy
• Continuing with individual therapy and psychiatric medication management
• Participating in community recovery support (peer groups, 12-step or non-12-step programs)
• Family therapy and couples counseling, which we also offer at Rising Phoenix

Your clinical team will help develop a continuing care plan as part of your IOP discharge — so there’s no moment where you finish and simply walk out the door with nothing in place.