Guardian IOP
Intensive Outpatient Addiction Treatment Program

Why should I consider an Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program? Living in active addiction for any length of time changes an individual’s brain chemistry. It sets up deeply engrained patterns of behavior, coping mechanisms, ways of relating to the world, relationship dynamics, emotional responses and the basic skills of day-to-day living. Addicts and alcoholics just entering recovery essentially need to re-learn how to manage their lives on every level — physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

When addicts and alcoholics get sober, sometimes they are also shocked to suddenly feel emotions they have stuffed and anaesthetised for years, sometimes decades. The accumulation of emotional baggage and shame an individual piles up while consumed by addiction often blindsides them in early recovery. These untreated wounds from the past are often the stumbling blocks that trip up an individual’s ability to stay clean and sober long term.

To draw an analogy — you can pick off the top leaves of a weed in your garden, but until you dig out the root, the weed will keep resurfacing. Addiction is known as a “chronic, relapsing brain disease” because of its uncanny and baffling way of resurfacing, over and over again, until the roots are deeply treated. Intensive Outpatient allows individuals to get down to the roots of their maladies and truly change. Real recovery involves a real transformation. And real transformation takes takes time, help and continuous effort. The clinical team at Guardian IOP collectively has decades of experience in the field of addiction treatment. The IOP program’s therapeutic methods have been well-researched and designed to jumpstart the transformation needed to stay sober for the long-haul.

When Should I Seek Outpatient Treatment?

We recommended that an individual join the Guardian IOP program after completing a medical detox and inpatient treatment stay. IOP is seen as a reintegration phase that allows individuals to slowly re-enter their lives while also being supported by a clinical staff and recovery community. There are instances, however, when the Guardian IOP program is appropriate for someone who is coming straight from a medical detox or has gotten sober independently. Guardian IOP’s admission team can help you decide if the program is a good fit for your individual circumstance. Contact us today if you’d like a complimentary assessment. We can help you determine what pathway will ultimately serve you or your love one the best.

Guardian IOP has well-established relationships with medical detox facilities and inpatient rehab centers located in New Jersey and out-of-state. Guardian’s admissions experts are happy to help you or your loved one arrange for medical detox and/or inpatient treatment before attending intensive outpatient treatment at Guardian. Each client will be assigned a case manager to help them through every step of the way.

Guardian IOP is also part of the Guardian Recovery Network, which operates world-class, clinically sophisticated facilities in Colorado, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire and New Jersey. Whether you or your loved one comes to Guardian IOP from an inpatient treatment center, directly from a medical detox facility, or from home, the Guardian IOP team is deeply committed to help individuals get firm foundations in long-term recovery.

No matter how an individual arrives at Guardian IOP — following a detox, inpatient rehab or from home — the Guardian IOP program will undoubtedly help build the foundation for solid recovery.

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Our Drug & Alcohol addiction treatment experience is second to none.

Learn how we can help by speaking with one of our Treatment Advisors today.

Guardian’s IOP Program

The Guardian Intensive Outpatient program offers a gender-specific and multidisciplinary treatment approach for adults suffering at the hands of a substance disorder of any severity. Guardian’s IOP program allows clients to participate in some of their day-to-day life commitments, such as work or school, while participating in a full schedule of group therapy, individual therapy, family therapy, 12-step workshops and a wide range of other clinical services. IOP is seen as a reintegration phase that allows individuals to slowly re-enter their lives while also being supported by a clinical staff and recovery community. 

At Guardian IOP we incorporate the best-researched recovery treatment methodologies available. Our clinical team has decades of combined experience in the field of addiction recovery and has strategically designed the program to help clients build unshakable foundations for their recovery.

For a list of locations where Guardian’s IOP program is offered (Click here).

Our Drug & Alcohol Treatment Services Include


The Essential Parts of the Guardian Intensive Outpatient Program Include:

Individual & Group Therapy – Therapeutic intervention is essential to the maintenance of long-term sobriety. In many cases, those who begin abusing drugs and/or alcohol do so to self-medicate undiagnosed mental health conditions, such as unresolved trauma, depression and anxiety. Therapy sessions help immensely in working through underlying issues that have contributed to the individual’s addictive patterns.

Family therapy & Additional Services for the Immediate Family – Addiction doesn’t just affect the addict or the alcoholic, it deeply affects the mental and emotional well-being of the entire family. We believe that in order for someone to truly heal and maintain sobriety, their family must heal simultaneously. For this reason, we offer family therapy sessions on a regular basis as well as continued support for the close family members of the patient. Family therapy helps each member of the family heal and helps to dismantle unhealthy dynamics that might have contributed to family dysfunction.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) – Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is a method of psychotherapy designed to help addicts and alcoholics overcome detrimental and self-defeating behaviors by changing their behavioral patterns and learn healthy coping mechanisms. We offer DBT as part of our comprehensive therapeutic program.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of psychotherapy during which unhealthy thinking patterns and false narratives are challenged, re-framed and ultimately changed. Our team of licensed and experienced therapists works with each individual client to transform their self-destructive tendencies into healthy, efficient and effective coping strategies.

