Changes Treatment Center
Changes Treatment Center runs an intensive outpatient program Orange County adults attend from our center in Costa Mesa, serving communities across the county. IOP treatment Orange County residents get here means 9 to 15 hours of structured clinical care a week, built around CBT, DBT and trauma-informed therapy, with your evenings and your life still your own. It’s the level of care for people who need real, consistent treatment for addiction or mental health but don’t need the full days of a partial hospitalization program. We work with major insurance plans and verify benefits in about 15 minutes.
Reach out for confidential support, no pressure, no judgment. We’re here to help you take the next step.
An intensive outpatient program is structured addiction and mental health treatment delivered several times a week while you live at home. Our Orange County IOP combines group and individual therapy across several sessions per week.
Our IOP runs about 9 to 15 hours per week across several sessions, depending on your treatment plan. That is enough clinical time to drive real change while leaving room for work, school, and family.
Most clients complete IOP in eight to twelve weeks. The exact length depends on clinical progress, and some people step down to a lighter outpatient schedule as they stabilize rather than stopping all at once.
A partial hospitalization program runs about 20 to 30 hours a week over five days; IOP runs about 9 to 15 hours across fewer days. PHP is the more intensive option, and IOP is the common step down that lets you return to daily responsibilities.
Most commercial insurance plans cover intensive outpatient treatment, typically with prior authorization. We verify your specific benefits in about 15 minutes at no cost, so you know your coverage before starting.
Yes. IOP is designed for people who need to stay employed or in school during treatment. Sessions are scheduled to leave the rest of your day open, which is one of the main reasons people choose IOP over residential care.
Our facility is on Bristol Street in Costa Mesa, central to most of Orange County. Call (949) 807-2008 or use the Get Directions button to map the route from your location, and we can confirm your insurance and schedule an assessment on the same call.
An intensive outpatient program sits in the middle of the care ladder: more support than a weekly therapy appointment, less time than the full days of PHP. In practice, that usually means three to five sessions a week, a few hours each, scheduled so you can keep working, studying or caring for a family while you’re in treatment.
The hours are spent where they do the most good. Group therapy anchors the week, it’s where people do a lot of the real work and realize they’re not the only one facing it. Individual therapy gives you focused one-on-one time on what’s actually driving the addiction or the mental-health struggle. And skills sessions turn insight into something usable: how to handle a craving, sit with a hard emotion, repair the relationships that took damage, and build a week that holds together without the substance in it. Across Orange County, that combination is what makes IOP work for people who are stable enough to live at home but need more than once-a-week care to stay that way.
IOP fits adults at a particular point in recovery. Some step down into it from detox, residential care or PHP, keeping their momentum while they ease back into daily life. Others step up into it because weekly therapy stopped being enough, the drinking crept back, the anxiety got louder, the old patterns returned. And many come in at IOP level from the start, because their situation is serious but they can’t, and shouldn’t have to, put their job and family on hold to get help.
What ties them together is the need for structure that still bends around real life. IOP across Orange County is for the person who can be trusted to go home at night but needs several focused touchpoints a week to keep moving forward, the parent who can’t disappear for a month, the professional who needs treatment that fits a working week, the person leaving a higher level of care who isn’t ready to drop all the way down to monthly check-ins.
We treat the full range of substance use disorders at the IOP level, alcohol, opioids (including fentanyl and prescription painkillers), stimulants, benzodiazepines, and dependence on marijuana, 7-OH and kratom. Most people arrive managing more than one thing at once, and the plan is built around the whole pattern rather than a single substance.
Mental health is treated in the same program, not sent elsewhere. Our mental health IOP Orange County care addresses anxiety, depression, trauma and related struggles alongside the substance use, led by a board-certified psychiatrist. This dual diagnosis approach matters because the two almost always feed each other, and treating only one side is how people end up back where they started. Handling both together, every week, is what gives recovery something to stand on.
Every schedule starts with an assessment, because the right number of hours and the right focus depend on where you are. From there, a typical IOP program week runs 9 to 15 hours across several days, a mix of group work, individual sessions and skills-building, arranged around your existing commitments rather than on top of them.
The program also moves with you. Many people start at the higher end of the hours and taper as they stabilize, stepping down toward standard outpatient care and aftercare without ever switching teams. If it turns out you need more structure than IOP provides, the step up to PHP is just as smooth. The point of running the whole continuum under one roof is that progress, or a setback, never means starting over with strangers.
IOP works when you’re stable enough to live at home and carry work or family while you treat the addiction or mental-health condition, 9 to 15 hours a week, not full days. If that’s not quite enough structure, the step up is a partial hospitalization program: full days, five days a week, for people who need near-residential intensity without the overnight stay. Plenty of people start in PHP and step down to IOP as they stabilize. The assessment tells you honestly which end you’re at.
