Partial Hospitalization Program

Sometimes You Need More

A partial hospitalization program (PHP) for eating disorders is a structured, day-based level of care that provides intensive clinical treatment without requiring overnight residence. At Crescent Grace in Birmingham, Alabama, the PHP offers six or more hours of daily programming up to six days per week for females ages 13 and older who are medically stable but require daily therapeutic intervention to address anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and other eating disorders. PHP is often considered the highest level of outpatient care available and is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as an effective alternative to inpatient hospitalization for patients who do not require 24-hour medical monitoring (APA Practice Guidelines, 2023).

Eating disorders carry the second-highest mortality rate of all mental health conditions, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Early, intensive intervention at the PHP level has been shown to improve outcomes and reduce the likelihood of relapse compared to less intensive approaches alone. Crescent Grace is Joint Commission accredited, meaning every aspect of the program meets or exceeds nationally recognized standards for behavioral healthcare safety and quality.

Who Benefits from PHP?

PHP is appropriate for individuals who need more clinical structure than an intensive outpatient or standard outpatient setting can provide but who do not require 24-hour residential supervision. Clients entering the Crescent Grace PHP typically meet one or more of the following criteria:

They are stepping down from inpatient hospitalization or residential treatment and need continued daily structure to maintain progress made at a higher level of care.
They are stepping up from an intensive outpatient program or outpatient therapy because their symptoms have intensified or they are unable to sustain recovery gains with fewer treatment hours.
They are medically stable but their eating disorder symptoms are severe enough to interfere with daily functioning, including meal completion, urge management, or emotional regulation.
They are experiencing co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, OCD, or trauma that complicate eating disorder recovery and benefit from integrated care.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, approximately 28.8 million Americans will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime. Many of these individuals require a level of care that bridges the gap between residential treatment and weekly outpatient sessions. PHP fills that gap.

What Does a Typical Day in PHP Look Like?

A day in the Crescent Grace PHP is designed to mirror the structure and accountability of a residential program while allowing clients to return home or to program-affiliated housing in the evening. Daily programming includes individualized recovery plan sessions tailored to each client's specific diagnosis, co-occurring conditions, and personal goals. All meals and snacks are provided and supervised by trained staff, giving clients the opportunity to practice normalized eating in a supported environment.

Each client meets regularly with a registered dietitian to address nutritional rehabilitation, meal planning, and the cognitive distortions that often accompany disordered eating. Individual therapy sessions provide space for deeper exploration of underlying issues, while group therapy offers peer connection, skills building, and accountability. Nursing and medical care are integrated into the daily schedule, with ongoing assessments to ensure each client remains medically stable throughout treatment.

Beyond traditional talk therapy, the Crescent Grace PHP incorporates expressive arts therapies, experiential therapies, and adjunctive experiences that engage the whole person in recovery.

What Therapeutic Approaches Are Used?

Crescent Grace employs evidence-based therapeutic modalities that have demonstrated effectiveness in peer-reviewed eating disorder research. Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E), originally developed by Christopher Fairburn, is a leading treatment for eating disorders that targets the specific cognitive processes maintaining disordered eating behaviors. The program also utilizes Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills, which help clients develop distress tolerance, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness.

Family-based approaches are integrated where clinically appropriate, particularly for adolescent clients. Research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has consistently shown that involving family members in treatment improves outcomes for younger patients. The Crescent Grace team includes Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT), Certified Eating Disorder Specialists (CEDS-C), physicians (MD), and Registered Dietitians (RD).

How Does PHP Compare to Residential Treatment?

The primary distinction between PHP and residential treatment is overnight supervision. In PHP, clients attend structured programming during the day and return to their own home or to housing options available through Crescent Grace in the evening. Both levels of care offer similar clinical intensity in terms of scheduled therapeutic hours, supervised meals, and multidisciplinary team involvement.

PHP may be preferable for clients whose home environment is supportive of recovery, who have demonstrated the ability to maintain safety outside of treatment hours, or who have responsibilities that make full residential placement impractical.