Outpatient treatment does not require the individual to live in a house but rather schedule appointments on an outpatient basis to receive maintenance therapy. Usually, outpatient therapy is offered once per week for one to two-hour sessions and works to maintain and sharpen skills that were learned from a more intensive level of care. Outpatient therapy can be an ongoing process for months to years, as it is considered maintenance therapy. This flexible schedule allows clients to continue with their regular responsibilities and continue living at home. Outpatient treatment usually takes place in an office setting or in a community mental health center between a therapist and the client where the therapist takes note of the client’s progression in recovery. Discussions may involve relapse triggers, coping tools, personal struggles in the home or workplace, and re-iterating steps of psychotherapy approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectal behavior therapy, and interpersonal therapy. Individuals will usually also see a psychiatrist, as most psychologists do not write prescriptions if they are taking any prescription medications for their mental health disorder as it may take weeks or months to titrate the proper dosage.

Outpatient treatment for a mental health disorder is often used in conjunction with community outreach programs such as online community support groups, mental illness support groups for family members, or mental health rehabilitation centers where individuals within a community meeting on a regular basis to share their progress and help one another with the daily battles of recovery.