The term “Outpatient” in the behavioral health industry is frequently used.  But, what exactly does it mean?  Outpatient is sometimes used as a broad term to describe a specific license type.  There are two types of licenses which are typically referred to in this industry; inpatient and outpatient.  

The term ‘outpatient’ is used to describe a type of license which encompasses three different levels of care; PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program), IOP (Intensive Outpatient) and OP (Outpatient).  This is typical for most states in the U.S., though some states consider PHP inpatient. If you’re not sure which consideration is made by your state, you can likely refer to your state’s web page for Department of Health Services.

In a less broad sense, the term ‘outpatient’ is used to describe a specific level of care. Outpatient is the lowest level of care on the care tier. It typically consists of group therapy and individual sessions with a therapist.  A typical week for an outpatient client will include three group therapy sessions and one individual session. While the client attends outpatient, they will either be residing in their own home or a sober living facility.

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