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Renova Recovery
Outpatient Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center
ADULT OUTPATIENT PROGRAM
Outpatient Program (OP) in New Jersey
Weekly outpatient rehab for adults in Brick, NJ. Ninety-minute sessions, mostly evenings, built to hold recovery in place while you work, parent and live at home. Joint Commission accredited. Most commercial PPO plans.
Answered 24/7. No charge, and nothing is committed to on the call.
Outpatient Program (OP) at Renova Recovery
An outpatient program (OP) is the lowest-intensity level of structured addiction treatment. At Renova Recovery in Brick, New Jersey, OP runs about 90 minutes per session, usually in the evening, and most adults attend once or twice a week. It is the level people step down into after PHP or IOP, and the level people start at when drinking or drug use has become a problem but daily structure is not required.
- Outpatient at Renova includes group therapy, individual counseling and case management.
- Individual counseling is part of the program for every client and is never billed on top.
- Medication-assisted treatment with Vivitrol is available alongside OP for alcohol and opioid use disorder, and injections are given on site.
- Renova is Joint Commission accredited
- treats adults 18 and over
- works out of network with most commercial PPO plans and runs a benefits check on the first phone call. There is no waitlist.
- Renova does not provide medical detox. Anyone who needs detox is helped to find it first.
LEVEL OF CARE
What Is an Outpatient Program (OP)?
An outpatient program is structured addiction treatment delivered in scheduled sessions while you continue living at home. No overnight stay, no time away from work, no handing your life over for a month. In the ASAM criteria that New Jersey insurers and licensing bodies use, outpatient is Level 1.0: under nine hours of clinical service a week for adults, with the rest of the week spent applying it.
That last part is the point. Outpatient treatment is not a lighter version of rehab. It is recovery practiced in the environment where it has to hold up. The bar, the group chat, the commute past the old neighborhood, the Sunday with family, all of it is live, and OP gives you a weekly place to bring what happened and sort out what to do differently next time.
Outpatient sits at the end of the continuum of care: detox, then partial hospitalization, then intensive outpatient, then OP. Plenty of people enter at OP directly, without ever needing the levels above it. Others land here after months of more intensive treatment and stay a long time, because the weekly session is what keeps the work from quietly slipping.
What Does PHP Stand For?
OP stands for outpatient program. You will also see it written as standard outpatient, routine outpatient, or ASAM Level 1.0. All four refer to the same thing: scheduled addiction treatment of fewer than nine clinical hours a week, delivered while the client lives at home. It is distinct from IOP, which is intensive outpatient, and from PHP, which New Jersey licenses as Partial Care.
PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS
Outpatient Program at a Glance
| OP at a Glance | Renova Recovery |
|---|---|
| Days per week | One to two |
| Hours per session | About 90 minutes |
| Weekly hours | Roughly 1.5 to 3 |
| Session times | Usually evening |
| ASAM level | Level 1.0, Outpatient |
| NJ licensure definition | Fewer than nine counseling hours per week for adults |
| Ages served | Adults 18 and older |
| Group size | Small by design, mixed groups |
| Individual counseling | Included for every client, never billed separately |
| Medication support | Vivitrol administered on site, non-narcotic |
| Length of stay | Based on clinical progress, goals and authorization |
| Rest of the week | Home, work, family, in your own environment |
| Not offered | Medical detox, residential beds, methadone, Suboxone |
NEW JERSEY LICENSURE
What New Jersey Requires of an Outpatient Program
New Jersey defines these levels in licensing regulation rather than leaving them to marketing. Under N.J.A.C. 10:161B-1.3, outpatient treatment is a service provided at a licensed outpatient facility at fewer than nine hours of counseling per week for adults. Intensive outpatient begins at a minimum of nine hours per week. Partial Care, what most people call PHP, requires a minimum of twenty.
That threshold is the whole distinction. A program advertising "intensive" treatment at six hours a week is delivering standard outpatient care by the state's own definition. When you compare programs, ask how many clinical hours per week you will actually attend and put that number against the table below.