The difference between PHP and IOP comes down to how many hours of structure you need each week. A partial hospitalization program is the more intensive option; IOP is the step down that lets you return to daily life sooner. The table below compares the two levels we offer.
Dimension | Partial Hospitalization (PHP) | Intensive Outpatient (IOP) |
Hours per week | About 20 to 30 | About 9 to 15 |
Days per week | 5 | Several |
Best for | Daily structure without overnight care | Working, studying, or stepping down from PHP |
Living arrangement | Home, full daytime treatment | Home, part-day treatment |
Typical duration | 2 to 4 weeks | 8 to 12 weeks |
Many clients begin in PHP and move into IOP as they stabilize. Others enter directly at the IOP level. A clinical assessment determines the right starting point.
Our center is in Costa Mesa, and people travel to it from across the county. We’ve built local pages for the communities we serve most, with directions, drive times and what to expect from each:
While most of our clients come from around Orange County, our intensive outpatient program California residents can access is open to anyone who can reliably attend in Costa Mesa. For people relocating for treatment or coming from elsewhere in the state, we can talk through what regular attendance would take before you commit to anything.
Most major insurance plans cover intensive outpatient treatment, usually with prior authorization, which we handle for you. What you’ll pay depends on your plan’s deductible and your copay for outpatient behavioral health. We verify your benefits free in about 15 minutes, tell you the costs before you commit, and offer private pay if your coverage doesn’t fit. See insurance and payment options, or start with the admissions process. If detox is needed first, we coordinate it through licensed partners.
Recovery starts with a single conversation. Call (949) 807-2008 or verify your benefits to begin.
Eric Chaghouri, MD, is the Medical Director at Changes Treatment Center and reviews the clinical content on this page. Dr. Chaghouri is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in addiction and forensic psychiatry.
Recovery is more than stopping a behavior, it’s about rediscovering who you are. At Changes, we provide a supportive space where individuals can rebuild confidence, gain clarity, and move forward with purpose through personalized care.
We focus on strengthening identity, encouraging presence, and supporting overall well-being. By addressing self-sabotage and fostering community, we help turn intention into lasting change, walking with you every step of the way.
Our licensed professionals bring years of expertise in addiction and mental health treatment.
We customize treatment for every client to ensure long term success.
From detox to aftercare, Changes walks with you every step of the way.
Our Costa Mesa location offers a calming, bright, and rejuvenating atmosphere.
A Simple Path to a New Beginning with Changes
We understand that taking the first step toward recovery can feel overwhelming. Our admissions process is designed to be simple, confidential, and stress-free.
Fast, confidential coverage check to help you understand your benefits and available treatment options.
Personalized support to guide you through the process and answer any questions with clarity and care.
Start your path to a brighter future with structured support, expert care, and a plan built around you.
Take a moment to answer these questions honestly.
There are no right or wrong answers.
This assessment is not a medical diagnosis, but it can help you determine whether alcohol may be having a greater impact on your life than you realize.
In the past 12 months…
Developed by Patrick Conod, LCSW, and Cari Lawyer, CATC I, on behalf of the Changes Treatment Center Clinical Leadership Team.
A Self-Assessment for Family Members and Friends
Watching someone you love change because of alcohol can be confusing and heartbreaking. You may find yourself questioning what you’re seeing, wondering if you’re overreacting, or hoping things will get better on their own.
This assessment is designed to help you reflect on the behaviors you’ve noticed. It isn’t a diagnosis, but it may help you determine whether it’s time to seek guidance or support.
In the past 12 months…
Developed by Patrick Conod, LCSW, and Cari Lawyer, CATC I, on behalf of the Changes Treatment Center Clinical Leadership Team.
When we are struggling with deep stress, anxious thoughts, or a low mood, it is incredibly natural to look for immediate relief. Sometimes, we turn to alcohol or other substances just to quiet our minds, get some sleep, or feel normal for a night.
This short self-assessment is designed to help you pause and look at how these two parts of your life might be influencing each other. It is entirely anonymous and takes less than two minutes.
It’s common for habits to slowly shift over time, especially during stressful seasons. Often, we find ourselves using a substance to cope, unwind, or get through the day, only to realize it is starting to take up more space in our routine, thoughts, or relationships than we’d like.
This quick, 10-question check-in is a quiet space to reflect honestly on how your use is impacting your life. It is entirely anonymous, completely free of clinical judgment, and takes less than two minutes.
We all experience days when we feel down, exhausted, or just completely unmotivated. But when those heavy feelings start lingering, it can be hard to tell if you’re just going through a rough patch or if it’s something more.
This quick, confidential check-in is designed to help you pause and reflect on how you’ve actually been feeling lately. It is completely anonymous, entirely non-judgmental, and takes less than two minutes.
Is your evening glass of wine a harmless habit, or is it starting to catch up with you? It’s not always easy to tell where “social drinking” ends and “too much” begins.
Take this quick, 2-minute quiz to check in on your relationship with alcohol and get clear, personalized insights.
