Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

Our substance use Intensive Outpatient Program delivers multiple group and individual sessions each week while you live at home and, in most cases, keep working. It is the core of addiction treatment at Golden Coast Rehab.

Golden Coast Rehab holds California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) substance use disorder certification 370254AP for outpatient detoxification, outpatient, intensive outpatient, and medication-assisted treatment. We do not provide residential or inpatient treatment.

Who IOP is for

• People who have just completed outpatient detox and need real treatment to follow it.
• People whose substance use is causing serious harm but who do not require detox or a residential setting.
• People stepping down from a residential program elsewhere who need structure while they rebuild a normal week.

What the week looks like

Groups run 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific time, several sessions a week, scheduled so that work, school, and family obligations stay intact. Telehealth is available, and whether any part of your care happens by video is decided with your clinical team. The program combines group therapy — where most of the work happens — with individual therapy and, where indicated, medication for opioid or alcohol use disorder.

Clinically, the program draws on cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, and family work where you want your family involved. Groups cover triggers, craving, the practical mechanics of early recovery, and the parts of life — money, work, relationships, legal problems — that using tends to leave damaged.

Why living at home during treatment helps

Residential treatment removes you from your environment, which is useful in a crisis and limited afterward, because the environment is still there when you return. In IOP you practice recovery in the actual conditions you have to live in — the same commute, the same kitchen, the same people — with a clinical team available while you do it.

Substances we treat

• Alcohol
• Opioids, including fentanyl, heroin, and codeine
• Methamphetamine and cocaine
• Benzodiazepines
• Prescription medications

If a mental health condition is also involved

Depression, anxiety, and trauma frequently sit underneath a substance use disorder. Both are treated here by one clinical team — see dual diagnosis. Note that partial hospitalization at Golden Coast Rehab is a specialty mental health service under our County of San Diego contract; there is no substance use PHP here.

How long IOP lasts, and what comes next

A typical stay runs around six weeks, decided clinically and reviewed with you rather than set in advance. Most people step down into our outpatient program with a written relapse-prevention plan naming your triggers, your supports, and what to do in the first hour of a craving.

Coverage and cost

Substance use treatment for Medi-Cal beneficiaries in San Diego County runs through the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS), administered by San Diego County Behavioral Health Services rather than by your managed care plan. If you have Medi-Cal in the county — any of the four plans — and you meet DMC-ODS criteria, care here can be covered at no cost to you. See how Medi-Cal works here.

Call (858) 925-8589, answered 24 hours a day, and we will check eligibility with you. The San Diego County Access and Crisis Line is available around the clock at 1-888-724-7240.