It matters for coverage too. Insurers authorize by level of care, and the hours are what determine which level is being billed.
| Level of care | NJ licensure threshold, adults | ASAM level | Renova |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outpatient | Fewer than 9 counseling hours per week | 1.0 | About 1.5 to 3 hours |
| Intensive outpatient | Minimum 9 counseling hours per week | 2.1 | 9 to 15 hours |
| Partial Care (PHP) | Minimum 20 hours per week | 2.5 | About 30 hours |
IS THIS YOUR LEVEL OF CARE
Who Our New Jersey Outpatient Program Is For
Outpatient works when the day-to-day environment is safe enough to recover in and there is a reason to keep showing up. It does not work as a substitute for a level of care someone actually needs, and saying so up front is part of doing this properly. An ASAM assessment at intake settles the question in about an hour, and if outpatient is the wrong answer we say so.
| Outpatient is usually the right level when | A higher level of care is usually needed when |
|---|---|
| You have finished PHP or IOP and want structure that continues | You are still physically dependent and need medically supervised detox |
| Drinking or drug use is causing real damage but you are still working and functioning | Withdrawal has caused seizures, DTs or a hospital visit in the past |
| Home is stable and reasonably safe for recovery | Home is where the using happens and nobody there is stopping |
| You have had a slip and want to catch it early rather than wait for a crisis | Use has escalated back to daily and a week of outpatient will not touch it |
| You need to hold a job, a lease or custody while you get treatment | You are at immediate risk of harming yourself and need crisis or inpatient care |
| A court, an employer or a licensing board requires documented treatment | Medical or psychiatric symptoms need daily monitoring |
| Anxiety or depression sits underneath the substance use and needs steady clinical attention | Several prior outpatient attempts have ended the same way within weeks |
Renova does not provide medical detox. If detox is what the assessment points to, we help arrange it and hold a place for the step down into PHP, IOP or OP afterward.
COURT-INVOLVED CLIENTS
Court-Ordered and IDRC-Referred Outpatient Treatment in New Jersey
A significant share of people in outpatient treatment in this county arrive with a court date behind them. In Ocean County, roughly one in five treatment admissions comes through the criminal justice system or the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center rather than a self-referral. Outpatient is frequently the level the court, the IDRC or a probation officer is looking for, because it satisfies a treatment requirement without removing someone from work or custody of their children.
Renova works with clients referred through the IDRC after a DUI, through Recovery Court, through probation and parole, and through attorneys arranging treatment ahead of a sentencing date. Case management produces what the court actually needs, released only with your written authorization.
Attending because a judge said so is a perfectly legitimate way to start. Plenty of people who came in resentful about the requirement stayed after it was satisfied, which is the outcome everybody involved was hoping for.
What we can document for a court
• A completed ASAM substance use assessment with a level-of-care recommendation
• Enrollment confirmation with program type and start date
• Ongoing attendance records at the interval the court requires
• Drug and alcohol screening results
• Progress reports for probation, parole or an attorney
• Completion documentation at discharge
Ocean County's Intoxicated Driver Resource Center is at 732-341-9700 ext. 7500. If a court, a probation officer or the IDRC has directed you to get an evaluation or enter treatment, say so on your first call. It changes how the assessment is scheduled and what needs to be set up from the start.
Privacy
Addiction treatment records carry protections beyond ordinary medical privacy under federal law. Nothing goes to an employer, a court or a family member without your written authorization.
WHAT WE TREAT
Outpatient Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Outpatient Drug Rehab in New Jersey
Outpatient drug rehab at Renova treats adults across the substances that bring people to treatment in New Jersey. What the level of care can hold depends less on which drug it is than on where the person is with it. Someone eight months out of detox from fentanyl may be a better fit for outpatient than someone whose cocaine use escalated last month.
For opioid use disorder, outpatient is almost always a step-down rather than a starting point, and Vivitrol is a significant part of what makes it hold. For stimulants, outpatient tends to work best after a period of higher intensity, because the early weeks off cocaine or methamphetamine are where structure matters most. For cannabis, and for prescription medications taken outside how they were prescribed, outpatient is frequently the right level from the start.
- Alcohol addiction treatment
- Drug addiction treatment
- Opioid addiction treatment
- Fentanyl addiction treatment
- Cocaine addiction treatment
- Methamphetamine addiction treatment
- Benzodiazepine addiction treatment
- Marijuana addiction treatment
- Adderall and prescription stimulant addiction
- Kratom and 7-OH addiction treatment
- Tianeptine addiction treatment
Outpatient Alcohol Treatment in New Jersey
Alcohol is the most common reason people come to outpatient treatment in this county, and it is the substance people wait longest to get help for. Drinking is legal, social and everywhere, so the line gets crossed quietly. There is rarely an overdose or an arrest to force the issue. There is a slow accumulation of mornings.
Outpatient alcohol rehab suits a lot of people with alcohol use disorder precisely because it does not require announcing anything. One evening a week, no leave of absence, no explanation owed to anyone. For people whose drinking has not yet cost them a job or a marriage, that accessibility is often the difference between getting treatment and putting it off for another year.
