What are Levels of Care in Mental Health Treatment?
If you’ve ever explored therapy or treatment options, you may have heard the phrase “levels of care.” But what does it actually mean? Understanding levels of care can help you choose the type of support that best matches your needs or the needs of a loved one.
What Does “Level of Care” Mean?
A level of care refers to the intensity and structure of treatment services a person receives. Think of it as a spectrum—from occasional check-ins with a therapist to highly structured programs that provide daily support. The goal is to meet people where they are in their healing journey, offering the right amount of care at the right time.
The Different Levels of Care
1. Outpatient Therapy
What it is: Meeting with a therapist, counselor, or psychiatrist once or twice a week.
Who it’s for: Individuals who are stable (e.g. No active psychosis, no active suicidality, no active self-harm, etc.) and want support for ongoing challenges such as anxiety, depression, relationships, or stress. Outpatient therapy is ideal for people who are able to complete their daily responsibilities like work, school, and parenting generally well, and may want therapy to further grow as a person.
Focus: Building coping skills, improving emotional health, and creating long-term change.
2. Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
What it is: More structured and relatively short-term (e.g. 1-3 months) than outpatient therapy, typically 3–5 days per week for several hours a day (Soomar, 2023).
Who it’s for: People who need more support than weekly therapy can provide but do not require 24/7 supervision. People who struggle with intense and painful emotions that make it challenging to complete one, or more of their daily life responsibilities (e.g. Failing classes, difficulty sustaining a job, etc.).
Focus: Managing symptoms, developing coping strategies, and receiving group and individual therapy in a supportive environment.
3. Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
What it is: A step up from IOP, often 5 days a week for most of the day, while still living at home.
Who it’s for: Individuals needing a high level of support without inpatient hospitalization.
Focus: Stabilization, intensive therapy, and building daily living skills while maintaining some independence.
4. Residential Treatment
What it is: Living at a treatment center with round-the-clock care and supervision.
Who it’s for: People who need continuous support in a structured setting to manage significant mental health or substance use challenges.
Focus: Safety, stabilization, and immersive therapeutic work in a healing environment.
5. Inpatient Hospitalization
What it is: This is the most intensive level of care, provided in a hospital setting with 24/7 medical and psychiatric support. Unlike the other levels of care mentioned, people can receive this level of care either voluntarily or involuntarily, depending on the severity of the situation.
Who it’s for: Individuals in crisis or at risk of harming themselves or others can call 911, or a Psychiatric Mobile Response Team (PMRT) to evaluate and admit them into care (LA County DMH). Individuals sharing with their mental health provider any plans and intentions to harm themselves and/or others would be immediately connected with support to access this higher level of care. Individuals who share with their mental health provider plans and intentions to harm themselves and/or others, but do not wish to access this higher level of care would be placed in something called a “5150-involunatry hold” (Salman, 2023).
What is a “5150-involuntary hold”?: It refers to a part of the CA Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) that allows for the involuntary psychiatric evaluation and temporary detention of people who are deemed to be a danger to themselves, to others, or are gravely disabled. This allows mental health professionals, and law enforcement officers to place people under a 72-hour psychiatric hold, or longer, if needed, during which the person is immediately evaluated and a treatment plan is created.
Focus: Crisis stabilization, safety, and short-term management of severe symptoms before stepping down to a lower level of care.
Who can Impose a 5150 hold? Each state has its own legal provisions for an involuntary psychiatric hold, for example, in Nevada it is known as a “Legal Hold,” or a “Legal 2000,” and for both California and Nevada, a mental health provider, along with other authorized professionals, can initiate it, but a medical doctor, or psychiatrist, is the only one who can finalize the decision and determine the length of stay (NVBH.org; Salman, 2023).
Why Levels of Care Matter
Recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all. Sometimes, people may begin at a higher level of care and gradually transition down as they gain stability and coping skills. Others may start with outpatient therapy and move up if symptoms worsen. Having different levels ensures that everyone can access the right type of support when they need it most.
✅ Key takeaway: Levels of care are just different ways to make sure your treatment matches the amount of support you need at any given time. They don’t define your worth or your ability to heal. Whether you’re coming in for weekly therapy or exploring more structured options, the goal is always the same—to help you feel safe, supported, and moving forward on your healing journey.
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Sources:
LA County DMH. “Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams (PMRT).” https://dmh.lacounty.gov/our-services/countywide-services/eotd/pmrt/
Salman, A. (Oct. 13, 2023). “5150 Hold: What You Should Know.” https://clearbehavioralhealth.com/5150-hold/
Soomar, M. (Feb. 28, 2023). “How Long Does IOP Last?” https://www.insightrecoverycenters.com/rehab-blog/rehab-blog-how-long-does-iop-last/
https://nvbh.org/involuntary-hold/
