Programs / Outpatient
Outpatient Mental Health Treatment.
Outpatient mental health treatment at our Laguna Beach center for adults who need more than a monthly check-in but less than a full intensive outpatient program — individual therapy, medication management, and a clinical team that stays with you over time.
Admissions answers when you call.
A real person — never a call center.
Session format
1:1 & groups
Frequency
Weekly+
Psychiatry
On staff
Client ratio
Small caseloads
What outpatient treatment actually is
Ongoing care while you live at home.
The question isn’t whether you need support. It’s whether the support you have matches the weight you’re carrying.
Outpatient mental health treatment is clinic-based behavioral health care you attend while living at home — individual therapy, psychiatric follow-up, and optional group work on a weekly (or more frequent) rhythm. It is traditional outpatient care: not a partial hospitalization program (PHP), not an intensive outpatient program, and not inpatient treatment.
It’s what most people step down to after PHP or IOP outpatient programs, and what others start with when depression, anxiety, and related health issues are manageable enough for weekly sessions but still need a real treatment plan — not a revolving door of one-off appointments.
At High Tide, outpatient services aren’t an afterthought. The same clinicians who run our PHP and IOP programs carry intentionally small outpatient caseloads — so your primary therapist knows your week, not just your intake form. Medication management stays on staff, coordinated with therapy across the week, including Fridays when your schedule needs it.
Levels of care
Where outpatient sits on the continuum.
People search “oupatient” when they mean anything short of a hospital. Clinically, the word covers several levels. Here’s how High Tide draws the lines — so you can tell traditional outpatient treatment from more structured programs.
01
Outpatient therapy
Weekly or biweekly individual sessions, psychiatry as needed, optional skills groups. Best when symptoms are stable enough to return home between appointments and keep work or school.
02
Intensive outpatient program
Part-day clinical blocks several days a week — group therapy, individual work, and closer psychiatric oversight. The step up when weekly outpatient care isn’t holding.
03
Partial hospitalization program
Full clinical days, then you return home each evening. Hospital-level structure without an overnight stay — used when symptoms exceed what IOP or traditional outpatient can hold.
Who it's for
For steady support between crisis and independence.
Outpatient care fits when you need an ongoing clinical relationship — not the full structure of an intensive outpatient program, but more continuity than a monthly med check.
This level of care fits when
- You’re stepping down from a partial hospitalization program or intensive outpatient program and need continuity with clinicians who already know your story.
- Weekly therapy helps, but you want medication management and the option to increase frequency during hard weeks.
- Symptoms are manageable at home, but you want a clinical team before things escalate toward inpatient care.
- You’re rebuilding after a difficult season and need steady outpatient services, not intensive daily programming.
- You can work full-time or attend school and still keep a consistent therapy and psychiatry schedule.
A higher level may fit better when
- Symptoms have escalated beyond what weekly sessions can hold — an intensive outpatient program or partial hospitalization program adds the structure you need.
- You’re in immediate crisis or at active risk — inpatient treatment or stabilization comes first.
- You need medical detox or 24/7 supervision.
- Medication changes require daily psychiatric monitoring — PHP provides that intensity.
What we treat here
Mental health conditions we support over time.
Outpatient mental health treatment at High Tide covers the same clinical territory as our programs — mood disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma, personality disorders, and co-occurring substance use — with flexibility instead of daily structure. Most adults carry more than one concern; your treatment plan reflects that.
01
Mood & anxiety
Ongoing support for conditions that fluctuate — depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder — with room to intensify when needed.
- Major depression
- Generalized anxiety
- Panic disorder
- Bipolar I & II
02
Trauma & stress
Continued trauma work, EMDR, and somatic therapy at a pace your nervous system can sustain.
- PTSD
- Complex trauma
- Adjustment disorders
- Burnout
03
Personality & regulation
DBT-informed skills and relationship work for patterns — including borderline personality disorder — that need long-term clinical attention.
- Borderline personality disorder
- Emotion dysregulation
- Relationship patterns
- Self-harm recovery
04
Co-occurring concerns
Mental health and substance use disorders monitored together — dual diagnosis maintenance inside outpatient care, not treated as separate stories.
- Dual diagnosis maintenance
- Medication management
- Life transitions
- Family dynamics
Not sure if outpatient is enough? Call us. We’ll help you honestly assess whether you need more structure — and if you do, you’re already in the right place to step up.
See everything we treatWhat to expect
What outpatient weeks look like.
Outpatient schedules are built around your life — not the other way around. Here’s a representative week for a client in active outpatient care.
Frequency adjusts with need. Some weeks are two sessions; hard weeks might add group therapy or a psychiatry check-in. Your primary therapist helps you calibrate the treatment plan.
Week 1
Individual therapy
A 50-minute session with your primary therapist — processing, coping skills, or modality-specific work depending on your plan.
Week 1
Medication management
Psychiatry review, symptom tracking, and adjustments as needed — scheduled monthly or more often during changes.
Week 2
Individual therapy
Continued one-on-one work. Clients stepping down from an intensive outpatient program often keep weekly individual sessions as their anchor.
As needed
Group therapy
Optional DBT skills groups or topical groups for clients who benefit from peer connection alongside individual outpatient therapy.
