Keep your job or classes
Evening and day tracks are built around real schedules. You do not have to choose between treatment and a paycheck.
Phoenixville · Center City Philadelphia · Avondale
Intensive Outpatient (IOP) in Phoenixville, Philadelphia & Avondale
Nine to fifteen hours of real clinical care a week — group therapy, individual sessions, family therapy, and psychiatric support — with day, evening, or virtual tracks so you keep your job, your classes, and your life. It runs out of our Phoenixville, Center City Philadelphia, and Avondale offices, with a virtual IOP option available statewide across Pennsylvania.
Clinically reviewed by Andrea Kiotis, MA, LPC, CAADC — Clinical Director.
Last updated:
What is an intensive outpatient program?
An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is a structured level of care for substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions — without living at a facility. You come in for roughly three-hour sessions three to five days a week, do the clinical work in small groups and one-on-one, and go home the same day.
IOP sits in the middle of the continuum: more support than weekly therapy, more freedom than partial hospitalization. For some people it is the starting point. For most, it is the step down after PHP or detox — the place where recovery gets tested against real life, with a clinical team still behind you.
The step-down path
Step 1
Detox
Medical withdrawal management, coordinated through trusted partners.
Step 2
PHP
About 6 hours a day, 5 days a week — stabilize fast.
Step 3
IOP
9–15 hours a week, day, evening, or virtual — rebuild your life.
Step 4
Aftercare
Alumni supports, recovery community, and a written relapse plan.
Not sure IOP is the right level?
A free, confidential assessment takes about 15 minutes — a licensed clinician will tell you honestly where to start.
The schedule
A week in our IOP: 9–15 hours, built around your life
IOP is not a single fixed timetable — it is a clinically set frequency that tapers as you stabilize. Here is what the structure looks like:
3–5 days a week
Most clients start at five days and step down to three as they stabilize. Your clinician sets the frequency — not a one-size-fits-all track.
About 3 hours per session
Each session combines group therapy, skills work, and check-ins — long enough to do real clinical work, short enough to build your life around.
Day, evening, or virtual track
Morning sessions if you have afternoons free, evening sessions if you work or take classes during the day — or join the virtual track from anywhere in Pennsylvania. You can switch tracks as your schedule changes.
9–15 hours of clinical care weekly
Group therapy, individual sessions, family therapy, and psychiatric support add up to meaningful treatment — not a weekly hour on a couch.
1–2 individual sessions a week
One-on-one work with a licensed therapist on the underlying causes of addiction, not just attendance tracking.
Family therapy included
The people around you learn how addiction works and how to help — because recovery at home is the point of outpatient care.
Need more than 15 hours a week?
If you are recently detoxed, managing withdrawal, or outpatient has not held, our partial hospitalization program offers about six hours a day, five days a week — still with your own bed at night.
See the PHP programReady to talk it through?
Call admissions and we will tell you honestly what IOP would look like for you — schedule, insurance, and all.
What our IOP includes
Small caseload groups
Five to seven people per group — enough trust to say the hard things out loud.
Evidence-based therapies
CBT, DBT, EMDR, Seeking Safety, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based interventions.
Dual diagnosis care
Psychiatry on staff for depression, anxiety, trauma, and bipolar alongside substance use.
Medication-assisted treatment
Suboxone, Vivitrol, and Naltrexone managed by board-certified addiction medicine providers.
Individual therapy
Consistent one-on-one sessions with a licensed therapist who actually knows your story.
Family therapy and education
Structured sessions so the people around you know how to support recovery instead of guessing.
Recovery community
We encourage 12-step meetings like AA and NA, and we support alternative paths including SMART Recovery and Refuge Recovery.
Relapse prevention and alumni
A written plan for after discharge, plus alumni supports that keep you connected.
The benefits of IOP
IOP exists for the hardest part of recovery: rebuilding a real life while staying connected to real treatment. You keep your responsibilities and get the clinical support to hold them.
Live at home
Sleep in your own bed, see your family every night, and practice what you learn in group the same day, in the environment where it counts.
Real clinical intensity
Nine to fifteen hours a week of groups, individual therapy, and psychiatric support — far more than weekly counseling, without a residential stay.
A step down, not a cliff
Coming from PHP or detox, IOP keeps the structure while your independence returns week by week — no abrupt drop in support.
Typically covered by insurance
IOP is a covered benefit on most policies, often covering nearly the entire cost. We verify your benefits in minutes before you commit.
Optional sober living support
Need more structure than home? Recovery housing through Phoenix Recovery Project adds a sober, accountable place to live — optional, not required.
Optional: recovery housing
Structure and accountability after the session ends
For clients who want additional support and accountability, Phoenix Recovery Project offers sober living near our offices — a substance-free home with house standards, peer accountability, and a built-in recovery community. Some IOP clients use it while they stabilize; others go straight home. Ask admissions and we will tell you honestly whether it fits your situation.
