Our IOP is built for adults stepping down from a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), for those whose outpatient therapy isn’t keeping up with their symptoms, and for patients whose schedules accommodate weekday morning treatment. Treatment is led by Program Director Justin Coffey and a multidisciplinary clinical team including Bradley Harrison, LMHC, and Samantha L’Esperance, MA.
If you’re looking for mental health support that fits into your life, our admissions team is available 24/7 to discuss whether IOP is the right next step.
Call: 781-217-6375
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| Schedule | Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
| Weekly Hours | 15 clinical hours / week |
| Typical Length | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Format | In-person, Bedford MA |
| Best For | Step-down from PHP, or step-up from weekly therapy |
| Insurance | Most major commercial plans accepted |
What Is an Intensive Outpatient Program?
An Intensive Outpatient Program is a structured level of mental health care that delivers therapy and clinical support multiple days per week without requiring full-day or overnight treatment. IOP provides substantially more support than traditional weekly outpatient therapy, while giving patients the time and flexibility to begin re-engaging with daily life.
IOP is most often recommended in two situations: as a step-down from a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), or as a step-up when weekly outpatient therapy alone isn’t holding back symptoms.
The goal of IOP is to maintain clinical progress, build long-term skills for symptom management, and prepare patients for the transition to traditional outpatient mental health care.
At Rockland Recovery North, IOP runs five mornings a week, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Most patients attend the full schedule for approximately 6 to 8 weeks before stepping down to standard outpatient therapy.
Who Is a Good Fit for IOP
Our Intensive Outpatient Program is built for three primary patient situations:
Stepping down from PHP
Patients who have stabilized in PHP step into IOP for continued structured support. The schedule reduces from 30 to 15 hours per week, freeing afternoons to re-engage with daily life.
Stepping up from outpatient
When weekly therapy alone isn't keeping up with symptom severity or frequency, IOP provides the structured intensity needed without committing to a full-day program.
Flexible daytime availability
Adults on FMLA or medical leave, between jobs, students on academic leave, retired adults, full-time caregivers, or those with flexible employment that allows weekday mornings.
Get The Help You Need
If you’re looking for information on mental health care, our team can help. Our admissions coordinators are available 24/7.
A Note on IOP Scheduling
Our IOP runs weekday mornings, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. This schedule works well for patients on medical leave, with flexible schedules, or stepping down from PHP.
For working professionals on standard 9-to-5 schedules, our admissions team can help discuss whether FMLA, short-term disability, or alternative work arrangements can make morning IOP feasible. Many patients use FMLA for the 6 to 8 weeks of IOP and return to their work schedule afterward.
If a morning schedule won’t work, we cover other options in the “Need a Different Schedule?” section below, including evening and virtual IOP options at our Sharon location.
A Typical Morning at Rockland Recovery North IOP
A typical IOP morning runs from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Three hours, structured into clinical groups and individual sessions.
Group session to open the morning, review the prior day, and set clinical focus.
DBT skills training, CBT-focused work, or trauma processing. Content rotates by day of the week.
One-on-one time with your primary clinician or weekly psychiatric appointment.
Afternoons return to work, school, family, or other responsibilities.
Patients are paired with a primary clinician, either Bradley Harrison, LMHC or Samantha L’Esperance, MA, who oversees their treatment plan and meets with them individually on a regular cadence throughout the program. For patients stepping down from PHP, the same clinician often continues into IOP, preserving the therapeutic relationship through the level-of-care transition.
Program Director Justin Coffey provides program-level coordination and supports clinical decisions about pacing and step-down timing, including when a patient is clinically ready to transition from IOP to traditional outpatient care.
Patients meet with a psychiatrist on a weekly basis throughout IOP, particularly important for those continuing medication regimens established during PHP or titrating medications during the program.
Clinical Leadership and Step-Down Coordination
Our Intensive Outpatient Program is led by Justin Coffey, Program Director. Justin coordinates IOP operations and works closely with the clinical team on pacing, specifically around when a patient is clinically ready to transition from IOP into traditional outpatient care.
His background spans behavioral health operations leadership across multiple levels of care, including residential, detox, and outpatient settings, with a particular focus on program development, compliance, and the kinds of operational systems that make level-of-care transitions reliable rather than ad-hoc. Justin holds a degree from Sacred Heart University.
