Outpatient Program (OP)

Our outpatient program is the lowest-intensity level of substance use care we provide: fewer sessions a week, arranged around work, school, and family, with the clinical relationship kept intact.

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 outpatient care is for

• People stepping down from IOP. This is the most common route. The step down is deliberate — less structure, kept support — rather than an abrupt end to treatment.
• People starting here. Substance use that is causing real problems but has not required detox or a more intensive level of care.
• People maintaining recovery. Continuing care during the first year, when relapse risk is highest and structure tends to quietly disappear.

What it includes

Individual therapy and group sessions on a lighter weekly schedule, continued medication management if that is part of your plan, and ongoing relapse-prevention work. Sessions focus less on early-recovery mechanics and more on the things that determine whether recovery lasts: relationships, work, sleep, boredom, resentment, and the specific situations that historically preceded using. Housing belongs on that list too: stable housing is one of the strongest predictors that recovery holds.

Why the step down matters more than it sounds

The riskiest moment in outpatient treatment is often the week it stops. Structure disappears, contact with the clinical team ends, and the ordinary pressures of life continue. Stepping down gradually, with the same team, is what keeps that transition from becoming a cliff.

Substances we treat

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

If a mental health condition is also involved

Ongoing psychiatric care can run alongside outpatient substance use treatment, coordinated by one team — see dual diagnosis or, from the mental health side, co-occurring disorders.

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.