Three Pennsylvania offices, one clinical team
IOP in Phoenixville, PA
Our Chester County home base, with a full on-site gym, basketball, and the experiential tracks our clients ask for by name. Convenient for King of Prussia, Collegeville, Royersford, Pottstown, Norristown, Malvern, Exton, West Chester, and Downingtown.
2215 Kimberton RoadPhoenixville, PA 19460 · (610) 233-4342Learn about our Phoenixville office →
IOP in Center City Philadelphia
Transit-accessible evening and day tracks for Philadelphia County — Center City, South Philadelphia, Fishtown, University City, Manayunk, and the Main Line through Bala Cynwyd, Conshohocken, and Wayne.
Same clinical model, same small groups of five to seven, same individual sessions a week.
1026 Winter StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107 · (610) 233-4342Learn about our Philadelphia office →
IOP in Avondale, PA
Southern Chester County care — close to Kennett Square, West Grove, Oxford, Coatesville, Landenberg, and Chadds Ford, plus northern Delaware and Wilmington.
Same clinical model, same small groups of five to seven, same individual sessions a week.
1284 Gap Newport PikeAvondale, PA 19311 · (610) 233-4342Learn about our Avondale office →
Virtual · Anywhere in Pennsylvania
Virtual IOP — no commute required
Can't get to an office? Our virtual IOP brings the same clinical program to you — small groups of five to seven, individual sessions, family therapy, and psychiatric support, all on secure video. It's an option for anyone living anywhere in Pennsylvania, from Erie to Scranton to the Delaware border, and it pairs with in-person care at any of our three offices whenever you want it.
Ask about the virtual track · (610) 233-4342Areas we serve for IOP
In person at three offices — plus a virtual IOP option available anywhere in Pennsylvania.
- Phoenixville
- Center City Philadelphia
- Avondale
- Kennett Square
- West Grove
- Oxford
- Coatesville
- King of Prussia
- Norristown
- Collegeville
- Royersford
- Pottstown
- Malvern
- West Chester
- Downingtown
- Exton
- Conshohocken
- Bala Cynwyd
- Wayne
- Chester County
- Montgomery County
- Delaware County
- Philadelphia County
- Berks County
- Virtual · Statewide PA
Proven Outcomes
Our completion and sobriety rates
We operate as a family-oriented, community-driven program rather than a corporate facility, and the numbers follow.
53%
of clients complete our PHP and IOP programs, compared with a national average near 26% for similar outpatient programs.
80%
of graduates maintain sobriety for at least one year, based on alumni follow-up surveys.
90%
client satisfaction, citing personalized care and the supportive environment.
Verify your insurance in minutes
IOP is a covered benefit on most policies — we will confirm your benefits before you commit to anything.
Who you will actually work with
Board-certified addiction medicine physicians, licensed therapists specializing in CBT, DBT, and trauma-informed care, psychiatrists for co-occurring mental health care, and certified recovery specialists with lived experience. Groups of five to seven keep attention personal — you are not a number on a roster.
“The therapists at Pennsylvania Recovery Center gave me the tools to stay sober and the confidence to rebuild my life. They truly care.”
We are in network with most major carriers — including UnitedHealthcare, Independence Blue Cross, Aetna, Cigna, Geisinger, Keystone, and TRICARE.
Meet the clinical teamInsurance accepted
We work with major insurance providers
Don't see your plan? Call (610) 233-4342 — we'll check your benefits.
Common questions about IOP
How many hours a week is IOP?
Nine to fifteen hours. Sessions run about three hours each, three to five days a week, with day and evening tracks so you can keep a job or class schedule.
How is IOP different from PHP?
PHP is a full clinical day — about six hours, five days a week. IOP is roughly half that, designed for people who are stable enough to work or study while still needing serious structure. Most people step down from PHP into IOP.
Can I work while in IOP?
Yes — that is what IOP is for. Evening tracks fit around a full workday, and day tracks fit around school or shift work. If your schedule changes, you can change tracks.
What if I need detox first?
We coordinate medically supervised detox referrals and bring you into IOP as soon as you are medically stable. You do not have to figure out the sequence alone — call and we will map it with you.
Does IOP treat depression and anxiety too?
Yes. Our IOP is a dual diagnosis program — integrated treatment plans address mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder alongside substance use.
Do you take my insurance?
We are in network with most major carriers including Independence Blue Cross, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Geisinger, Keystone, and TRICARE. Verification takes a few minutes by phone.
Still have questions?
Every call is confidential — talk to a real person about what IOP would look like for you.
Take the first step toward recovery
If you or someone you love needs intensive outpatient treatment in Phoenixville, Philadelphia, or anywhere in southeastern Pennsylvania, call (610) 233-4342 for a confidential assessment. A licensed clinician will tell you honestly which level of care fits — and start it the same week when a seat is open.
Pennsylvania Recovery Center — where recovery begins and hope thrives.