Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in Atlanta

When You Need More Support Without Putting Your Life on Hold

Sometimes things don’t fall apart all at once they just become harder to keep up with. Emotions feel more intense. The same patterns keep showing up. What once felt manageable in weekly therapy starts to spill into the rest of your week. You’re still showing up to work, school, or family but it’s taking more effort than it used to. Holding everything together is possible but not sustainable without more consistent support. A mental health intensive outpatient program (IOP) is designed for this space. At Recovery DBT, our Atlanta-based IOP provides structured, DBT-focused treatment for teens and adults who need more consistent support to apply skills in real-life situations, reduce emotional escalation, and build responses that hold throughout the week.

We offer an Adult track and an Adolescent track. All groups are Gender Affirming.

Clients can be referred to IOP by their doctor or therapist or they can simply call and refer themselves. Sometimes IOP can be a soft landing from a hospitalization or residential program, but it can also be a step up in care for someone experiencing greater intensity of emotions, symptoms or problematic behaviors and impulses.

Recovery DBT's Adherent DBT IOP Provides:

Individual one-on-one therapy with an intensively trained DBT therapist.

Here you will create an individualized treatment plan. You will learn how to implement DBT skills daily to find relief from your emotions and substance use urges and analyze the patterns that lead up to the substance use in your life. Your therapist will help you create contingency management skills to increase your abilities, confidence, meet your needs without the use of substances and find solutions in your life.

For Eating Disorder treatment, you will receive care with our Clinical Team in partnership Best Within You Therapy & Wellness. For individuals in our OCD track, treatment includes Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) delivered in partnership with The OCD & Anxiety Center. Both specific programs are fully integrated within your DBT treatment plan.

Flexible Scheduling for DBT Group Therapy to Meet Your Needs

Based on your intake assessment and insurance benefits, you may participate in five, four, or three days of group therapy each week.

Our DBT group sessions are designed to help you:

Regulate overwhelming emotions
Manage distress without turning to harmful behaviors
Reduce cravings and urges related to substance use
Develop mindfulness and stay grounded in the present
Strengthen communication and relationship skills

Our goal is to provide the right level of support to help you build a life worth living—one step at a time.

24/7 Phone Coaching

24/7 Phone Coaching where you will be able to contact your individual DBT therapist in between sessions when you are experiencing distressing emotions, having high urges or cravings for substances.

The therapist will guide you through your newly acquired DBT skills in the moment to help regulate your emotions and reduce harmful urges.

This will help reinforce and integrate the skills you are learning in therapy and have support in between therapy sessions.

Psychiatric Support

OCD Treatment

As part of our comprehensive Intensive Outpatient Program, clients have access to ongoing psychiatric support throughout their care. Our psychiatric team works in close collaboration with your DBT therapist and, when applicable, your eating disorder specialist through Best Within You Therapy & Wellness or your OCD treatment team through The OCD & Anxiety Center to ensure your treatment plan is aligned across all areas of care.

Whether it is assessing medication needs, managing symptoms, or providing regular check ins, our goal is to support your mental wellness with thoughtful, individualized care that complements the therapeutic work you are doing each week.

What is the cost of the program?

We know that every healing journey is unique, so your care plan should be too. The cost of the IOP varies because we take the time to create a personalized program that meets your individual needs.

We work with most insurance providers and do our best to reduce any out-of-pocket expenses, so you can focus on what matters most: getting better.

We Work With Most Insurance Carriers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)?

Our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a structured treatment program designed for individuals whose symptoms are significantly impacting their day to day life. The program is rooted in adherent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), helping clients build skills to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and improve relationships.

For clients with specialized needs, care is enhanced through trusted partnerships. Those struggling with eating disorders receive additional support through Best Within You Therapy & Wellness, while clients with OCD engage in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) in collaboration with The OCD & Anxiety Center. This integrated approach ensures each client receives targeted, high quality care while staying grounded in a comprehensive DBT framework.

Who is a good fit for the IOP?

This program is appropriate for adolescents and adults experiencing moderate to severe mental health challenges, especially when weekly therapy has not provided enough support. It is well suited for individuals struggling with intense emotions, intrusive thoughts, anxiety, mood instability, or patterns of avoidance that interfere with daily functioning.

What does treatment look like during the program?

Clients attend group therapy three, four or five days per week. You then also receive individual therapy sessions as well over the course of the 14 weeks.

Is the program offered in person or virtually?

Yes. The OCD IOP is offered both in person and virtually, depending on clinical appropriateness and client location. Our team will help determine the best format to ensure effective treatment.

How is this program different from traditional talk therapy?

Unlike talk therapy, which often focuses on insight alone, the IOP is action-oriented and skills-based. Clients actively practice DBT skills during treatment and build lasting tools for long-term recovery.

Clear, Structured Support You Can Rely On

Our Atlanta-based IOP combines evidence-based DBT care with accessible, structured support designed to help you move forward with confidence.

