Eating disorder recovery doesn’t happen in a straight line. It unfolds in chapters and moments of both uncertainty and progress. When a patient experiences setbacks or successes, their treatment team must thoughtfully consider whether a step up or step down in care would be most supportive.
Understanding Adolescent PHP: Structure, Support, and Continuity of Care
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) offers a higher level of care than traditional outpatient therapy, without requiring an overnight stay. In this way, it serves as a critical bridge for those who need additional structure, accountability, and clinical support, whether stepping up from outpatient care or transitioning out of residential treatment.
This treatment option is especially important for adolescents, who are a particularly vulnerable population when it comes to eating disorders and the need for appropriate care. Not only are they navigating a pivotal developmental stage, but they are also balancing the complexities of school, evolving identity, and family dynamics — all while working toward recovery.
With these thoughts in mind, Alsana recently opened the Westlake Village Adolescent PHP as a key step in the continuum of care for our patients. This comprehensive, in-person eating disorder care is for adolescents ages 12 to 17. Adolescents participate in structured, multidisciplinary programming during the day (typically five days per week for six to eight hours per day) before returning home each evening. This rhythm allows for meaningful clinical support while staying connected to daily life.
PHP As a Critical Bridge in Eating Disorder Recovery
PHP occupies a unique and essential space in the continuum of eating disorder treatment. It sits between outpatient and residential care in both structure and intensity, often providing 25 to 40 hours of treatment per week. This level of support allows adolescents to receive comprehensive, multidisciplinary care while beginning to re-engage with life outside of treatment.
Because of this balance, PHP often becomes a pivotal point in each patient’s Recovery Story, supporting both stabilization and forward movement during times of transition.
Step-Down from Residential Care
For adolescents transitioning out of residential treatment, PHP offers a thoughtful step-down approach that helps maintain progress while introducing greater independence. The structure and clinical support remain consistent as patients begin to navigate more real-world experiences, such as returning home each evening and reconnecting with family routines.
This level of care can play a critical role in preventing relapse during a vulnerable transition period. Rather than moving abruptly from a highly structured environment to minimal support, PHP creates a gradual shift that reinforces skills, boosts confidence, and supports continued healing.
Step-Up from Outpatient Care
In other cases, PHP serves as a necessary step up when outpatient therapy alone is no longer sufficient. For adolescents experiencing escalating symptoms, increased medical or psychological concerns, or difficulty maintaining progress between sessions, a higher level of care may be needed to restore stability.
PHP provides the increased structure, frequency, and clinical oversight required to intervene earlier and more effectively. With daily therapeutic engagement and a multidisciplinary team, adolescents are supported in real time, allowing challenges to be addressed as they arise rather than waiting for weekly appointments.
What the Research Tells Us
In these ways, PHP is more than just a level of care. Instead, it becomes a turning point where Soul Hearted healing begins to take root. Emerging research continues to support this idea. A 2024 systematic review found emerging evidence that adolescents in PHP show meaningful improvement in mental health symptoms and overall functioning, further supporting PHP as a promising level of care for high-risk youth.1
Moreover, research comparing in-person PHP to virtual intensive outpatient programs (IOP) has found comparable outcomes in areas such as weight restoration and hospitalization rates.2 While virtual care offers valuable support for healing, in-person PHP provides a level of structure, clinical immersion, and real-time support that is difficult to replicate in a remote setting.
Alsana’s Westlake Village Adolescent PHP: At a Glance
- Location: Westlake Village, California
- Ages Served: Adolescents, ages 12 to 17
Program Structure
- 6 to 8 hours of programming per day
- Approximately 4 therapeutic groups daily
- Daytime care with evenings spent at home
Weekly Therapeutic Components
- Individual therapy with a primary clinician
- Family or support system sessions
- Nutrition counseling and support
- Yoga and movement-based healing
- Hands-on cooking experiential
- All rooted in Alsana’s Recovery Story clinical framework
Who This Program Is For
- Adolescents stepping down from residential or higher levels of care
- Adolescents who need more support than traditional outpatient therapy
- Families seeking structured, consistent support during recovery
If you’re navigating what the next step in recovery should look like, our team is here to help you explore the path forward. Visit our website to learn more about our Westlake Village Adolescent PHPor reach out to admissions today.
References
- Rubenson, M. P., et al. (2024). Patient outcomes in transdiagnostic adolescent partial hospitalization programs: A systematic review. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
- Van Huysse, Jessica & Prohaska, Natalie & Miller, Catherine & Jary, Jessica & Sturza, Julie & Etsell, Katharine & Bravender, Terrill. (2022). Adolescent eating disorder treatment outcomes of an in‐person partial hospital program versus a virtual intensive outpatient program. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 56. 192-202. 10.1002/eat.23866.
