Teen substance use and intensive outpatient treatment — in-person and virtual

What Teen IOP at Altura looks like

Teen Intensive Outpatient is built specifically for adolescent substance use — different from adult IOP in clinical approach, group composition, and family involvement. Your teen attends three afternoons per week and lives at home (or, in some cases, with a parent in another stable household).

• Ages 13–17 — adolescents are in separate groups, never mixed with adult clients
• 9 hours per week — three 3-hour groups, after school
• In-person in Bellaire OR fully virtual — virtual works for families outside the immediate Houston area
• Adolescent-specific curriculum — substance use, identity, social pressure, school stress, family conflict, technology, trauma
• Weekly individual therapy with an adolescent-trained counselor
• Required family sessions — adolescent treatment without family work doesn't hold
• Psychiatric evaluation for co-occurring depression, anxiety, ADHD, or trauma — often the underlying driver
• School coordination — we work with the school on attendance, IEPs, and academic continuity
• Drug screening as part of accountability

What parents are worried about — and what's actually happening

Most parents land here after finding something they wish they hadn't, or after a school call, or a hospital visit. The hardest part isn't the substance — it's not knowing the right next step.

• "Is it bad enough for treatment?" — If you're asking, it probably is. Adolescent substance use is rarely caught early; by the time parents notice, it's almost always more advanced than they think.
• "Will residential ruin their school year?" — That's exactly why IOP exists. It's intensive enough to interrupt the use, gentle enough to keep school and family intact.
• "What if they refuse?" — Most teens push back at first. We've done this hundreds of times. We have an admissions clinician who specializes in family ambivalence and adolescent reluctance.
• "What about the underlying issues?" — Almost every teen we treat has co-occurring depression, anxiety, ADHD, or trauma. Substance use is usually the symptom, not the problem. Our psychiatric and clinical team treats both.

In-person, virtual, or both

For families in Houston metro, in-person IOP at our Bellaire office gives your teen face-to-face connection with counselors and peers in recovery. For families farther out — or where school + commute makes in-person impossible — our virtual track is the same clinical curriculum, delivered securely from home. Many families combine the two: virtual on school nights, in-person on lighter days.

Insurance — most teen IOP is covered

Altura is in-network with Ambetter from Superior HealthPlan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, United Healthcare, Cigna, Aetna, and Curative. Most insured families pay $0 after deductible for adolescent outpatient mental health and substance use treatment when their plan allows it.

We run a free, no-obligation insurance verification before you commit. You'll know exactly what your plan covers and what (if anything) your out-of-pocket would be.

Inside our Bellaire office

Not a strip-mall office. A clean, modern space where you'll actually want to show up.

Teen IOP — common parent questions

If you're worried, call.

One call, 5 minutes, and you'll know your insurance coverage, the right level of care for your teen, and whether IOP is the fit. Confidential. Free. Same-day callbacks.