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GuideCan you work while in IOP?
Usually yes, and the schedule is what decides it. A daytime IOP collides with a job. An evening IOP does not.
Most people keep working.
An intensive outpatient program is outpatient. You sleep at home and you keep your life. The thing that breaks it is a program that meets at 10 AM on a Tuesday. Check the hours before anything else.
Groups start after the workday.
Groups
Monday to Friday, 5:30 to 8:30 PM Pacific, by secure video. Fifteen group hours a week.
One on one
A weekly individual session, scheduled with your clinician. Optional in-person intensives in California.
Four shapes of work that need a plan.
Shift work and nights
A 3 PM to 11 PM shift overlaps group every weekday. Bring your roster to the clinical screen.
Travel for work
Evening flights eat group. Tell us the pattern before intake so the week is built around it.
Safety-sensitive roles
Commercial driving, nursing, aviation and licensed trades have their own reporting rules. Those sit with your employer or board, not with us.
On-call
Being paged out of group happens. Say so in week one rather than disappearing mid-session. Your clinician can move the individual session to a quieter hour.
Your employer is not told.
42 CFR Part 2 protects substance use treatment records. Nothing goes to an employer or a family member without your written consent. If you choose to request leave, that is your decision and your paperwork. We do not contact a workplace on our own.
What people ask first.
Can I work full time during IOP?
At Shift, yes, because groups run 5:30 to 8:30 PM Pacific, Monday to Friday. A daytime program is a different answer.
Do I have to tell my employer?
No. Treatment records are protected and nothing is shared without your written consent. Some people tell a manager anyway. That is a choice, not a requirement.
What if a work meeting lands on group night?
Tell your clinician. Attendance matters, and one conflict is a scheduling problem rather than the end of treatment.
Do I need time off at all?
Most people do not. If your clinician thinks you need leave, you will hear it plainly at the screen.
How soon can I start?
We check your benefits the same business day and intake is usually the next business day.
What will it cost?
Out of network with commercial PPO plans. A cost estimate in writing before your first session. Not Medicaid or Medicare today.