Outpatient treatment for alcoholism at Renova covers the drinking itself and what sits under it: the anxiety the first two drinks were treating, the sleep that has not been natural in years, the social life organized entirely around bars, the family that has learned not to bring it up. Vivitrol is available for alcohol use disorder and given on site, which for many people cuts the physical pull enough that the counseling work can land.
If drinking is heavy and daily, tell us on the first call. Alcohol withdrawal is one of the few that can be medically dangerous, and outpatient is not the place to go through it. We will help you get to detox first, then pick up from there.
signs it is worth a call
• You have set rules about drinking and quietly broken them
• The first drink of the evening is the one you think about all afternoon
• Tolerance has climbed and the same amount does less
• You drink to sleep, and sleep is worse for it
• There has been a DUI, a warning at work or a conversation at home
• Hands are unsteady or anxiety spikes the morning after
• You have stopped for a stretch before and it did not last
• The people closest to you have stopped mentioning it, which is its own signal
WHAT TO EXPECT
What an Outpatient Session Actually Looks Like
A session runs about 90 minutes and follows a shape people settle into quickly. It opens with a check-in, where everyone says where the week actually went, not where it was supposed to go. The middle is clinical work led by a licensed counselor: a skill, a pattern, a situation somebody is stuck in, worked through with the group rather than lectured at them. It closes with what each person is committing to before the next session.
Groups are mixed. Renova does not run gender-specific tracks, and the range in the room is part of what makes it work. The person twenty years in and the person three weeks in are both useful to each other.
Nobody is required to talk on the first night. Most people do by the second.
| Part of the session | Roughly | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Check-in | 20 minutes | Each person reports the week honestly, including the parts that went badly |
| Clinical focus | 50 minutes | A counselor-led skill or theme, worked through against real situations in the room |
| Commitments | 15 minutes | What each person is doing differently before the next session, said out loud |
| Individual counseling | Separate hour | Scheduled an hour after group or an hour before evening group, so one trip covers both |
WORK AND TREATMENT
Can You Keep Your Job While in Outpatient Treatment?
Yes, and for most clients that is the reason they are at this level. A 90-minute evening session does not require leave, a schedule change or a conversation with a supervisor. Nothing about attending treatment obliges anyone to tell an employer, and treatment records are protected health information that we do not release without your written authorization.
For people who need more than OP and are worried about the job, the protections below are worth understanding before assuming there is no option.
| Protection | What it generally covers | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| FMLA (federal) | Up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for a serious health condition, which can include substance use treatment | Applies to employers with 50+ employees within 75 miles, after 12 months and 1,250 hours of work. Leave for treatment is covered; it does not shield an employee from a pre-existing policy against on-the-job use |
| ADA (federal) | Protects employees in recovery from discrimination and can support reasonable accommodation such as a schedule adjustment for treatment | Protects people receiving treatment or in recovery, not current illegal drug use |
| NJ Temporary Disability Insurance | Partial wage replacement while unable to work due to a health condition, including treatment in some circumstances | State program through NJ Department of Labor; separate from FMLA job protection |
| Employee Assistance Program (EAP) | Confidential referral and sometimes payment support for treatment | Many employers have one and most employees never use it; using it does not automatically disclose a diagnosis to management |
| Professional licensing programs | Monitoring and treatment pathways for licensed professionals in New Jersey | Documentation requirements are specific; case management can prepare what a monitoring program asks for |
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your own situation with your HR department or an employment attorney. Renova's case management team can provide the treatment documentation an employer or leave administrator asks for.
YOUR FIRST TWO MONTHS
Your First Eight Weeks in Outpatient, Week by Week
Treatment is not the same in week four as it is in week one, and knowing the shape of it helps. This is the typical arc. Your plan is individualized, so yours will vary.
| Week | Clinical focus | What usually gets done |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Assessment and orientation | ASAM assessment, treatment plan written with you, first group, counselor assigned |
| Week 2 | Triggers and high-risk situations | Mapping the specific people, places and hours of the week where use is most likely |
| Week 3 | Craving management | Practicing what to do in the twenty minutes a craving actually lasts |
| Week 4 | Thinking patterns | CBT work on the thoughts that show up before a slip; first treatment plan review |
| Week 5 | Emotion regulation | DBT-informed distress tolerance for anger, boredom and grief |
| Week 6 | Relationships and boundaries | Conversations with family, employers and old friends; family session if it fits |
| Week 7 | Structure and purpose | Work, school, vocational support, filling the hours that used to belong to using |
| Week 8 | Relapse prevention plan | Written plan with early warning signs, named contacts and a step-up trigger |
This is a representative sequence, not a fixed curriculum. Treatment plans are individual and get reviewed as circumstances change.
