Virtual IOP · Statewide in Maine
Real intensive outpatient treatment. From your own kitchen table.
Our virtual intensive outpatient program delivers the same clinical hours, the same licensed Maine clinicians, and the same group curriculum as in-person IOP at our Biddeford center, live over secure video, in day or evening tracks. Built for people in Portland, Saco, Sanford, Kennebunk and beyond who can't add an hour of driving to a working day.
Day & evening tracks · No waitlist · MaineCare accepted
Accredited & Licensed
LegitScript Certified
Joint Commission Accredited
Maine DHHS Licensed
Psychology Today Verified
What virtual IOP actually is
Nine clinical hours a week, none of them spent on I-95
An intensive outpatient program sits between weekly therapy and full-day care. You attend roughly three hours a day, three days a week, while continuing to live at home, work your job, and parent your kids. Virtual IOP is that same level of care delivered over live, HIPAA-secure video, not recorded lessons, not a chat app. You are on camera with the same small group and the same clinician every session.
Research on telehealth-delivered substance use treatment has consistently found engagement and outcomes comparable to in-person care for many people, with better attendance where distance, transportation, or childcare are barriers, which describes a lot of York and Cumberland County.
You can start virtual and move in person, or the reverse. Many clients do a hybrid: group from home, individual therapy or a check-in at our Biddeford office. If you would rather be in the room the whole way, our in-person IOP runs the same curriculum.
Medically reviewed
Benjamin Crocker, MD
Psychiatrist · Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine · MD, The Ohio State University · Residency & fellowship training at the University of Michigan and LAC+USC Medical Center
Last reviewed August 2026. Read our editorial standards & clinical review process
Inside the program
What a week of virtual IOP looks like
Live process groups
Three sessions a week with a consistent small group, the core of IOP. Real discussion, real accountability, cameras on.
Individual therapy
A weekly one-to-one hour with your primary clinician, virtual or in person at Biddeford, whichever you prefer.
CBT & DBT skills
Structured skills blocks drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, craving management, distress tolerance, relapse prevention.
Family sessions
Virtual makes family work easier, not harder. A partner in Portland and a parent in Aroostook can join the same session.
MAT coordination
We don't prescribe medication for opioid or alcohol use disorder ourselves, we work hand in hand with trusted local prescribers and build all of your therapy and programming around that plan.
Case management
Help with MaineCare, work documentation, court or DHHS reporting, housing referrals, and the step down to outpatient care.
Is it right for you?
Virtual isn't better or worse. It's better for some people.
Virtual IOP fits when
- You live in Maine but an hour of round-trip driving would end treatment before it starts.
- You work days, nights, or rotating shifts and need an evening track.
- Childcare or eldercare makes leaving the house three afternoons a week impossible.
- Winter roads, no reliable car, or no license, common reasons Southern Maine clients drop out of in-person care.
- You're stepping down from PHP or a residential stay and want to keep the intensity without the commute.
- Privacy matters and you'd rather not be seen walking into a treatment center.
In person is the better call when
- You need medically supervised withdrawal, that comes first, and we help coordinate it.
- You're in acute crisis or at risk of harming yourself; call or text 988, or 911 in an emergency.
- Your home isn't safe or private enough to talk honestly for three hours.
- You've tried virtual before and know you need a room and a door to show up fully.
Not sure? A short confidential assessment sorts it out in one call, including whether PHP, IOP, or weekly outpatient is the right starting level of care.
Getting set up
If you can make a video call, you can do this
All you need is a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera and a steady internet connection. Sessions run in a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform, one link, no software to buy, no account to figure out. Our team walks you through a test connection before your first group so day one isn't spent troubleshooting.
Confidentiality is protected the same way it is in the building: groups are closed, nothing is recorded, and your care is covered by federal substance use privacy rules (42 CFR Part 2). We'll help you plan a private space, a parked car, a spare room, headphones during a lunch break.
Admissions usually takes a day or two: one phone call, a free benefits check with MaineCare or your commercial plan, a clinical assessment, then a start date. There is no waitlist.
Insurance
In-network with almost every plan.
Portland Treatment is in-network with Anthem, UMR/UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Harvard Pilgrim, Martin's Point, TRICARE and MaineCare, Cigna is our only out-of-network plan. In-network means contracted rates, lower coinsurance and no balance bill. We verify your benefits free, in minutes, with no obligation.
Free, confidential, no obligation
Or read the coverage guide for your plan, Anthem rehab coverage, Cigna rehab coverage, MaineCare rehab coverage and other accepted insurance plans.
Questions
Virtual IOP in Maine, answered
Is virtual IOP as effective as in-person IOP?+
For many people, yes. Studies of telehealth-delivered substance use treatment have generally found engagement and outcomes comparable to in-person care, and attendance is often better when distance, transportation, or childcare are barriers. What matters most is showing up consistently, and virtual removes the reasons people stop showing up. For clients in crisis, in unsafe housing, or needing medical monitoring, in-person care is the better fit.
Do I have to live near Biddeford or Portland?+
No. Virtual IOP is available to residents anywhere in Maine, because our clinicians are licensed in Maine. Most of our virtual clients are in York and Cumberland counties, Portland, South Portland, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough, Westbrook, Kennebunk, Sanford, but we also serve people further out where local options are thin.
Does MaineCare cover virtual IOP?+
In most cases, yes. MaineCare and nearly all commercial plans in Maine cover telehealth intensive outpatient treatment at the same level as in-person, and we're in-network with Anthem, UMR, Aetna, Harvard Pilgrim, Martin's Point and MaineCare (Cigna is our only out-of-network plan). We verify your benefits free, in minutes, with no obligation. Call 855-449-7674.
When do virtual groups meet?+
We run day and evening tracks, roughly three hours a day, three days a week. Evening groups exist specifically so people can keep a full-time job. Call for the current schedule and the next start date.
Can I get Suboxone or other medication through virtual IOP?+
Portland Treatment does not prescribe medication for addiction directly. We work hand in hand with trusted local prescribers across Southern Maine, coordinate closely with them, and provide all of the therapy, groups, and case management around your medication plan. If you don't have a prescriber yet, we help you find one.
Can I switch between virtual and in-person?+
Yes, and plenty of people do. You can attend some groups from home and some at our Biddeford center, start virtual and move in person when your schedule loosens, or step down from PHP into virtual IOP. Your treatment plan flexes with your life, not the other way around.
This page is educational and is not medical advice. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or dial 911 for an emergency.
Keep exploring
Related care at Portland Treatment
Levels of care
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP) in Biddeford
Our most structured day treatment, five days a week, home each night.
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP) in Southern Maine
Nine-plus clinical hours a week with day and evening tracks.
- Outpatient program (OP) for ongoing recovery
One to two sessions a week that fit around work and family.
- Medical detox coordination in Maine
We match you with trusted licensed detox providers, then step you down.
How we treat
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Practical tools for the thoughts that drive use and relapse.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
Distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills that hold up.
- Individual therapy in Biddeford
One-on-one counseling with the same clinician each week.
- Group therapy sessions
Small clinician-led groups with people in the same fight.
Where we serve
- Addiction treatment in Biddeford, Maine
Our home clinic, in the mill district off Route 111.
- Addiction treatment for Portland, Maine
A 20-minute drive down I-95 from the Portland peninsula.
- Addiction treatment for Saco, Maine
Minutes across the river from our Biddeford clinic.
- All Southern Maine areas we serve
Every city and town within driving distance of Biddeford.
You don't have to drive to get help.
Start virtual IOP from home.
855-449-7674Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free and confidential.