Quitting on your own works right up until stress, craving, or an old wound wins again. A structured program holds what willpower alone cannot, without pulling you out of your life: an intensive outpatient program near Simi Valley meets several days a week, day or evening, at our Thousand Oaks center for opioids, stimulants, and cannabis, most insurance accepted.
DHCS licensed (560078AP) · Joint Commission accredited · LegitScript certified · Most insurance accepted · Medically reviewed by Codie Vassar, MD · Admissions answered 24/7
When an Intensive Outpatient Program Is the Right Level
An IOP suits adults 18 and older whose drug use has turned into a genuine problem, yet who have a steady home and do not need supervision around the clock. You stay in your own bed at night, keep a job or your studies, and come in to our Thousand Oaks center several times a week. It is the right level when weekly therapy is not enough to hold recovery, and it is where many people land after a medical detox or a stretch in partial hospitalization.
It also fits the person who has tried to quit alone and found that stress, craving, or an old wound keeps winning. Service members and veterans whose substance use is tied to their time in uniform can start through our veterans and active-duty program. Should your assessment point to a higher level of care than an IOP can give, we tell you directly and help you get there.
How Intensive Outpatient Works for Simi Valley Residents
Every plan starts with a clinical assessment that fixes your level of care and shapes a schedule around your week. Intensive outpatient runs up to five days a week, three hours a day, in a morning or afternoon block, with an evening option for Simi Valley residents who cannot step away from a daytime job. Each block mixes group work, individual therapy, and family sessions, and you head home afterward. As your footing returns, you move down through the outpatient levels rather than stopping all at once, paced by progress instead of a set number of weeks. Care does not end at your last session: continuing care and an alumni community keep support in place as you step back into daily life.
| Level of care | Schedule | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Partial hospitalization (PHP) | Five full days, Monday through Friday | Full-day structure, typically right after detox or a relapse |
| Intensive outpatient (IOP) | Up to five days a week, three-hour morning or afternoon blocks | Enough structure to hold recovery while life continues |
| Evening program | Several evenings a week, 6 to 9pm | For people whose workday blocks daytime sessions |
| Standard outpatient (OP) | A lighter weekly touchpoint | Step-down care, therapy, and relapse prevention |
Drugs We Treat at the Intensive Outpatient Level
This is substance abuse treatment Simi Valley residents can reach without a residential stay, aimed at the drugs that most often bring people in:
- Opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription painkillers such as oxycodone
- Stimulants, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and misused prescription stimulants
- Cannabis, where heavy daily use has become hard to stop on its own
- Alcohol, treated through our dedicated alcohol rehab near Simi Valley page
Our drug treatment program handles these at the outpatient level, and when opioids are involved, medication such as Suboxone is managed on site through our medication-assisted treatment. When drug use travels with depression, anxiety, or trauma, our dual diagnosis care treats both in one coordinated plan under a single team. If you are not sure whether what you are facing belongs in an IOP, call and we will tell you honestly.
Therapies and Medication in the Program
Everything here rests on evidence-based therapy that targets the thinking, the triggers, and the past keeping drug use alive. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the backbone, retraining the patterns that lead back to use. Dialectical behavior therapy teaches you to ride out craving and stress without acting on either, and EMDR is there when use is rooted in trauma. Group and family sessions run through the week and build the relapse-prevention skills for handling triggers once the program ends, and our psychiatric team manages medication on site when it belongs in your plan, including Suboxone and Vivitrol for opioid recovery.
An IOP Track for Mental Health
Not everyone who needs an IOP is in it for drugs. For a primary mental health condition, or when a mental health problem is the engine underneath the substance use, we run the same intensive outpatient structure as a mental health track, with psychiatry and therapy built around the diagnosis rather than the substance. Your assessment decides which track fits, and the two share a team, so care does not fracture when both are in play.
Outpatient Only, Attended From Home
Intensive outpatient is exactly that, outpatient. You keep living at home, attend your sessions, and leave when the block ends, so recovery is built into the life you are actually living. There is no detox facility and no residential program at Lotus, and no one stays the night. When an assessment points to medically supervised withdrawal or a residential stay before outpatient work can begin, we are upfront about it and connect you to a provider we trust, then welcome you into the IOP once a clinician confirms you are stable. The program is one piece of the broader outpatient rehab in Thousand Oaks we run.