SERVICES INCLUDED
What Outpatient Treatment Includes
Every client in outpatient at Renova has an assigned counselor and individual sessions as part of the program. It is not an upgrade, an add-on or a separate line on a bill. Whatever the payment arrangement, individual counseling is included.
Sessions are scheduled around group, usually an hour after it ends or an hour before an evening group, so one trip covers both. This is where the things that do not belong in a room of twelve people get worked on: a marriage, a bereavement, a probation officer, a diagnosis, the thing nobody has said out loud yet.
Case management runs alongside it. That covers documentation for courts and employers, coordination with outside prescribers and primary care, help with paperwork that has piled up, vocational support, and the practical obstacles that end treatment more often than clinical ones do. Transportation is one of those. If getting here is a problem, raise it on the first call and we will work through the options with you.
| Included in outpatient | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Group therapy | The core 90-minute session, counselor-led, mixed group |
| Individual counseling | Assigned counselor, scheduled around group, never billed on top |
| Case management | Court and employer documentation, prescriber coordination, vocational and practical support |
| ASAM assessment and treatment planning | At intake and reviewed as you go, with you in the room |
| Relapse prevention planning | A written plan with your own early warning signs and a step-up trigger |
| Drug and alcohol screening | Part of the program, and available as documentation when you authorize it |
| Medication-assisted treatment | Vivitrol on site, non-narcotic, coordinated with the affiliated physician |
| Co-occurring mental health support | Anxiety, depression and trauma treated in program, not referred out |
| Step-up and step-down access | PHP and IOP in the same building with the same clinical team |
Relapse Prevention in Outpatient Treatment
Relapse is a process with a long run-up, not a single bad decision on a Friday night. By the time someone drinks or uses, the drift usually started weeks earlier and was visible to anyone paying attention. The value of a weekly outpatient session is that somebody is paying attention.
Every client builds a written relapse prevention plan: the specific early warning signs for them, the people to call, the situations to avoid outright in the first year, and the agreed trigger for stepping back up to IOP before a slip rather than after one. Stepping back up is not a failure and is never treated as one. It is the plan working.
| Stage | What it looks like | What the plan says to do |
|---|---|---|
| Emotional drift | Sleep slips, meetings get skipped, isolation starts, irritability rises | Say it in group this week rather than next; add a session |
| Mental bargaining | Romanticizing old use, "one would be fine", contact with old suppliers or drinking friends | Call your counselor between sessions; go back over the trigger map |
| Behavioral setup | Changing routes, keeping cash aside, lying about small things, dropping support contacts | Step back up to IOP now, before anything happens |
| Slip | A single use or a drink | Call the same day. Reassessment, not discharge |
| Full return to use | Use has resumed at previous levels | Reassessment for PHP, IOP or detox depending on what is safe |
CLINICAL APPROACH
Therapy Models Our Clinicians Use in IOP
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — identifying the thought patterns that precede use and building different responses to them.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) — distress tolerance and emotional regulation for clients whose use is tied to overwhelm.
Group therapy
— The core of the OP session; accountability from people in the same position.
Individual therapy — One-to-one work with your assigned counselor, included every week
Motivational Interviewing — working with ambivalence rather than arguing against it.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — building a life worth protecting, alongside the recovery work.
Seeking Safety — trauma and substance use addressed together, without requiring trauma disclosure.
Family Systems Therapy — treating the patterns around the person, not only the person.
Person-Centered and Strengths-Based Counseling — starting from what is already working.
Mindfulness-Based Interventions — the daily meditation practice built into every block.
Trauma-Informed Care — our clinicians are licensed to treat trauma; our Clinical Director holds the CCTP-II credential.
Psychoeducation — understanding the mechanism, not just the rules.
CO-OCCURRING CARE
Outpatient for Dual Diagnosis and Mental Health in New Jersey
Anxiety, depression and unprocessed trauma are the rule in addiction treatment, not the exception, and outpatient is where they tend to surface. In the first weeks of recovery the substance use is the loudest thing in the room. Six months in, with the using stopped, what is left is whatever the using was covering.
That is not a sign treatment is failing. It is the point at which the real work becomes possible, and it is a common reason people relapse if there is nowhere to take it. Outpatient gives it somewhere to go: a weekly group, a counselor who knows the history, coordination with an outside psychiatrist or prescriber where medication is part of the picture, and trauma-informed clinicians who will not push faster than the person can handle.
