How to Transition from Inpatient to Outpatient Care: A Step-By-Step Guide
If you’ve been receiving inpatient care for your mental health, you may be experiencing a range of mixed emotions when facing discharge. You may feel excited to go home but also have concerns and anxiety about how to manage your recovery without the structure and routines of inpatient care. These concerns are normal – but they’re also manageable.
Transitioning from inpatient to outpatient mental health care can ensure that you take a gradual step down from the security of round-the-clock support. Outpatient care builds on the tools you developed in inpatient care to help you continue to heal and grow stronger, day by day.
If you or someone you know is being discharged from inpatient treatment, you may be wondering “What now?” A mental health professional can act as a bridge between inpatient and outpatient care, guiding you through the transition process in ways that support your continued recovery. This article can also help by discussing:
- Continuing therapy after residential mental health care
- Why transitioning from inpatient to outpatient mental health care is necessary
- The step-by-step process of transitioning from inpatient to outpatient support
- How to find a therapist after inpatient treatment
- When to seek help in how to step down from residential treatment
Continuing Therapy After Residential Mental Health Care
What Is Inpatient Care?
Inpatient care is the residential treatment that people receive for mental health conditions that interfere with their ability to lead a full and satisfying life. Inpatient centers for mental health treatment provide a structured environment in which someone needs to receive 24-hour supervision and care. However, transitioning from round-the-clock guidance and support to outpatient care can feel challenging for many people. Yet, understanding what outpatient care is and how it can continue the recovery process can help.
What Is Outpatient Care?
Once mental health professionals delivering treatment in an inpatient center deem mental health symptoms to have improved enough to be managed in the community, they may recommend discharge. In the majority of cases, these professionals will discuss outpatient options for care, and may even make referrals to professionals in the community. For example, they might talk to you or a loved one about the benefits of therapies such as the following for continuing your mental health progress:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Online therapy
- Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness therapy
- Telehealth
Why Is Transitioning From Inpatient to Outpatient Mental Health Care Necessary?
Completing an inpatient treatment program for mental health conditions is an excellent achievement. However, while inpatient treatment gives people the skills to better understand and cope with their issues, this journey doesn’t just stop at discharge. Therefore, the transition from inpatient to outpatient care is important for continuing the process of recovery.
Additionally, evidence shows that when people don’t transition their treatment from inpatient to outpatient care, they risk relapsing into their previous ways of thinking and feeling. In fact, one study that looked at peoples’ mental health both before admission to inpatient care and after found that those who didn’t receive outpatient care were more likely to…4
- Have recurring mental health symptoms
- Experience risky behaviors, such as self-harm and suicidal thoughts
- Withdraw and isolate themselves from others
- Encounter difficulties in their close relationships
As a result of these issues, people who don’t receive outpatient care may end up needing to be readmitted to inpatient care. If you’re concerned about how to manage the transition from inpatient to outpatient care, a mental health professional can guide you through this process. By increasing your understanding in this way, you can feel empowered to take control of your mental health and quality of life moving forward.
Some of the factors involved in transitioning from inpatient to outpatient care include:5
- Talking about ways that you can be involved in decisions about your continuing treatment with your mental health professional
- A tailored treatment plan for your needs in the community, which takes into account your daily routine, work requirements, and relationships
- Education about mental health conditions for building awareness and support
- Coordination between the professionals involved in your care, as well as between you and your loved ones
- Regular assessments of your progress and evolving mental health needs
Mission Connection can talk to you or a loved one about how to arrange outpatient care after inpatient treatment, factoring in your needs and lifestyle for sustained recovery.
Step-By-Step Guide to Transitioning From Inpatient to Outpatient Support
Outpatient support can reinforce the skills learned in inpatient care and can enable you to readapt to life in the community while still making progress in your recovery. A mental health professional can talk you through the process of transitioning to outpatient care, including the following steps.
1. Creating a Discharge Plan After Inpatient Mental Health Treatment
When first transitioning to outpatient care, a mental health professional will talk to you about the progress you’ve made in recovery and conduct an assessment of your mental health needs in the community. By taking into account issues such as returning to work and relationship difficulties, various techniques, management plans, and treatment options could be devised for you. However, your opinion on how you’d like to receive outpatient care will always be taken into account. For instance, if you have a busy schedule, you may decide that flexible therapies, such as telehealth, are more suitable for your needs. This way, you can adapt outpatient care to fit your life and evolving recovery.
2. Mental Health Aftercare Programs for Former Inpatients
After an assessment of your needs and symptoms, your mental health professional will likely make recommendations and referrals for certain aftercare programs. For instance, they may discuss therapy options such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), online talk therapy, and mindfulness therapy to help you continue your recovery.
By tailoring these programs to fit your needs and wants for continued recovery, you can feel supported in your transition to outpatient care and reduce anxiety about how this process will look.