Signs You May Need More Support Than Weekly Therapy

It’s not always obvious when it’s time for more support. More often, it shows up as things gradually become harder to manage. You may still be functioning but it’s taking more effort, and it’s getting harder to stay steady between sessions.

IOP may be the right next step if:

Therapy once a week no longer carries you through

Emotions feel harder to manage between sessions

Patterns keep repeating, even when you understand them

Anxiety, depression, or stress is impacting your daily life

You feel more reactive, overwhelmed, or stretched thin

Coping strategies aren’t working consistently

Functioning at work, school, or home is becoming harder

You need more structure, consistency, and accountability

For teens, this may look like school avoidance, emotional overwhelm, or increased conflict. For adults, it may feel like burnout, instability, or difficulty keeping up. You don’t need to be in crisis. IOP is often most helpful before things reach that point.

WHO WE HELP

Why IOP May Be the
Right Level of Care

Our Atlanta IOP is designed for people who are still functioning but need more support to stay consistent. It helps bridge the gap between: understanding what’s happening → actually responding differently in real life.

FOR ADULTS

Adults 18+

FOR TEENS

For Teens & Adolescents

Treatment may include family involvement to support progress at home. When appropriate, treatment may also include family involvement to help improve communication, reduce conflict, and support more consistent use of skills at home.

Get More Support So Progress Doesn’t Reset Each Week

IOP is designed for people who are still moving through their daily life but finding it harder to stay steady without more consistent guidance. You continue living at home. You continue showing up where it matters. But instead of trying to manage everything on your own between sessions, you have structured support built into your week so you’re not starting over each time.

That means:

Consistent guidance across the week not just once at a time

More opportunities to apply skills in real situations/

Support when challenges are actually happening not just after

Accountability that helps you adjust in real time

Over time, this leads to:

Fewer emotional spikes during the week

Less reactivity in real-life situations

More consistency in how you respond

A greater sense of stability across your day-to-day life

At Recovery DBT, we support clients across Atlanta, Marietta, and surrounding areas who need more consistency, more accountability, and a clearer way to turn insight into action.

What Treatment Looks Like in Our IOP

IOP at Recovery DBT is structured, consistent, and connected to your actual life, not separate from it.

A Typical Weekly Structure

Additional Support

Schedules are structured across multiple days per week, with weekly hours and length of care based on individual needs, progress, goals, and clinical recommendations.

How It Works in Practice

What makes IOP effective is not just the frequency it’s the feedback loop:

You learn a skill in session

You apply it during your week

You return with real experiences

Application-focused care

This cycle repeats consistently. You’re not learning in isolation, you’re learning, using, and strengthening skills in real situations. That’s what helps change hold outside of treatment.

Application-focused care

Licensed clinicians

DBT-trained therapists

Psychiatric support available

At Recovery DBT, treatment is designed around application, so you’re not just understanding patterns, but actively changing how you respond when those patterns show up.

In-Person and Virtual IOP Options

We offer both in-person and virtual IOP to make care more accessible and consistent.

Virtual IOP can be a strong option if commuting is a barrier you need flexibility with work or school, you prefer receiving support from home. Both formats provide the same goal: consistent, real-life application of skills across your week.

Clinical Expertise Behind Your Care

✓Licensed Clinicians

✓DBT-Trained Therapists

✓Evidence-Based Treatment

✓Structured levels of care (IOP, PHP, outpatient)

testimonials

Trusted By Teens, Adults, And Families Across Atlanta

Recovery DBT is trusted by individuals, families, and professionals looking for structured, supportive care.

“My time in DBT has taught me to find a life worth living even through my hardest struggles. I am now not only alive. I am truly living.”

Allison

Program Graduate

“Our experience was that the program gave structure and a process to work through which led us up and out. We are not ‘perfect’ but we are so much better today.” 

Russ

Father of a 15 year old

“Iain provided the guidance our family needed to navigate through treatment and recovery. Our daughter learned coping skills, and we, as parents, also learned how to better support her.”

Yvonne

Mother of a 16 year old

New to IOP?

What Is a Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program?

An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is a structured level of outpatient mental health care that provides support multiple times per week without requiring full-day treatment.

It sits between:

→weekly therapy, which offers less frequent support

→PHP or inpatient care, which provides full-day or 24-hour treatment

IOP is designed for people who:

→need more support than once-a-week therapy can provide

→are finding it harder to manage between sessions

→want to actively apply skills, not just talk about them

→need structure and consistency to create real change

Instead of relying on a single weekly session, IOP helps you stay engaged in progress throughout the week where your real life is happening.

IOP Is Often Used to Treat

IOP is not tied to one diagnosis; it is used when more consistent support is needed across the week.

At Recovery DBT, IOP commonly supports:

→
self-harm behaviors

→
suicidal ideation

→
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

→
eating disorders

→
anxiety and depression

→
emotional dysregulation and relationship challenges

This makes IOP a central part of treatment, connecting weekly therapy and higher levels of care while supporting multiple conditions through a structured DBT approach.

