Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in Massachusetts at Epiphany Wellness

Every evening, we’ll start with a brief vitals check and medication management huddle. This is a chance for your psychiatric nurse practitioners to adjust dosages for antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or MAT-related prescriptions like buprenorphine.[1] Then you’ll join either a CBT or REBT skills group that will focus on the harmful thinking that is typically linked to cravings, anxiety, or depression.[2] Before a short break, there’s generally a DBT module to work on, allowing clients to build their tolerance to distress while boosting emotional regulation and mindfulness.[3]

Following a brief wellness break, often accompanied by quiet journaling, guided breathing, or even a cup of herbal tea, you’ll move into assorted PATH and psychoeducation workshops that deal with nutrition education, proper sleep hygiene, or general stress reduction. Once a week, we also invite families to participate in family therapy either in person or via a secure video link. This way, clients and their loved ones learn more effective boundary setting and advanced relapse warning signs. Throughout the week, your therapist will hold short individual sessions to ensure you have updated and effective coping strategies and relevant treatment goals.

Since the IOP is the middle ground between our partial hospitalization program and a weekly outpatient counseling program, it functions as a critical gap filler for individuals who have completed a PHP but still need more structure and support than weekly appointments can provide. The pre-scheduled, integrated treatment modalities, small groups, and multidisciplinary team involvement give it enough structure to help stabilize co-occurring mental health issues while still giving clients independence and critical real-world practice.

Comprehensive Intake & Personalized Plan

The first step in an IOP is your initial intake assessment. Here, a therapist, psychiatric nurse practitioner, and case manager all evaluate your substance abuse history, addiction profile, current mental health challenges, daily obligations, and any applicable insurance coverage. Using the information gathered during this assessment, your care team will build an individualized treatment plan that includes medication management, evidence-based therapy modalities, and holistic practices.

Three-Visit Schedule

IOP is typically three evenings per week, though treatment plans can be customized as well. Each visit will generally include:

• Intake vitals and meds check
• CBT/REBT skills group
• Mindfulness exercises
• DBT/ACT blocks for emotional regulation
• PATH wellness or psychoeducation workshop

Integrated Medical Oversight

At our IOP, a psychiatric NP will review symptom logs periodically during the week to ensure that antidepressants, medication-assisted treatment prescriptions, or mood-stabilizing substances can be adjusted quickly and effectively. The on-site nurses will track vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, sleep quality, and medication side effects so that care can be rapid, responsive, and safe.

Family & Aftercare Coordination

Family engagement and participation are a significant part of recovery, and family therapy sessions help reinforce healthy boundary setting, along with relapse recognition and prevention skills. Each client’s case manager will schedule step-down outpatient appointments, arrange for sober-living referrals, and support the transition out of full-time or part-time care.