Between sessions
Clinical access
Your team is reachable between appointments — not a crisis line, but a real clinical relationship when something shifts.
Ongoing
Care coordination
If symptoms escalate, your outpatient team can fast-track a step-up to IOP or PHP without starting over with strangers.
What's included
What outpatient mental health services include.
Your outpatient treatment plan draws on the same clinical toolkit as our programs — delivered at the pace and frequency that fits your current stability.
01
Individual therapy
Weekly or biweekly sessions with a licensed primary therapist — cognitive behavioral therapy, DBT, psychodynamic, or integrative approaches.
02
Medication management
Ongoing psychiatric care with clinicians who take time to get prescriptions right and monitor over months — coordinated with therapy, not isolated in a rushed med check.
03
EMDR & trauma work
Continued trauma processing for clients who need more than talk therapy alone — scheduled within your outpatient rhythm.
04
DBT skills
Skills coaching and optional group therapy for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
05
Family therapy
Periodic family therapy when relationships are part of the clinical picture and relatives need to understand the illness and reinforce recovery.
06
Step-up pathway
Direct access to a partial hospitalization program or intensive outpatient program if symptoms escalate — same facility, same clinical culture, no cold handoff.
What changes
What sustained outpatient care builds.
Outpatient treatment isn’t about fixing everything in eight weeks. It’s about building a clinical relationship durable enough to hold you through recovery’s uneven terrain — and a clear path back up the continuum if symptoms return.
1 team
The same clinicians from intake through step-down — continuity that changes outcomes.
Weekly+
Therapy and medication management on a schedule that flexes with your symptoms, not a fixed calendar.
Direct
Step-up to PHP or IOP without a new assessment from strangers — your team already knows your story.
Long-term
A clinical home you can return to — during hard seasons and during the quiet ones too.
Not sure outpatient is enough?
Outpatient and IOP, side by side.
An intensive outpatient program adds structured group hours and more frequent clinical touchpoints. Traditional outpatient offers flexibility when symptoms are stable enough for weekly care. Here’s how the levels of care differ.
Outpatient
This program- Time commitment
- 1–2 sessions per week, 50 minutes each
- Best for
- Stable symptoms, step-down from IOP, long-term maintenance
- Group therapy
- Optional skills or topical groups
- Psychiatry
- Monthly or as-needed medication management
- Length
- Ongoing — months to years
IOP
The step down- Time commitment
- Part-day sessions, several days a week
- Best for
- Moderate symptoms needing structured multi-day support
- Group therapy
- Core part of every session block
- Psychiatry
- Weekly or as-needed with closer monitoring
- Length
- Clinical need
How to start
From first call to first day — usually within a week.
Admissions is one phone call, not a paperwork gauntlet. Here’s the whole process.
01
Call or verify online
A confidential conversation with our admissions team — what’s going on, what you’re looking for, and whether outpatient mental health treatment is the right fit. We verify your insurance the same day, usually while you’re still on the phone.
02
Clinical assessment
A licensed clinician conducts a full biopsychosocial assessment — history, symptoms, safety, and level-of-care fit. If PHP, IOP, or outpatient is not the right match, we’ll say so and help you get there instead.
03
Start within days
Clients often begin within a few days of assessment when clinical fit and insurance align. Your first days include psychiatric evaluation, meeting your primary therapist, and building the treatment plan everything else draws from.
Most PPO plans cover this program. Verification is free, confidential, and usually same-day.
Common questions
Answers before you have to ask.
Can't find your question? Call us — a real person answers, and there's never pressure to commit.
What is considered outpatient mental health treatment?
Outpatient mental health treatment means you live at home and come to the clinic for therapy, medication management, and related outpatient services. At High Tide that usually means weekly individual therapy plus psychiatry — distinct from an intensive outpatient program or partial hospitalization program, which add multi-day structured hours.
Will insurance cover outpatient therapy?
Most PPO plans cover outpatient mental health services, including therapy and psychiatry. We verify your benefits before your first appointment — free and confidential.
How is this different from seeing any therapist?
Continuity and depth. Your outpatient team includes medication management on staff, direct step-up to PHP or IOP if needed, and clinicians who carry small caseloads by design — not a revolving door of providers.
Can I start outpatient without doing PHP or IOP first?
Yes, if your clinical assessment supports it. Many adults start with outpatient treatment; others need program intensity first. We’ll tell you honestly which level of care fits.
Can I step down from IOP to weekly outpatient therapy?
Yes — that’s a common path. When intensive outpatient program hours are no longer needed, we transition you to weekly outpatient therapy with the same clinical team whenever possible so progress doesn’t reset.
Can I work full-time during outpatient care?
Usually yes. Outpatient schedules are built around work and school. If keeping a job while symptoms worsen is becoming unsafe or impossible, we’ll talk honestly about stepping up to IOP or PHP.
What if standard outpatient treatment is not enough?
Your outpatient team can step you up to an intensive outpatient program or partial hospitalization program without starting over — same facility, same clinicians, no gap in care.
Do you offer telehealth?
Select outpatient sessions may be available via telehealth depending on clinical need and your location. Ask admissions about current options.