Alvarado Parkway Institute (API) is a physician‑owned behavioral health system with the mission of improving mental health and quality of life by helping people maximize their potential.
Serving the San Diego community for over 40 years, we offer behavioral healthcare in stages based on client need. Our approach is to support clients based on their current circumstances and provide continued care as they progress through levels of treatment from inpatient hospitalization services through outpatient care.
What API Treats
Treatment is available for a range of mental health disorders, multiple substance addiction disorders, and dual diagnosis, which is the co-occurrence of mental illness and substance addiction.
We offer professional mental health care to treat anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia. Substance addiction detox treatment is available for opioid use disorder, prescription drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and other substance abuse conditions.
Our Levels of Care
The highest acuity treatment we offer is available through inpatient psychiatric hospital services, followed by our partial hospitalization program (PHP) services as part of our outpatient care. For individuals not requiring PHP treatment, but who can benefit from outpatient support, we offer intensive outpatient program (IOP) services.
Individuals are provided evidence-based care such as CBT, DBT Skills, ACT, and others, at the treatment level best suited to their circumstances. Care is then offered at lower levels of treatment acuity according to behavioral health improvement. This continuum of care allows individuals to receive tiered and cohesive services as their behavioral health improves.
Inpatient psychiatric hospital care and outpatient PHP and IOP services are available at our La Mesa location, while IOP services are offered at our San Diego and El Cajon locations.
Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital Care
Trained healthcare providers offer inpatient psychiatric hospital care for individuals needing 24/7 stabilization for severe mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or dual diagnosis (co‑occurring) disorders. The goal of inpatient treatment in our 66-bed facility is stabilization and preparation for step‑down care.
Inpatient treatment from API includes:
- Psychiatric assessment
- Detoxification services
- Individual, group, and family psychotherapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Medical and educational support
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) Services
PHP care offers the highest acuity level within our outpatient services. This treatment approach is available for individuals 18 and older needing intensive support for mental health or substance use disorders, but who can live safely at home. PHP care is to provide structured treatment without overnight stay, supporting individuals in maintaining life responsibilities. PHP is a 5-day-a-week program, with 5 hours of services each day, consisting of a mix of groups, individual therapy, and family sessions.
Our partial hospitalization program offers:
- Psychiatric assessment
- Individual, group, and family therapy
- Care in support of relapse prevention
- Monitoring of medication
- Relaxation training
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) Services
IOP care involves flexible, structured treatment several days per week. This level of treatment is for Individuals needing support for mental health or substance use disorders without the acuity of PHP care. IOP services are between 3-5 days a week, offering 3 hours of services each day, consisting of a mix of groups, individual therapy, and family sessions.
The core approaches of our IOP services are:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skills
- Mindfulness‑Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
- Seeking Safety (trauma‑informed therapy)
Our Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Program
API also offers an abstinence‑based program integrated into our PHP and IOP care. This offering, called the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Program, involves an eight-week structured curriculum with focus on:
- Relapse prevention
- Coping skills
- Trauma‑informed approaches (e.g., Seeking Safety)
- Support for co‑occurring disorders
If You Or Someone You Know Needs Help
To schedule an appointment and to learn about API’s inpatient and outpatient levels of behavioral healthcare, please call our 24‑hour support line at (619) 333‑7050 or fill out our online contact form.