Renova's therapists are licensed to treat trauma, and Clinical Director Rachele McGowan holds CCTP-II certification in clinical trauma treatment. Where symptoms need psychiatric care beyond outpatient's scope, case management coordinates it rather than leaving the client to arrange it alone.
COMPARE LEVELS OF CARE
OP vs. PHP vs. IOP in New Jersey
All three levels use the same clinical team and the same building. What changes is how many hours a week the program holds, and how much of the work you are carrying on your own between sessions.
| PHP | IOP | OP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASAM level | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.0 |
| Hours per week | About 30 | 9 to 15 | About 1.5 to 3 |
| Days per week | 5 | 3 to 5 | 1 to 2 |
| Session times | 9am-12pm and 5pm-8pm | 9am-12pm, 2pm-5pm or 5pm-8pm | Usually evening |
| Work during treatment | Usually paused or on leave | Yes, around the session block | Yes, barely affected |
| Best for | Early stabilization after detox | Serious structure while life continues | Continuing care and milder use disorders |
| Individual counseling | Included | Included | Included |
| Vivitrol available | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Clients move between levels as their stability and needs change, based on clinical progress rather than a fixed timeline. Clients stepping down from PHP continue with the same clinicians they have been working with, in the same building, without a new intake process.
If you are weighing IOP against Partial Care and want the longer version, read our full guide: PHP vs. IOP: What's the Difference?
PHP vs. IOP: What's the Difference
OUTPATIENT VS INPATIENT
Outpatient vs Inpatient Rehab: What Is the Difference?
The difference is where you sleep, and what that buys you.
Inpatient, also called residential, means living at the facility for the length of treatment, typically 28 days or longer. You are removed from your environment entirely. That is the strength of it and also the cost of it: no access to alcohol or drugs, no triggers from home, round-the-clock supervision, and no job, no school run and no mortgage payments coming in while you are there.
Outpatient means you live at home and attend scheduled sessions. You keep working, keep parenting, keep your housing and your income. You also keep your triggers, which sounds like a disadvantage and is in fact the mechanism: you practice recovery in the environment where it has to hold, with a clinical team to bring the hard weeks back to.
Neither is better in the abstract. Inpatient is the right answer when the environment at home is unsafe, when withdrawal needs medical supervision, or when repeated outpatient attempts have not held. Outpatient is the right answer when home is stable enough, when the person is functioning, and when removing them from work and family would cost more than it gains.
What decides it is an ASAM assessment, not a preference. Renova is outpatient only — PHP, IOP and OP. If the assessment points to inpatient or detox, we say so and help arrange it.
| Inpatient / residential | Outpatient (PHP, IOP, OP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you sleep | At the facility | At home |
| Typical length | 28 days or longer | Weeks to a year or more, by clinical need |
| Work and family | Paused | Continue throughout |
| Supervision | 24 hours a day | During scheduled sessions |
| Access to substances | Removed entirely | Present — managed with skills and accountability |
| Cost | Highest level of care | Substantially lower per week |
| Best when | Home is unsafe, withdrawal needs medical supervision, or outpatient has not held | Home is stable, the person is functioning, and leaving work would cost more than it gains |
| ASAM levels | 3.1 to 4.0 | 1.0, 2.1 and 2.5 |
| Offered at Renova | No — we help arrange it | Yes, all three levels |
OCEAN COUNTY DATA
Outpatient Is the Most Common Level of Care in Ocean County
New Jersey publishes county treatment data every year, and the Ocean County numbers make one thing clear: outpatient is not the fallback option here, it is the main one. Of the 6,708 substance use treatment admissions among Ocean County residents in 2024, outpatient was the single most common level of care at 26%, ahead of intensive outpatient at 20% and well ahead of partial hospitalization at 2%. Statewide, outpatient accounts for 21%.
Alcohol drives more of it locally than nationally — 48% of county admissions name alcohol as the primary substance against 42% statewide — and the largest age group in treatment is 35 to 44, not people in their twenties.
See the full Ocean County treatment data, county against statewide
/ocean-county-addiction-resources
Source: New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Substance Use Overview 2024, Ocean County and Statewide reports.
