IOP Assessment and Admission: How to Start at Awkward Recovery.
How to start IOP at Awkward Recovery in Austin: reach out, check your benefits, complete an assessment and, if IOP fits, join any week. (512) 616-0809
You're reading this because you're thinking about starting IOP, or someone you care about is. To start the intensive outpatient program (IOP) at Awkward Recovery, you reach out to admissions, we check your benefits, and you complete a pre-screen that decides whether IOP is the right level of care. If it is, you complete a biopsychosocial assessment that guides your treatment plan, and you start group in any week, because admissions are rolling. Awkward Recovery is a licensed and Joint Commission accredited outpatient program in South Austin for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Our IOP is ASAM Level 2.1 care, about 10 hours a week, and it runs at night. Here is each step in plain language, so you know what to expect before you pick up the phone.
In crisis right now?
Don't wait for an assessment. If you're thinking about hurting yourself or you're scared you can't stay safe, call or text 988, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741741 or call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. In a life-threatening situation, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
How do I start IOP at Awkward Recovery?
You start in five steps: reach out, check your benefits, complete the pre-screen, complete your biopsychosocial assessment and get your treatment plan, and start group. Here's what each step involves.
- Reach out. Call admissions at (512) 616-0809, email info@awkwardrecovery.com, or use the form on our contact page. Admissions hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central.
- Check your benefits. We check your benefits before you start. Fill out the insurance verification form, and our admissions team will run your benefits and walk you through your options.
- Complete the pre-screen. The pre-screen decides whether IOP is the right level of care for you, which means either intake here or a referral to care that fits better. It's also where we find out whether you need detox first. If you need medical clearance, we send you to a detox or a stand-alone ER for it.
- Complete your biopsychosocial assessment (BPSA) and get your treatment plan. Once you're admitted, you complete the BPSA with a licensed clinician. It takes 1 to 1.5 hours and can be done in person or by telehealth. The BPSA maps out your treatment plan, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) says treatment plans are developed from multidimensional assessments like this one. At Awkward Recovery, pacing is a clinical call: we work on the pace together based on clinical assessment of readiness and skills.
- Start group. IOP groups meet Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights. Admissions are rolling, so new clients can join in any week of the program.
You don't need to have every answer before you reach out. Working that out is what the pre-screen and the BPSA are for.
Who IOP is for, and when we'd refer you elsewhere.
Awkward Recovery's IOP is for adults 18 and older, with no upper age limit. In Texas, a 17-year-old can be admitted with a clinical pre-screen. A parent or guardian usually needs to be involved, unless the 17-year-old has been emancipated by a court or can prove they have been living independently as an adult. The Texas State Law Library explains that in Texas, a minor can ask a court to be recognized as an adult, which is called emancipation. Beyond age, the pre-screen decides fit, and a few things are worth knowing up front:
- Mental health on its own is welcome. You don't need a drug or alcohol problem to come here. Clients whose main concern is mental health are in a group with other mental-health-primary clients.
- Evidence-based therapies. Awkward Recovery treats dual diagnosis, also called co-occurring disorders. Our evidence-based therapies include DBT, CBT, ACT, motivational interviewing (MI), EMDR and process groups.
- If you need detox first, we refer you. Awkward Recovery doesn't provide detox, inpatient or residential care. The pre-screen is where we find out whether you need detox first. If you need medical clearance, we send you to a detox or a stand-alone ER for it, and when medically supervised detox or residential care is where someone needs to start, we refer.
- If you need more structure than IOP, we refer you. We don't run a partial hospitalization program (PHP), so when more structure is needed, we refer to a partner PHP.
- We coordinate medication; we don't prescribe it. If you take medication, we work with your prescriber.
One safety note: if you're stopping alcohol and start to feel withdrawal symptoms, contact a doctor right away or go to the emergency room. MedlinePlus warns that alcohol withdrawal "may quickly become life-threatening."
What to have ready.
Have your insurance card handy for the benefits check. It also helps to make a list of the medications you take and who prescribes them, so you have it with you for your assessment. Neither of those means your life has to be sorted out before you call. Bring what you have. For more on getting ready, read Preparing for IOP: A Real Guide for Austin Professionals.
Your first weeks in IOP.
Group IOP meets Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m., in person at our office at 4109 Todd Ln., Unit 700, in South Austin. You also have one individual session a week, scheduled on Wednesday or Friday. That gives you a fourth day during the week for extra support. Telehealth is available for individual sessions only. Groups are in person. Alongside evidence-based therapy, the program includes IFS-informed parts work, yoga, breathwork, sound healing, fitness and Family Nights. IOP usually runs 12 to 16 weeks. To learn what shapes that range, read how long IOP lasts at Awkward Recovery. For a walk-through of the first few nights, read what to expect in your first week of IOP. When you finish, alumni access keeps you connected: monthly community nights, drop-in groups, sober social events and a private group chat.
Is this a DWI or court evaluation?
No. The assessment at Awkward Recovery is a clinical intake for our IOP. It is not a court-ordered, DWI or DUI evaluation, and we don't provide those. Atomic Souls Counseling does court-ordered and DWI evaluations.
Talk to admissions.
Call admissions at (512) 616-0809, email info@awkwardrecovery.com, or send us a message. If you'd like to start with the money question, check your benefits first. You can also read more about our intensive outpatient program in Austin.
Clinically reviewed by Rachel Stein, LPC-S, LCDC. Last reviewed: October 20, 2026. Read our editorial policy.
Rachel Stein, LPC-S, LCDC — Rachel is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC). Her clinical focus is addiction and the conditions that drive it — trauma, anxiety, depression, and co-occurring (dual-diagnosis) disorders. Rachel reviews Awkward Recovery's content for clinical accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions About IOP Assessment.
Call admissions at (512) 616-0809, email info@awkwardrecovery.com, or use the contact form on our website. From there, we check your benefits and you complete a pre-screen, which decides whether IOP is the right level of care. If it is, you complete a biopsychosocial assessment (BPSA) that guides your treatment plan, and you start group. Admissions are rolling, so you can join in any week.
Yes. Awkward Recovery has rolling admissions, so new clients can join IOP in any week of the program. You join the evening groups that meet on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, and you add one individual session a week on Wednesday or Friday.
A biopsychosocial assessment (BPSA) is the clinical intake at Awkward Recovery. The American Society of Addiction Medicine describes assessments that consider a person's biomedical, psychological and social needs, along with their strengths and supports. At Awkward Recovery, you complete the BPSA with a licensed clinician once you're admitted, and it guides your treatment plan. Whether IOP is the right level of care is decided earlier, in the pre-screen.
No. You don't need a drug or alcohol problem to come here. Awkward Recovery treats mental health conditions on their own, and clients whose main concern is mental health are in a group with other mental-health-primary clients. If substance use is part of the picture too, we treat both together.
We refer you. The pre-screen is where this is decided. Awkward Recovery does not provide detox, residential care or a partial hospitalization program (PHP). When someone needs more structure than IOP, we refer to a partner PHP. When medically supervised detox or residential care is where someone needs to start, we refer there.
No. Our assessment is a clinical intake for our intensive outpatient program. It is not a court-ordered, DWI or DUI evaluation, and Awkward Recovery does not provide those evaluations. Atomic Souls Counseling does court-ordered and DWI evaluations.
Awkward Recovery's IOP is for adults 18 and older, with no upper age limit. In Texas, a 17-year-old can be admitted with a clinical pre-screen. A parent or guardian usually needs to be involved, unless the 17-year-old has been emancipated by a court or can prove they have been living independently as an adult. The Texas State Law Library has a guide to how this works in Texas.
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