Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) in Houston

What is a partial hospitalization program for substance use in Houston?

A partial hospitalization program for addiction in Houston is day treatment at ASAM level 2.5, usually 20 or more hours a week, as described in The ASAM Criteria from the American Society of Addiction Medicine. People attend most of the day and go home or to sober housing in the evening.

Many Houston hospital pages that appear in PHP searches describe psychiatric-only programs. Their schedules and stay lengths apply to mental health care, not to addiction treatment. Ask intake staff which level of care a program provides before you compare schedules.

A typical program day combines group and individual counseling, medication management and recovery skills work. Some listings mention care for co-occurring mental health conditions, and those programs appear on the dual diagnosis page. Programs that offer services in Spanish are on the Spanish-speaking rehab page. Each listing shows its accepted insurers and the groups it serves.

Partial hospitalization sits between intensive outpatient and residential care: more hours than the former, but no overnight stay. Length depends on assessment and progress, with regular reviews about stepping care up or down. Daily drinkers and people using opioids or benzodiazepines may need medically managed withdrawal before starting.

How is PHP different from IOP and residential treatment?

PHP falls between the two: it has more hours than an IOP in Houston but no overnight stay, unlike residential rehab. Intensive outpatient care at ASAM level 2.1 usually runs at least 9 hours a week for adults, while residential programs provide structure around the clock. The length of a PHP stay depends on assessment and progress. Stays often run from a few weeks to a couple of months, with regular reviews to decide whether to step care up or down.

Withdrawal can change where treatment starts, so people who drink daily or use opioids or benzodiazepines should get an assessment first. A clinician may recommend medically managed withdrawal before PHP. Options are on the Houston detox page.

Getting to program each day

METRO, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, runs local and Park & Ride buses, three METRORail lines and METROLift paratransit. Most of the county can be reached only by bus. Close to three in five listed PHPs sit within 25 miles of a river, most often the San Jacinto River. Look up the bus route to the specific program before the first day.

Will Texas Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance cover PHP in Houston?

Coverage depends on the plan, so start by asking your insurer whether it pays for partial hospitalization for substance use. Texas Medicaid delivers most benefits through managed care. The state’s January 2026 map lists these STAR plans for the Harris service area: Community Health Choice, Molina, Texas Children’s, United and Wellpoint. That line-up can change. Medicare covers partial hospitalization in some settings, and the Medicare rehab page lists Houston providers that accept it. Federal parity law generally requires private plans to cover substance use care on terms comparable to medical care.

State-funded screening is available through OSAR at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD at 713-970-4400, Option 6, or through the Council on Recovery at 713-942-4100. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Regulatory Services Division issues the Chemical Dependency Treatment Facility license and can tell you a program’s license status. In a crisis, call or text 988, call The Harris Center’s 24/7 line at 713-970-7000, or call 2-1-1 Texas at 877-541-7905. For PHP across Texas, see partial hospitalization in Texas.