Insurance That Covers Intensive Outpatient
Intensive outpatient care is covered by most commercial plans, and for Simi Valley residents we handle the benefits check up front. We work with most major carriers on an in-network and out-of-network basis, including UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Blue Shield of California, Anthem, Optum, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Cross Blue Shield, GEHA, and UMR. Because every plan reads its own way, we confirm what yours covers through our insurance verification form before treatment begins. Assessments are available same day, and walk-ins are welcome.
The Clinicians Behind Your Treatment
Written by Shelley Woodman, LCSW
Clinical Program Supervisor · Medically reviewed by Codie Vassar, MD, Board-Certified Adult Psychiatrist and Medical Director
Your treatment is carried by a licensed clinical team under Shelley Woodman, LCSW, our Clinical Program Supervisor, who leads the therapists running group, individual, and family sessions. Everything clinical on this page is reviewed by Codie Vassar, MD, a board-certified adult psychiatrist and our Medical Director, so the information holds up to a physician's read. Lotus is licensed by the California Department of Health Care Services (license 560078AP) and accredited by The Joint Commission, the independent nonprofit that reviews and certifies behavioral health programs nationwide.
Getting to Our Office From Simi Valley
Our office sits just south of Simi Valley in neighboring Thousand Oaks, at 290 Conejo Ridge Avenue, a straight shot down the 23 freeway and close enough for a regular commute. Because an IOP means showing up several times a week, a short and predictable drive is part of what keeps people in treatment, and secure video sessions cover the days getting in is not practical. We serve Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks and reach across the Conejo Valley and Ventura County. The office is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 9pm, and admissions are answered around the clock. From Simi Valley, the drive runs much the same from Wood Ranch, the Town Center area, or the east end by the 118: head south on the 23 toward Thousand Oaks and exit in the central Conejo Valley, where the map below has turn-by-turn directions to our door.
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The need around here is real. The Ventura County Medical Examiner recorded 200 overdose deaths in the county in 2024, 143 of them involving opioids, per the Ventura County Medical Examiner 2024 overdose report. Nationally, of the 48.5 million people aged 12 and older living with a substance use disorder in 2023, only 7.1 million received any treatment, per SAMHSA's 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Local, outpatient care a short drive from Simi Valley lowers one of the barriers that keeps people from starting.
Your IOP Questions, Answered
How Long Does an Intensive Outpatient Program Last?
There is no fixed length. Most people spend several weeks to a few months in IOP, stepping down to lighter outpatient care as they stabilize rather than finishing on a set date. Your clinician reviews progress with you and adjusts the plan, so the program lasts as long as the recovery work needs and no longer.
What Happens During a Typical IOP Day Here?
You come in for a three-hour block, morning, afternoon, or evening, that mixes group sessions, individual therapy, and skills work, with family sessions added where they help. The psychiatric team checks in on medication when it is part of your plan. You take part in the session and then head home the same day.
Can I Keep Working or Going to School While in IOP?
Yes. That is much of the point of intensive outpatient. Sessions run in day and evening blocks so you can hold a job, attend class, or care for family while you treat substance use, and the evening track exists specifically for people who cannot step away during work hours.
Which Drugs Do You Treat in the IOP?
The program treats opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription painkillers, along with stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine, and heavy cannabis use. When opioids are involved, medication like Suboxone is managed on site, and any co-occurring mental health condition is treated at the same time.
Is an Intensive Outpatient Program Covered by Insurance?
Usually, yes. Most commercial plans cover IOP for substance use, and we work with most major insurers in and out of network. Coverage differs from plan to plan, so we verify your specific benefits before you start and tell you what yours includes rather than leaving you to guess.
Is an IOP as Effective as Inpatient Rehab?
For many people, yes. For most substance use disorders, intensive outpatient can be as effective as inpatient treatment when the home is stable and the medical risk is manageable. It also lets you practice recovery in your own environment instead of a facility, which is where it ultimately has to hold.
Do I Need to Detox Before Starting the IOP?
Sometimes. If you are physically dependent on opioids or another substance, a clinician may recommend a medically supervised detox first for safety. We do not run detox on site, so we help arrange it nearby and then bring you into the IOP once you are stable. If detox is not needed, you can begin outpatient care directly.
How Do I Get to Your Office From Simi Valley?
The office is in Thousand Oaks, at 290 Conejo Ridge Avenue, a short drive down the 23 freeway from Simi Valley. We treat Simi Valley residents from that location rather than from a separate office in the city, and video sessions cover the days an in-person visit is not practical.
Reach Our Intensive Outpatient Team Near Simi Valley
One call gets it moving, and someone answers the admissions line around the clock. Walk through what has been happening, let us confirm your coverage, and we will line up the level of care and schedule that work for your week.