IOP Classes: What to Expect During IOP Program

In behavioral health, an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) delivers therapy on a set weekly schedule without an overnight stay. At Overland, adult IOP typically runs about 3–4 hours per day, 3–5 days per week, so you can keep work, school, and family responsibilities while getting more structure than standard once-weekly therapy. IOP programs or IOP classes are offered in person and via telehealth, with the flexibility to choose or mix formats.

What are IOP classes?

An Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is structured, non-residential care delivered on a fixed weekly schedule. At Overland, adults typically attend 3–4 hours per day, 3–5 days per week, providing more support than once-weekly therapy while allowing you to maintain work, school, and family commitments. Participation is available in person, via telehealth, or in a hybrid format, so the cadence can align with your routine.

You may also see IOP referred to as “IOP classes.” This is not a different level of care; it reflects the program’s classroom-style structure—scheduled group therapy, skills training, and psychoeducation blocks that build practical progress from session to session.

IOP Classes: Treatment That Fit Real Life

You can enroll in morning, afternoon, or evening tracks. Many clients start on one schedule and adjust as life changes—or blend on-site and virtual days to keep momentum steady. This “right place, right time” approach is built into Overland’s design.

What happens inside an IOP class

Classes combine evidence-based group therapy, skills practice, and psychoeducation. Depending on your plan, your week may also include individual sessions and check-ins that tie goals to daily routines. Overland’s team uses multiple therapeutic modalities and can coordinate with psychiatry so care is coherent from session to session. The aim is practical progress you can feel between classes—not just notes in a chart. A typical block includes:

• A brief check-in to set goals and track symptoms or triggers.
• An evidence-based module (for example, CBT or DBT skills) with guided practice.
• Application to real situations—communication challenges, cravings, rumination, panic cues, sleep problems, or boundary setting.
• A short plan for the hours between classes (what to try, who to loop in, how to measure success).

Depending on your plan, your week also includes individual therapy for targeted work and psychiatric care when medication support is appropriate.

Clinical Focus: Mental Health and Co-Occurring Disorders

Many people arrive with both mental-health symptoms and substance-use patterns that have become entangled over time. Overland treats these co-occurring (dual-diagnosis) needs in one integrated plan rather than in parallel silos. That means anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, or mood symptoms are addressed alongside alcohol or drug use when they coexist, with therapy and (when appropriate) medication support coordinated by the same team. The “class” structure helps here: you practice coping skills in group, evaluate how they worked between sessions, and refine your plan quickly enough to keep setbacks from becoming spirals. Over weeks, the program aims not only to reduce symptoms but also to change the routines that were keeping those symptoms in place.

What About Individual Therapy During IOP Classes?

Although classes are the backbone of IOP, your plan isn’t one-size-fits-all. Individual sessions give you room to work through sensitive topics, sharpen skills for your exact triggers, and set goals that match your values. When medication could be helpful, psychiatric providers collaborate with your therapist so adjustments are thoughtful and measured, and so side effects or benefits are reviewed in the same week you experience them. Case management runs in the background to handle practicalities—leave paperwork, school accommodations, coordination with outside providers—so therapy time stays focused on change rather than logistics.

Stepping up, stepping down: IOP and PHP

IOP sits on a continuum of care. If you need a stronger daytime container, you can step up to a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) with a fuller daily schedule; when you’re ready, you can step back down to IOP without changing teams or losing continuity. Discharge isn’t a cliff, either. As symptoms settle and routines hold, the team helps you plan lighter supports—ongoing therapy, community resources, alumni meetings, or a short “booster” sequence if a stressful season appears on the horizon—so gains last after the last class ends.

Getting started with IOP Classes

Enrollment at Overland IOP is designed to be fast and straightforward—often as soon as the same day when clinically appropriate. A brief call or online inquiry kicks things off; we complete your clinical assessment, map your goals, and place you on a morning, midday/noon, or evening track so treatment fits the rest of your week rather than disrupting it.

You can attend in person at our Los Angeles location, via secure telehealth from anywhere in California, or choose a hybrid schedule that blends both. Many participants start on one track or format and adjust over time as work, school, or family needs change; your treatment plan stays continuous even if your hours shift.

Overland IOP accepts medical insurance and provides quick benefits verification. Our team will review eligibility, authorizations, and estimated out-of-pocket costs before you begin, and we’ll coordinate any required paperwork with your insurer. If you’re exploring self-pay or out-of-network options, we’ll outline those clearly as well—so you know exactly how care will fit your schedule and your budget.