Direct clinical care is delivered by primary clinicians Bradley Harrison, LMHC and Samantha L’Esperance, MA. Bradley and Samantha lead individual therapy, manage treatment plans, and, for patients who began at the PHP level, often continue as the primary clinical relationship through the IOP step-down.
That continuity is intentional: keeping the same clinician through the transition preserves the therapeutic relationship and avoids the disruption that comes from handing off mid-treatment.
Clinical Services in Our IOP
IOP delivers the same therapeutic modalities used in our PHP, in a more condensed weekly schedule:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for depression and anxiety symptom maintenance and relapse prevention
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness
- Trauma-informed care for patients managing PTSD or trauma-related symptoms. See our PTSD Treatment Center for a deeper look at our trauma-focused approach.
- Psychiatric services and medication management, continued from PHP or initiated in IOP as clinically appropriate
Group therapy is the core clinical mode in IOP, supplemented by individual sessions and psychiatric support.
Mental Health Conditions Treated in IOP
Our Intensive Outpatient Program supports adults managing a range of mental health conditions, including:
- Depression and Major Depressive Disorder
- Anxiety disorders and Panic Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related symptoms
- Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder
Patients in IOP are typically continuing recovery from acute symptoms (post-PHP) or managing chronic conditions that benefit from sustained structured support without requiring daytime intensive care.
Where IOP Fits in Your Care Continuum
IOP sits between PHP and standard outpatient therapy in the mental health continuum of care.
- Coming from PHP: IOP is the natural step-down. Same clinical team, same modalities, half the weekly time commitment, with afternoons returning to your control.
- Coming from outpatient: IOP is the step up when weekly therapy isn’t enough to keep up with symptom severity or frequency.
- Length of program: Most IOP patients stay for approximately 6 to 8 weeks before transitioning to weekly outpatient mental health treatment.
Our team coordinates step-down planning across IOP to ensure continuity of care into outpatient settings when treatment ends.
| PHP | IOP | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours/Day | 6 hours | 3 hours |
| Weekly Hours | 30 hours | 15 hours |
| Schedule | M-F 9 AM – 3 PM | M-F 9 AM – 12 PM |
| Length | 4 to 6 weeks | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Best For | Stabilization after inpatient or in place of it | Continued progress while returning to life |
Not sure whether you need PHP or IOP? Our admissions team can help determine the appropriate level of care through a confidential clinical assessment.
Admissions and Insurance for IOP
Starting an Intensive Outpatient Program should feel accessible and supportive. Our admissions process is designed to be straightforward, confidential, and responsive. Most patients complete the admissions process and begin treatment within 24 to 48 hours of the first call.
The process begins with a clinical assessment to understand symptoms, prior treatment history, current goals, and scheduling needs. From there, our team determines whether IOP is the appropriate level of care, verifies your insurance benefits, and coordinates a start date.
We do not accept Medicaid, MassHealth, or state-funded insurance plans.
Verify your insurance or start the admissions process: 781-217-6375
IOP Patients We Serve in Bedford and Greater Boston
Our IOP draws patients from Bedford, Lexington, Burlington, Billerica, Concord, Wilmington, Arlington, Cambridge, Woburn, and other Middlesex County and Greater Boston communities.
Because IOP is a morning-only program ending at noon, geographic proximity matters less than it does for PHP. Many IOP patients commute from a wider area, since afternoons and evenings remain available for the drive home and the rest of the day.
When a Morning Schedule Won't Work
Sharon Location Offers Evening and Virtual IOP
Our Bedford IOP runs weekday mornings, in-person. We do not currently offer evening or virtual IOP from this location.
For patients whose schedules require a different format, our sister mental health facility Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health in Sharon, MA offers evening and virtual IOP options. If you’re considering IOP but the Bedford 9-to-noon block isn’t feasible, our admissions team can help determine whether the Sharon program is the right fit for you.
Take the Next Step
If you need structured mental health support that allows you to stay connected to daily life, whether you’re stepping down from PHP or stepping up from weekly therapy, an Intensive Outpatient Program may be the right fit. Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health North is here to help you understand your options and move forward.
Contact our admissions team today for a confidential clinical assessment and to learn more about our Intensive Outpatient Program in Bedford, MA. Our admissions coordinators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Call: 781-217-6375
Or request a confidential callback through our admissions form below.