CHOOSING A PROGRAM
How to Choose an Outpatient Program in New Jersey
Every program's website says the same things. These are the questions that actually separate them, and you can ask all seven on a ten-minute phone call. Ask us too.
| Ask | What a good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| Are you accredited, and by whom? | A named accrediting body such as the Joint Commission, verifiable independently |
| How many clinical hours a week will I actually attend? | A specific number you can hold against the NJ licensure thresholds |
| Is individual counseling included or billed separately? | Included, with an assigned counselor, at no additional charge |
| Who runs the groups? | Licensed clinicians, named, with credentials you can check |
| Can I move up a level without changing providers? | PHP, IOP and OP under one roof with one clinical team |
| What happens if I slip? | Reassessment and a step up, not discharge |
| Will you check my benefits before I commit? | A verification of benefits on the first call, with the numbers explained |
| Is there a waitlist? | A straight answer and a specific start date |
| What documentation can you provide my court or employer? | Assessment, attendance, progress and completion records, released with your authorization |
| Do you treat mental health alongside the substance use? | Co-occurring care in the same program, not a referral out |
START WITH AN ASSESSMENT
Not Sure Outpatient Is the Right Level of Care?
You are not expected to diagnose your own level of care off a website. That is what the assessment is for, and it takes about an hour.
An ASAM assessment looks at six dimensions: withdrawal risk, medical conditions, mental health, readiness to change, relapse risk and the recovery environment you are going home to. The result is a recommendation, discussed with you rather than handed down. Sometimes it is outpatient. Sometimes it is IOP or PHP. Sometimes it is detox first, somewhere else, with us picking up afterward.
There is no cost to the phone call and no obligation attached to the assessment.
WHY RENOVA
Why Families Choose Renova Recovery for Outpatient Treatment
| What matters | What Renova does |
|---|---|
| Accreditation | Joint Commission accredited, New Jersey licensed, LegitScript certified |
| Individual counseling | Included for every client at every level, never an upcharge |
| One team across levels | PHP, IOP and OP in the same building, so stepping up or down does not mean starting over |
| Speed | Benefits verified on the first call, no waitlist, most people start that day or the next |
| Medication on site | Vivitrol administered at the facility rather than sent somewhere else |
| Trauma-trained clinicians | Therapists licensed to treat trauma; Clinical Director holds CCTP-II |
| Court and employer support | Case management produces the documentation, with your written authorization |
| Getting here | If transportation is the obstacle, raise it on the first call and we work through it with you |
WHO YOU WORK WITH
The Clinical Team Behind Our Outpatient Program
Outpatient groups are led by licensed clinicians, not facilitators. You are assigned a counselor at intake and you keep that counselor as you move between levels of care.
Rachele McGowan, LPC, LCADC, is Renova's Clinical Director. She holds a master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgian Court University and CCTP-II certification in clinical trauma treatment, and she oversees clinical programming across PHP, IOP and outpatient.
Dana Giaimo is a therapist at Renova, holding a master's degree and licensed as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Intern, with experience supporting adolescents and adults across outpatient and intensive outpatient settings.
Shanna manages admissions and daily operations, and is usually the person who answers when you call and runs your benefits check.
Medication-assisted treatment is coordinated by an affiliated physician.
COVERAGE
Does Insurance Cover Outpatient Treatment in New Jersey?
Usually, in some form. Renova works out of network with commercial PPO plans. Out of network is not the same as uncovered: most PPO plans include out-of-network behavioral health benefits, and federal parity law requires substance use benefits to be no more restrictive than medical ones. What differs is how the deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum apply.
Call and admissions will run a verification of benefits while you are on the phone. You are told what your plan covers, where you stand on the deductible and what your share looks like, before committing to anything. It takes minutes and there is no obligation attached to it.
What to Have Ready When You Call.
- Your insurance card, front and back
- Date of birth of the person seeking treatment
- Any substances involved, and roughly how long
- Any past treatment, if there has been any
Don't have your card? Call anyway. We can usually find the plan.
We regularly coordinate benefits with carriers including:
Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Cigna
Horizon BCBS NJ
United Healthcare
Humana
Magellan Health
Carelon Behavioral Health
AmeriHealth
WHAT IT COSTS
What Outpatient Treatment Costs in New Jersey
Outpatient is the least expensive level of structured addiction treatment, because you are paying for a session rather than a day of programming. What it actually costs you depends on your plan, and the only way to know is to have somebody read the plan.
| What affects your cost | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Plan type (PPO, HMO, EPO) | PPO plans generally include out-of-network behavioral health benefits; HMO and EPO plans typically do not |
| Out-of-network deductible | Often separate from and higher than the in-network deductible, and it resets each plan year |
| Coinsurance | The percentage you carry after the deductible is met |
| Out-of-pocket maximum | The ceiling on your annual share; longer courses of treatment can reach it |
| Level of care | Outpatient bills fewer hours than IOP or PHP, so the per-week cost is the lowest of the three |
| Where you are in the plan year | Starting in November means a deductible that resets in January; worth planning around |
| Prior authorization | Some plans require it for a level of care; admissions handles the request |
Private Pay
Private pay is available for people without coverage, with a plan that excludes out-of-network care, or who would rather no claim was filed at all. Rates and arrangements are discussed directly and plainly before anything starts. Individual counseling is included in the program either way and is never charged on top.
