When people think about mental health treatment, they often picture one of two things: talking with a therapist once a week or being admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
But there is a lot of care between those two points.
Someone can still be going to work, taking care of their family, and getting through the day while struggling significantly beneath the surface. Weekly therapy may no longer feel like enough, but 24-hour hospitalization may not be the right level of care either.
A partial hospitalization program for mental health, commonly called PHP, is one option that can provide more structure, support, and clinical care without requiring someone to remain in a treatment setting around the clock.
Recent national conversations surrounding psychiatric treatment have brought more attention to different levels of mental health care and raised an important question:
What happens when someone needs more mental health support than traditional outpatient therapy can provide?
What Is a Partial Hospitalization Program for Mental Health?
A partial hospitalization program is an intensive, structured form of mental health treatment. Individuals typically participate in treatment for several hours during the day while returning home or to an appropriate supportive living environment outside of programming.
This allows PHP to provide more support than traditional outpatient mental health treatment without the 24-hour care associated with inpatient hospitalization.
Depending on an individual's needs, PHP mental health treatment may include:
- Individual and group therapy
- Psychiatric care and medication management when appropriate
- Skills for managing symptoms and difficult emotions
- Education about mental health and coping strategies
- Family involvement when clinically appropriate
- Support for developing healthy routines
- Ongoing assessment of symptoms, safety, and progress
PHP is not appropriate for everyone. Determining whether someone needs partial hospitalization, traditional outpatient therapy, residential care, inpatient hospitalization, or another level of support should begin with an individualized clinical assessment.
Questions about our Facilities or Programs?
Our admissions coordinators are available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have as you consider whether treatment at Banyan is right for you or your loved one.
When Is PHP Used for Mental Health Treatment?
A mental health partial hospitalization program may be considered when symptoms are significantly interfering with someone's daily life and traditional outpatient therapy is no longer providing enough support, but 24-hour inpatient care is not clinically necessary.
PHP may also provide additional structure as someone transitions from a higher level of mental health care back into everyday life.
Mental health treatment exists along a continuum, and the appropriate level of care depends on factors such as symptoms, safety, daily functioning, support systems, and individual circumstances.
For Dr. Cara Bishop, Vice President of Clinical Services at Banyan Treatment Centers, an important sign that someone may need additional support isn't necessarily that they've stopped functioning altogether. Sometimes, a person is actively participating in treatment and continuing to show up for their life, but they still aren't getting better.
"As clinicians, one of the clearest signs that someone needs more support is when they are still doing everything right, going to therapy, taking medication, showing up for their life, and still not getting better. That gap is exactly what levels of care, like partial hospitalization, exist to close."
Dr. Cara Bishop, PhD, LCDP, LMSW, CAADC, CCDP-D
Vice President of Clinical Services, Banyan Treatment Centers
You Don't Have to Wait for a Crisis to Ask for More Help
One of the hardest parts of seeking mental health care can be knowing how much help you actually need.
Mental health struggles don't always look the way we expect them to. Someone can continue showing up for work, caring for their family, and maintaining responsibilities while privately struggling with symptoms that have become increasingly difficult to manage.
People may also assume they have only two choices: continue with the support they already have or wait until things become serious enough for hospitalization.
There are other options.
You also don't have to diagnose yourself or know whether you need outpatient therapy, PHP, residential treatment, or inpatient care before asking for help. A clinical assessment can help determine what level of support may be appropriate based on symptoms, safety, daily functioning, and individual needs.
Sometimes that is weekly therapy. Sometimes it is PHP. Sometimes someone needs the safety and supervision of a higher level of care.
Those needs can also change over time.
Needing additional support isn't a measure of someone's strength, character, or effort. It can simply mean that the support that once worked is no longer enough for what they're experiencing right now.
Finding the Right Level of Mental Health Care
Someone can be struggling profoundly without looking like they are in crisis. Someone can need substantial clinical support without needing 24-hour hospitalization. And someone can ask for help without knowing exactly what kind of help they need.
That is why having different levels of mental health care matters.
For people who aren't sure where to begin, national mental health resources, including those available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), can also help individuals and families find support.
At Banyan Treatment Centers, partial hospitalization is one of the treatment options available for individuals whose clinical needs are appropriate for this level of structured mental health care.
But regardless of where someone ultimately receives treatment, the larger message is the same:
You don't have to wait until things become unbearable to ask what support is available.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mental Health PHP
You Don't Have to Figure Out the Next Step Alone
If you or someone you love is struggling with their mental health, you don't have to wait for a crisis or know exactly what type of treatment you need before reaching out.
Banyan Treatment Centers offers multiple levels of mental health care, including partial hospitalization programs for individuals who may benefit from more structured support.
Learn more about mental health treatment at Banyan Treatment Centers or call (888) 280-4763 to speak with one of our admissions specialists about available treatment options.
Wherever you are, we have you.
Not sure what level of care fits your needs? Our admissions team can help you understand your options confidentially.
Medical Disclaimer
Banyan Treatment Centers aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorders with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.
