TRD Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

The Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) at the UTHealth Houston Center for Interventional Psychiatry provides intensive, day-hospital–level treatment for individuals with severe, treatment-resistant depression who require a higher level of care than IOP but do not need 24-hour inpatient hospitalization.

The TRD PHP is designed to deliver rapid stabilization, close monitoring, and intensive therapeutic engagement, while allowing patients to return home in the evenings.

Who We Serve

The TRD PHP is appropriate for patients who:

  • Have severe or worsening treatment-resistant depression
  • Experience marked functional impairment or elevated clinical risk
  • Have not responded adequately to outpatient or IOP-level care
  • Are stepping down from inpatient psychiatric hospitalization
  • Require daily, structured treatment while remaining medically and psychiatrically stable

Program Structure and Model of Care

The TRD PHP provides full-day treatment, typically five days per week, within a multidisciplinary and measurement-based framework tailored to refractory depressive illness.

Core components of the program include:

  • Daily structured group therapy, focused on symptom stabilization, coping skills, and functional recovery
  • Individual psychiatric care, including frequent medication review and treatment adjustments
  • Evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, adapted to the needs of patients with severe depression
  • Ongoing monitoring of symptom severity, safety, and functional progress

Interventional Treatment Integration

A defining feature of the TRD PHP is the active integration of interventional psychiatry treatments for patients who require advanced or rapid-acting interventions. Depending on clinical indication, patients may receive:

  • Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
  • Intranasal Esketamine Therapy (SPRAVATO®)
  • Intravenous Ketamine Therapy

Interventional treatments are coordinated closely with daily program activities and psychiatric oversight.

Continuity and Transitions of Care

Patients in the TRD PHP are monitored closely, with frequent reassessment of symptom response, safety, and functional capacity. Treatment intensity and level of care are adjusted as clinical needs evolve.

Based on clinical response, patients may:

  • Transition to inpatient care if safety concerns escalate
  • Step down to TRD IOP or outpatient care as stability improves
  • Continue interventional treatments within a longitudinal care plan

Through this intensive, structured, and integrated approach, the TRD Partial Hospitalization Program aims to provide rapid stabilization and a safe pathway to recovery for individuals with severe treatment-resistant depression.