12-step Program Involvement – 12-step program involvement is a critical component of every aftercare plan. Our IOP focuses on daily meetings and helps our clients begin the steps. We encourage all our clients to begin working with a 12-step sponsor before completing the IOP program.

Relapse Prevention Therapy – In order to prevent relapse and maintain sobriety for years to come, a very specific set of coping mechanisms and relapse prevention tools must be in place. We do all we can to teach our patients relapse prevention strategies so that they consistently feel strong and capable in their recovery.

Aftercare Planning – Just like the rest of the addiction recovery experience, aftercare planning is unique to each individual patient and must focus on his or her personal needs and long-term treatment goals. Our case managers work to create individualized aftercare plans that will ensure sobriety long after IOP.

Fitness Programs – It has been proven that those who stick to a regular exercise regime (in combination with a host of other recovery-related practices) are more likely to maintain long-term sobriety. We introduce each of our patients to yoga and other fitness modalities in order to help them form healthy habits that will last.

Nutritional Services – Adequate nutrition is also essential to long-term recovery. Nutrition plays a vital roll in mood stabaliztion, energy levels and general sense of well being. We have experienced nutritionists on staff that teach patients to cook healthy and nourishing meals for themselves.

Life Skills Training – Addiction strips people of basic life skills. Those in the throes of addiction often neglect their financial responsibilities, personal hygiene, nutrition and basic life responsibilities. Over time bad habits become deeply engrained. Individuals just entering recovery often have to re-learn how to manage their lives. We work to reinstill basic life skills in all of our patients so they can become self-sufficient, productive members of society. This training can also include career skills.

Education Assistance – In many instances, drug addiction and alcoholism occur sometime during adolescence or early adulthood. Addiction. can have a  detrimental impact on an individual’s school record. If a patient wants to go back to school we help them do so with our education assistance program.

Vocational Training – Addiction also interferes with career opportunities and employment. We help each and every one of our patients discover what it is they want to do, and then we actively help them achieve their personal vocational goals. We also can aid clients with career steps such as resume writing, job applications and interviews.

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(888) 693-1894

Is Outpatient Treatment Right For Me?

Intensive Outpatient is an ideal option for you if:

  • You have recently completed medical detox and residential treatment and you are looking to take the next logical step in a long-term curriculum of continuing care.
  • A long-term stay in a residential treatment program is not a viable option for one of any number of reasons, like current financial capability, caring for dependents or work-related obligations.
  • The substance abuse disorder is not severe, and you are simply interested in taking care of substance misuse issues before they progress and develop into full-blown addiction.
  • There are no underlying mental health conditions present. Inpatient, dual diagnosis treatment is often necessary for men and women who suffer at the hands of a co-occurring disorder like anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. If the substance use issue is situational and has been short-lived, IOP is likely an effective stand-alone treatment option.

Benefits of Our IOP

For some clients and their families, outpatient programs may be more cost-effective than residential treatment. Some insurances cover outpatient programs or require clients to complete an outpatient program before they provide coverage for residential treatment. Guardian IOP Treatment Advisors are well-versed in helping clients understand their insurance benefits. Please feel free to contact us for assistance in clarifying your coverage and payment options.

Guardian IOP is intensive for a reason, but we offer more flexibility than residential treatment. Meetings, sessions and workshops are scheduled throughout the day and evening, which may allow you more time to continue your education, work or be with your family.

The exact amount of time spent at Guardian IOP each week varies from person to person. Depending on a client’s specific needs and schedule, he or she could spend anywhere from 10 to 30 hours a week participating in various programming. Most Guardian IOP clients attend sessions 3-5 days a week in 3-4 hour blocks.

Additionally, Guardian IOP enables clients to experience real-time results. Clients have the unique opportunity to meet other people with similar experiences and long-term goals, and they can put their new skills to use every day when they leave our facility and return home.

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  • Individual Focus

  • Caring & Experienced Staff

  • Homestyle Retreat

  • Fully Licensed & Accredited 

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A Sensible Step on the Continuum of Care

The road to long-term, lasting recovery isn’t easy, but Guardian IOP can help you along the way. Our IOP is a sensible next step for those who are serious about their recovery and want to continue treatment among highly experienced clinical and medical professionals, as well as other clients who have similar goals. Contact a Treatment Advisor today to learn more about how IOP can fit into your long-term recovery plan.

Guardian Intensive Outpatient
Experience Lasting Recovery

At Guardian IOP we are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of clinical care available throughout Florida and New Jersey, developing unique and personalized treatment plans that cater to the individual needs of each client. No two journeys of recovery should be identical, seeing as no two clients are the same. If you are interested in learning more about our Intensive Outpatient program, or if you would like to determine whether or not this specific level of care will best suit your personal treatment needs, give us a call today at (888) 693-1894. Our Treatment Advisors are standing by 24/7 to answer any questions you may have while pointing you in the right direction.