FINDING US
How to Get to Our Intensive Outpatient Program
Renova Recovery is at 35 Beaverson Blvd, Building 6A in Brick Township, off Route 70 and a short run from Exit 91 of the Garden State Parkway. Parking is at the door. An evening outpatient session is a manageable drive from most of northern Ocean County and the southern Monmouth shore towns.
If getting here is the obstacle, say so on the first call. Nobody should skip treatment over transportation, and we will go through the options with you.
Renova Recovery
35 Beaverson Blvd, Building 6A
Brick Township, NJ 08723
908-533-9808
Serving: Toms River · Point Pleasant · Lakewood · Jackson · Wall Township
AFTER TREATMENT
Continued Care and Alumni Support After Outpatient
Most relapses do not happen during treatment. They happen in the gap that opens when a program ends and nothing replaces it. Someone finishes IOP in good shape, goes from nine hours of clinical contact a week to none, and three months later is back where they started, wondering what went wrong.
Outpatient is how that gap gets closed. Instead of graduating out of contact, the intensity drops and the contact stays. One evening a week is enough to notice when sleep goes, when the meetings stop, when the person who was calling their counselor every week suddenly has nothing to report.
After outpatient, our alumni program continues at no cost: follow-up calls from our team, email check-ins, and connection to community recovery resources and peer support. People who finish here do not stop hearing from us.
Signs someone is ready to step down to outpatient
| Ready for outpatient | Stay at the current level for now |
|---|---|
| Attendance has been consistent for several weeks | Sessions are being missed and the reasons keep changing |
| Cravings are present but manageable and get talked about | Cravings are being handled alone and reported late |
| Sleep, eating and routine have steadied | Sleep is still broken most nights |
| There is a support system outside the program | The program is the only source of support |
| Work, school or a daily structure has resumed | Days are unstructured and long |
| A relapse prevention plan exists and has been used at least once | The plan is theoretical |
| Psychiatric symptoms are stable and any medication is being taken | Mood symptoms are worsening or medication is being skipped |
COMMON QUESTIONS
Outpatient Treatment in New Jersey: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an outpatient program for addiction?
An outpatient program (OP) is structured addiction treatment delivered in scheduled sessions while you live at home. It is ASAM Level 1.0, the lowest intensity of formal treatment, and it typically involves group therapy plus individual counseling. At Renova Recovery in Brick, NJ, sessions run about 90 minutes, usually in the evening, once or twice a week.
How many hours a week is outpatient treatment?
Outpatient at Renova is about 90 minutes per session, one or two times a week, so roughly 1.5 to 3 hours weekly. New Jersey defines outpatient as fewer than nine counseling hours per week for adults. IOP begins at nine hours; Partial Care requires twenty.
How long does outpatient rehab last?
There is no fixed number of weeks. Length is set by clinical need and reviewed with you as you go. Some people use outpatient for a few months after stepping down from IOP; others stay in weekly treatment for a year or more because that is what keeps recovery stable.
Is outpatient rehab effective?
For the right person at the right stage, yes. Outpatient works when home is safe enough to recover in and there is enough stability to carry the work between sessions. It is not effective as a substitute for detox or for a higher level of care someone actually needs, which is why an assessment comes first.
What is the difference between IOP and outpatient?
Intensive outpatient runs 3 hours a day, 3 to 5 days a week, with morning, afternoon or evening options. Outpatient runs about 90 minutes, once or twice a week, usually in the evening. IOP is for people who need substantial structure; OP is for step-down, continuing care, or milder use disorders.
Can I work while in outpatient treatment?
Yes. Outpatient is designed around employment. Evening sessions mean most clients never need leave, a schedule change or a conversation with a supervisor.
Do you have evening outpatient sessions?
Yes. Outpatient sessions at Renova are usually scheduled in the evening. Individual counseling is scheduled an hour after group or an hour before an evening group, so one trip covers both.
Do I need detox before outpatient treatment?
Some people do and some do not. If you are physically dependent on alcohol or opioids, detox usually needs to come first, because withdrawal from alcohol and benzodiazepines in particular can be medically dangerous. The assessment settles it. Renova does not provide detox, but we help arrange it and pick up afterward.
