Browse · Outpatient Program in Needham
About this program
Structured support on the lightest schedule
The Outpatient Program is the least intensive level of care at our Needham center and, for many people, the longest one. It is weekly individual counseling and a weekly group with the same clinical team that runs Day Treatment and Evening Treatment, scheduled around your work, school and family. You live at home, keep your routine and practice recovery in real life between sessions, with a counselor who knows your history and a group that knows your name. Medical visits for medication-assisted treatment continue alongside it when medication is part of your plan.
The program is run by master's-level clinicians and licensed practitioners, with medical oversight from our Medical Director, Dr. Richard Marasa, MD. It treats substance use disorders and the anxiety, depression or trauma that so often sit underneath them. Your insurance carrier will usually cover it the way it covers any outpatient therapy visit, and admissions confirms the exact benefit before you start.
Who it fits
Who the Outpatient Program in Needham is for
Outpatient care is the right level when you have real stability and want to keep it, not when you are still in the hardest early stretch. It is a good fit if you:
- Have completed Day Treatment or Evening Treatment with us and are ready for a lighter schedule with the same team.
- Are stepping down from a residential program elsewhere and want ongoing counseling close to home or work.
- Have been in recovery for a while and want structure and accountability without a multi-evening commitment.
- Need lower-frequency counseling alongside medication-assisted treatment.
- Have a stable home, a supportive circle and a schedule you can keep.
If cravings are still loud, if a lighter schedule has not held before, or if home is not a safe place right now, a licensed clinician will say so at your assessment. Many people start in Day Treatment or Evening Treatment and step down to the Outpatient Program when they are ready. Stepping up is always available if a hard stretch calls for more support.
What a week looks like
A week in the Outpatient Program at our Needham center
Every plan is personal, and the frequency steps down as you progress, but a typical week runs like this:
- 01
One individual session: An hour with your counselor to work through what came up that week, your triggers and your goals, and to keep your relapse-prevention plan current.
- 02
One group session: A weekly group with people at a similar point in recovery, focused on the situations you walk into between sessions: work, family, the weekend.
- 03
Medication visits, when MAT is part of your plan: Visits with our medical team for Suboxone, buprenorphine, naltrexone or the monthly Vivitrol injection, spaced out as you stabilize.
- 04
Family sessions, when they help: Sessions for the people close to you, scheduled as needed rather than every week.
- 05
Check-ins and screening: Progress reviews with your clinician, and drug and alcohol screening as your plan requires, because it is part of keeping you safe.
Sessions are scheduled around your week at our Needham office. How long you stay depends on your goals and your progress rather than a fixed calendar. When the weekly schedule is no longer needed, the program hands off to aftercare: alumni check-ins, relapse-prevention planning and referrals to local peer support, planned before your last session rather than after it.
Getting here
Commuter rail and route notes for Needham
Our center is at 392 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Needham, MA 02492, with free on-site parking. By car it sits just off Route 128/I-95 at the Needham exits, about 30 minutes from downtown Boston, 10 from Newton, 6 from Wellesley by Route 9, 8 from Dedham, 15 from Waltham and 20 from Framingham. By train, the MBTA Needham Line from South Station, Back Bay, Ruggles and Forest Hills ends at Needham Heights, a short walk from our door. A weekly session fits around a commute more easily than any other level of care, which is one reason people keep the Outpatient Program going for a long time.
Paying for treatment
MassHealth and Massachusetts insurance for outpatient care
Most Massachusetts plans cover outpatient counseling the way they cover any outpatient therapy visit, often with a per-session copay after the deductible. Our Needham program works with Harvard Pilgrim, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, Optum, Point32Health, TRICARE, Tufts Health Plan, United Healthcare and VA Community Care, and more. MassHealth covers substance use treatment through its ACO and managed-care plans, and coverage at our Needham program depends on your specific MassHealth plan, so call and we confirm your benefits before your first visit. We are not in network with Medicare at this time. See Massachusetts insurance or how cost and payment work.
Check my coverage
Your name and a number is all we need to start. Admissions calls you back with what your plan covers, usually within minutes during the day.
Same-day admissions
In many cases you can be assessed the same day you call and have your first session scheduled the same week.
Court, probation and employer referrals
If a court or an employer asked you to complete treatment
Some adults come to the Outpatient Program because a Massachusetts court, a probation officer, an attorney or an employer asked them to complete or continue treatment, often after a more intensive program. Tell admissions on the first call. The clinical team will plan with you how enrollment and attendance are documented for your situation, what can be shared and with whom, and on what timeline. Nothing about your treatment leaves our office without your written consent, and a referral from a court or an employer does not change the confidentiality of your care.
New Hampshire
Closer to Londonderry, NH?
Our Londonderry, NH center runs the same weekly program at 1D Commons Dr, Units 21 & 22, off Route 102 at I-93 Exit 4, about 15 minutes from Manchester and 20 from Nashua or Salem. One admissions line, (603) 769-8981, covers both centers. See our New Hampshire outpatient program page.
