Therapies · Experiential & Recreational · Phoenixville · Philadelphia · Avondale
Art, music, recreational therapy, golf, basketball and a full on-site gym are part of the program week at our Phoenixville, Center City Philadelphia and Avondale offices.
These sessions run alongside PHP and IOP clinical work. They exist because recovery has to include something worth staying sober for.
Some things do not come out in a chair. People who cannot describe what happened to them can draw it, play it, or say it sideways while shooting free throws.
Experiential sessions also reveal exactly what talk therapy misses: how you handle frustration, losing, being watched, being bad at something new, or being on a team. Those are the moments relapse actually lives in.
There is a second, blunter purpose. Most clients have not had an enjoyable sober afternoon in years. Learning that one is possible is not a perk — it is the argument for the whole endeavor.
Clinicians are present, and what surfaces in these sessions gets brought into individual therapy the same week.
Clinically reviewed by Andrea Kiotis, MA, LPC, CAADC — Clinical Director.
Last updated:
Recreational and experiential sessions are scheduled into the program day at no extra cost.
For the material that does not have words yet. No artistic skill is required and nothing is graded.
Listening, playing and writing. One of the fastest routes to emotion for clients who intellectualize everything.
Structured group activity that rebuilds the ordinary social skills of doing something with people while sober.
Patience, frustration tolerance and honest self-assessment — golf exposes all three, which is exactly the point.
Team play, competition, conflict and repair, in a setting where the stakes are safe.
Strength and cardio work with staff support — sleep, mood and appetite all respond to it in early recovery.
Want to know if experiential therapy is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342Choose the right schedule
Start with the support you need now, then step down as recovery becomes more stable.
About 6 hours a day · 5 days a week
Our most structured outpatient level of care, with a full clinical day at our Phoenixville, Philadelphia or Avondale office while you continue living at home.
Explore our PHP program →9–15 hours a week · Day or evening
A flexible in-person schedule for people who need substantial addiction treatment while balancing work, school, family or a step down from PHP.
Explore our IOP program →Secure online care · Statewide access
Clinically appropriate Pennsylvania residents can join structured groups and therapy from home without traveling to one of our three offices.
Explore our statewide virtual IOP →It is often the most valuable part of the week for clients who struggle with traditional talk therapy.
NIDA's principles are explicit that effective treatment attends to the whole person and to multiple needs, not to drug use alone.[1]
Exercise and structured activity are widely recommended adjuncts in behavioral health for their effects on mood, sleep and stress — the exact areas that destabilize early recovery.[2]
Your clinical spine stays the same: twice-weekly individual therapy, small process groups, CBT, DBT, EMDR where indicated and medical oversight.
Experiential sessions support that work and give clinicians information they would not otherwise get.
Want to know if experiential therapy is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342We track every client from admission to discharge with the BARC-10 recovery capital scale and the PHQ-9 / GAD-7 mental health screens. These are our own program results.
53%
of clients complete our PHP and IOP programs — vs. a national average near 26% for similar outpatient programs.
+9
point average gain on the BARC-10 recovery capital scale from admission to discharge.
-5.95
point average drop in combined PHQ-9 / GAD-7 anxiety and depression scores during treatment.
2215 Kimberton Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460
Serving Phoenixville, Kimberton, Royersford, Collegeville, Spring City, Pottstown, King of Prussia, Norristown, Malvern, Exton, Downingtown and West Chester.
Learn about our Phoenixville office →1026 Winter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Serving Center City, Chinatown, Washington Square West, Rittenhouse, South Philadelphia, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, University City and the Main Line.
Learn about our Philadelphia office →1284 Gap Newport Pike, Avondale, PA 19311
Serving Avondale, Kennett Square, West Grove, Oxford, Landenberg, Coatesville and the Route 41 corridor of southern Chester County.
Learn about our Avondale office →Available in person to clients at our Phoenixville, Center City Philadelphia and Avondale offices.
experiential therapy is one part of a treatment plan built around you. These are the other approaches your therapist may combine with it.
The backbone of our groups and individual sessions — mapping triggers, thoughts and behavior.
Learn more about CBT — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy →Distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal skills for high-intensity emotions.
Learn more about DBT — Dialectical Behavior Therapy →Trauma reprocessing for the memories driving cravings, panic and nightmares.
Learn more about EMDR Therapy →Present-focused group model for PTSD and substance use, treated at the same time.
Learn more about Seeking Safety →Brain-based training for focus, sleep and nervous-system regulation in early recovery.
Learn more about Neurofeedback →Two one-on-one sessions a week with your own therapist — not one a month.
Learn more about Individual Therapy →Insurance accepted
Don't see your plan? Call (610) 233-4342 — we'll check your benefits.
Need detox or inpatient first?
If you need medical detox or a residential stay before outpatient care, call us — we'll help coordinate placement with trusted partners and plan your step-down into our PHP or IOP when you're ready.
No. Being bad at something new in front of other people is part of the therapeutic value.
No. Individual therapy twice a week, small groups and medical care remain the core of the program.
No. These sessions are part of the PHP and IOP program day covered by most major insurance plans.
Yes, though we will encourage you to try before deciding. Clients who expect to hate it are usually the ones who get the most from it.
Virtual clients get the clinical program by secure video; recreational sessions require being on site at one of our three offices.
Want to know if experiential therapy is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342Citations link to the original government and research sources. This page is educational and is not medical advice.
Confidential assessment, insurance verified quickly, and a program week that includes a gym, a court and a course. Our phones are answered 24/7.