How IOP Helps Change Actually Stick

IOP is not just more therapy, it’s more continuity.

In weekly therapy, insights can stay inside the session. In IOP, you apply them while life is happening.

You’re not waiting until next week to figure things out. You’re adjusting in real time with support.

Over time, this helps you:

✓ navigate difficult moments more effectively

✓ interrupt patterns earlier

✓ reduce emotional intensity across your week

✓ respond with more consistency, not just react

✓ feel more stable in everyday situations

IOP creates momentum. Instead of starting over each week, you build forward.

Understanding the Right Level of Care For You

Choosing the right level of care isn’t about intensity, it’s about consistency.

IOP is designed for the space where what you’re doing isn’t enough anymore, but you don’t need full-day care.

IOP vs Weekly Therapy

Weekly therapy may be enough when:

→ you can apply skills between sessions

→ symptoms feel manageable

→ progress continues without added structure

IOP may help when:

✓ therapy isn’t carrying you through the week

✓ emotions feel harder to manage between sessions

✓ patterns repeat despite insight

✓ more structure would help you stay consistent

IOP vs PHP

IOP:

→ structured support across the week

→ ability to manage daily responsibilities

→ skill application between sessions

PHP:

→ full-day structured care

→ support needed throughout the day

→ higher acuity and stabilization needs

Not sure? We can help you decide.

A simple way to think about it:

→ Weekly therapy: reflect and process

→ IOP: apply and stay consistent

→ PHP: stabilize with daily support

IOP may not be the right fit if:

→ you need immediate safety support or 24-hour care, in which case inpatient treatment may be more appropriate

→ your symptoms are stable and manageable with weekly therapy alone

This helps ensure you’re matched with the level of care that best supports you.

Common Questions About Starting IOP

How do I know if this is the right level of care?

You don’t have to know we’ll help you figure that out.

Can I still work or go to school?

Yes. IOP is designed to support you while maintaining your routine.

What if I’m not “bad enough”?

You don’t need to be in crisis. Many people start when things become harder not when they fall apart.

Will I have support between sessions?

Yes. That’s a core part of IOP.

What if therapy hasn’t worked before?

DBT focuses on practical, usable skillsmany people experience it as more active and effective.

What Happens After You Reach Out

No pressure. No commitment required.

We Work With Most Insurance Carriers

Start With a Conversation About What’s Next

You don’t need to be certain to reach out.

If things have been getting harder to manage,
If therapy isn’t carrying you through the week
Or if you’re feeling stretched thin this is a place to start.

There’s no pressure to commit.
Just a conversation to help you understand what kind of support could help.

Recovery DBT offers mental health IOP in Atlanta for adults, teens, and families who want more support and a clearer path forward.

Start With a Conversation About What’s Next

You don’t need to be certain to reach out.

If things have been getting harder to manage,
If therapy isn’t carrying you through the week
Or if you’re feeling stretched thin this is a place to start.

There’s no pressure to commit.
Just a conversation to help you understand what kind of support could help.

Recovery DBT offers mental health IOP in Atlanta for adults, teens, and families who want more support and a clearer path forward.

Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in Atlanta

When You Need More Support Without Putting Your Life on Hold

We offer an Adult track and an Adolescent track. All groups are Gender Affirming.

Recovery DBT's Adherent DBT IOP Provides:

Individual one-on-one therapy with an intensively trained DBT therapist.

Flexible Scheduling for DBT Group Therapy to Meet Your Needs

24/7 Phone Coaching

Psychiatric Support

OCD Treatment

What is the cost of the program?

Call Us

Email Us

Call Us

Email Us

We Work With Most Insurance Carriers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)?

Who is a good fit for the IOP?

What does treatment look like during the program?

Is the program offered in person or virtually?

How is this program different from traditional talk therapy?

Clear, Structured Support You Can Rely On

Signs You May Need More Support Than Weekly Therapy

WHO WE HELP

Why IOP May Be the Right Level of Care

FOR ADULTS

Adults 18+

FOR TEENS

For Teens & Adolescents

Get More Support So Progress Doesn’t Reset Each Week

What Treatment Looks Like in Our IOP

A Typical Weekly Structure

Additional Support

How It Works in Practice

In-Person and Virtual IOP Options

Clinical Expertise Behind Your Care

testimonials

Trusted By Teens, Adults, And Families Across Atlanta

Allison

Russ

Yvonne

New to IOP?

What Is a Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program?

IOP Is Often Used to Treat

How IOP Helps Change Actually Stick

Understanding the Right Level of Care For You

IOP may not be the right fit if:

Common Questions About Starting IOP

How do I know if this is the right level of care?

Can I still work or go to school?

What if I’m not “bad enough”?

Will I have support between sessions?

What if therapy hasn’t worked before?

What Happens After You Reach Out

We Work With Most Insurance Carriers

Start With a Conversation About What’s Next

Start With a Conversation About What’s Next

Why IOP May Be the
Right Level of Care