Does Renova Recovery provide medical detox?
No. Renova is outpatient only: PHP, IOP, OP and MAT. If detox is what you need, we will help you get to it and hold your place for treatment afterward.
Is outpatient rehab covered by insurance in New Jersey?
Usually, in some form. Renova works out of network with commercial PPO plans, and most PPO plans include out-of-network behavioral health benefits. Federal parity law requires substance use benefits to be no more restrictive than medical benefits. Call and we will verify your benefits while you are on the phone.
How much does outpatient rehab cost in New Jersey?
It depends on your plan's out-of-network deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum, so any number quoted on a website would be wrong for most readers. Outpatient bills the fewest hours of the three levels of care, making it the least expensive. Admissions will tell you your actual share after verifying benefits.
Can I pay privately for outpatient treatment?
Yes. Private pay is available for people without coverage, with a plan that excludes out-of-network care, or who prefer no claim be filed. Rates are discussed plainly before anything begins.
Is individual counseling included in the outpatient program?
Yes. Every client has an assigned counselor and individual sessions as part of the program, at every level of care. It is never billed on top, whatever the payment arrangement.
Do you drug test in outpatient treatment?
Yes, drug and alcohol screening is part of the program. Results are also available as documentation for a court or monitoring program when you authorize their release.
Will my employer find out I am in treatment?
Not from us. Treatment records are protected health information and nothing is released without your written authorization. Evening outpatient sessions also mean there is usually nothing about your schedule to explain.
Can you provide documentation for a court or the IDRC?
Yes. Case management provides assessments with level-of-care recommendations, enrollment confirmation, attendance records, screening results, progress reports and completion documentation, released with your written authorization.
Do you accept court-ordered clients?
Yes. Renova works with clients referred through the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center after a DUI, through Recovery Court, and through probation, parole and attorneys.
Is Vivitrol available with outpatient treatment?
Yes. Medication-assisted treatment runs alongside any level of care, including outpatient. Vivitrol is a monthly non-narcotic injection given on site at the Brick office, used for both alcohol and opioid use disorder.
Do you prescribe Suboxone or methadone?
No. Renova's MAT program is non-opioid and non-narcotic. Vivitrol is the medication offered.
Can I attend if I am already on buprenorphine from another prescriber?
Yes. You can attend outpatient here while your outside prescriber continues managing that medication, and case management coordinates between the two.
What happens if I relapse while in outpatient treatment?
You call, and you come in. A slip triggers a reassessment, not a discharge. Depending on what is safe, that may mean adding a session, stepping back up to IOP or PHP, or arranging detox. Stepping back up is the plan working, not the plan failing.
Are outpatient groups men and women together?
Yes. Renova runs mixed groups rather than gender-specific tracks.
What ages do you treat?
Adults 18 and over.
Do you offer telehealth for outpatient sessions?
Sometimes. Whether a session can be done remotely depends on the condition being treated, the purpose of that session and what your insurance allows. Ask on the first call about your own situation.
Is there a waitlist to start outpatient treatment?
No. Most people who call in the morning start that day or the next. Some tour the building first and start the following day.
Can outpatient treatment help with alcohol as well as drugs?
Yes, and alcohol is the most common reason people come. Alcohol is the primary substance in 48% of Ocean County treatment admissions. Outpatient treatment for alcoholism at Renova includes group and individual counseling, with Vivitrol available for alcohol use disorder.
Do you treat anxiety and depression alongside addiction?
Yes. Co-occurring anxiety, depression and trauma are treated as part of the program rather than referred out, and clinicians are licensed to treat trauma. Where symptoms need psychiatric care beyond outpatient scope, case management coordinates it.
What is the difference between inpatient and outpatient rehab?
Inpatient means living at the facility, usually 28 days or more, removed from your environment with round-the-clock supervision. Outpatient means living at home and attending scheduled sessions while you keep working and parenting. Inpatient is right when home is unsafe or withdrawal needs medical supervision. Outpatient is right when home is stable and the person is functioning. An ASAM assessment decides it. Renova is outpatient only.
What happens after I finish outpatient?
Our alumni program continues at no cost, with follow-up calls from our team, email check-ins and connection to community recovery resources and peer support.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
Start Outpatient Treatment in New Jersey
One evening a week is a small thing to give up and a hard thing to start. The call takes ten minutes, tells you what your insurance covers, and commits you to nothing.
Renova Recovery is a Joint Commission accredited, New Jersey licensed outpatient treatment facility for adults 18 and over. If you are in immediate danger call 911. For mental health or suicide crisis support, call or text 988.