3. Setting Realistic Goals
The next step in transitioning from inpatient to outpatient care is to establish realistic goals for your continued recovery. While it’s good to be optimistic about your mental health journey, it’s also important to have balanced expectations. For instance, setting a goal to completely recover after a month of outpatient treatment may not be realistic and could set you up for a sense of failure. Additionally, this sense of failure could lead to a potential relapse of symptoms.
In contrast, setting achievable goals for your recovery can give you a sense of accomplishment and empowerment. Discussing your hopes and objectives with a mental health professional allows a plan can be constructed to help you achieve them – increasing the likelihood of continued success.7
Moreover, regular follow-up meetings in outpatient care can assess your progress toward your goals, adapting treatment as necessary.
4. Maintaining a Social Support Network
Outpatient care doesn’t solely focus on helping you manage the symptoms of your mental health condition – it also targets issues such as your sense of support. When loved ones such as family and friends are involved in treatment, the outcomes of therapy can improve. The people around us can support us in both practical and emotional ways when recovering from mental health conditions.
For example, they can help us with tasks such as remembering to pay bills, as well as take part in treatment, such as group therapy. In this way, our support group becomes an integral part of transitioning from inpatient treatment to outpatient care.
A mental health professional can talk to you about ways to improve your social support network, including recommending joining support groups in the community. Further, they may also discuss the range of benefits social support can offer, including:2
- Providing a sense of motivation
- Reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness
- Feeling constantly bolstered, even during challenging moments
- Reduced mental health symptoms, such as those of anxiety and depression
5. Managing Stress
Stress can be a major trigger for the relapse of mental health conditions, but it’s also an unavoidable part of life at times. Outpatient care can help you figure out how to manage stress in ways that support your recovery instead of setting it back. For instance, a mental health professional can talk to you about…
- Practicing mindfulness or meditation: Building mindfulness techniques into your daily life can help you manage stress and cope with difficult emotions. For instance, mindful walking can build your awareness of the present moment and reduce feelings of anxiety.
- Using relaxation and grounding techniques: Relaxation and grounding techniques can help reset the mind-body balance and restore a sense of calm. Deep breathing, gentle exercise, and reflective journaling are all effective ways of relaxing.
- Setting clear boundaries: Boundaries are the limits we set for ourselves in our interactions with others. For example, saying “no” to too much work or to people who are too demanding of your time can save energy for what’s important – focusing on your well-being.
How to Find a Therapist After Inpatient Treatment
If you or a loved one is being discharged from inpatient treatment, you may be feeling concerned about how to find a therapist who will be the right “fit” for your needs. This is a normal concern, but you don’t have to find someone by yourself. The mental health professionals delivering your inpatient treatment will likely be more than willing to help you find the right type of therapy and therapist for continuing your recovery.
Additionally, they may also make referrals to community-based therapists for you – ensuring that your transition from inpatient treatment to outpatient care is as smooth as possible.
When to Seek Help in How to Step Down From Residential to Outpatient Treatment
Completing inpatient treatment is a big step for your well-being, but healing will continue as you transition back into your routine and daily life. Outpatient care is an essential component of sustained recovery, ensuring that you continue to develop the awareness and skills for coping with your emotions and mental health. However, many people feel concerned about how to adapt from 24/7 care and support to life in the community.
Mission Connection’s team of trained, empathetic professionals can help you manage this transition in ways that advance your recovery and make you feel capable of long-term success. We provide a range of outpatient treatment options that can be tailored to your unique situation and needs, ensuring lasting positive change.
Reach out for support today at 866-706-5017 or get started here.
References
- Beck, A. T. (2019, March 7). What is Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R)? Beck Institute. https://beckinstitute.org/blog/what-is-recovery-oriented-cognitive-therapy-ct-r/
- Acoba, E. F. (2024). Social support and mental health: The mediating role of perceived stress. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1330720. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1330720
- Burkhart, H., Müller, S., & Haun, M. W. (2025). Inpatient to outpatient care transition interventions for adults with mental health conditions: A scoping review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-24-00302
- Tönnies, J., Al-Shaikh-Choucair, M., & Ambition Trial Group. (2023). From inpatient to outpatient mental health care: Protocol for a randomised feasibility trial of a care transition intervention for patients with depression and anxiety (the AMBITION-trial). PLOS ONE, 18(11), e0291067. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291067
- Blasi, P. R., Davis, K., & Sheehan, K. H. (2021). Transitioning patients from outpatient mental health services to primary care: A rapid literature review. Health Services Insights, 14, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/26334895211041294
- Sandell, K. Å. (2019). Influence of personal therapy on learning and development of psychotherapeutic skills. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 33(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/02668734.2019.1570546
- Sanchez-Victoria, S. (2021). Exploring goal planning in mental health service delivery: A systematic review protocol. BMJ Open, 11(5), e047240. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047240
