When you look into Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHPs), you might find two options. One is a traditional PHP provided in an office or facility. Another doesn’t require this travel or take you away from a familiar, comfortable place. It is a virtual PHP (vPHP) that you can participate in from home. Lightfully offers forms of treatment in person and virtually. Here, we’ll dive into the differences between a PHP program near you and a vPHP online.

What is a PHP?

A PHP is a treatment option that is more intensive than the occasional therapy or psychiatry appointment. If seeing a mental health treatment provider every few weeks or months doesn’t feel sufficient based on the severity of your symptoms and functional impairment, a PHP may be the next step up in treatment.

It may include therapy, psychiatry, group sessions and family therapy. Instead of participating in treatment occasionally, you may participate every weekday. Treatment may span between 4-6 hours per day.

However, PHP treatment doesn’t completely occupy your time in the way that inpatient treatment might. Participating in inpatient treatment might be considered one of the next steps up from a PHP. Inpatient treatment involves on-site, overnight care for consistent monitoring and support for people with an imminent safety risk or severe functional impairment. In a PHP, you stay at home and maintain more of your ordinary lifestyle.

Compare a vPHP to a PHP provided in person

What are the key differences between a vPHP and a PHP? You can learn about each of their defining features here:

What can you do in a vPHP?

Participate in treatment at home

Maybe you take care of your family at home or work from home. Perhaps you have a mental health condition that makes leaving home challenging, like panic disorder with agoraphobia. You might have a lifestyle that involves frequent in-state travel or live in a small town far away from a facility that could provide a PHP. All of these are potentially strong reasons to opt for a vPHP. You can participate in treatment anywhere you need, whether that’s your home office, hotel room or parked car in a quiet place.

Maintain your daily routine as much as possible

If your daily routine provides stability, you might not be eager to change it. You can continue doing most of what you are familiar with while adding vPHP treatment to your schedule.

Participate in psychotherapy, psychiatric treatment and groups online

You can get confidential, secure treatment online. Lightfully’s vPHP includes a therapy appointment, a psychiatry appointment and multiple group meetings every week. Programming lasts for about 20 hours per week, spread across five days. With no travel needed, vPHP offers a more convenient and accessible option for care.

What can you do in a PHP?

Participate in treatment outside of your home

Maybe you don’t feel like leaving home for treatment is a burden; maybe it seems like exactly what you need. You might want to see treatment providers in person, get out of the house more or meet with groups in real life. The option of participating in a PHP in person may be attractive to you.

Take a break from your day-to-day routine

Sometimes, a daily routine feels like a supportive structure that makes every day easier to manage. Sometimes, it feels like a constriction or a set of demands, and you would be more comfortable without it. You can break from the everyday routine with a standard PHP.

Attend therapy appointments, psychiatry appointments and group meetings in person

You might want to meet mental health treatment providers in person or participate in treatment in a more formal setting than your own home. If you would like to work with treatment providers and group members in person, you may prefer a PHP over a vPHP.

Explore your options with Lightfully

You can reach out to Lightfully to learn more about our vPHP and PHP. You can also find more information from us online, including:

• Six tools for assessing your mental health online, so you might gain insight into your symptoms or condition.
• Self-help strategies for mental well-being, so you may find a few ways to feel better in the meantime before treatment.
• Our library of videos on a variety of mental health topics, so you can learn about conditions, medication and other aspects of treatment.

Moving forward is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.