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Residential and outpatient care for adults with major depression and related mood disorders.
Depression treatment at Villa Healing Center is a residential and outpatient program in Woodland Hills, California for adults with major depressive disorder and related mood conditions. Care follows the evidence-based guidelines of the American Psychological Association and the National Institute of Mental Health. Behavioral health staff are onsite 24 hours a day. We accept most major commercial insurance.
Major depressive disorder is a mood condition defined by the DSM-5 as a period of at least two weeks during which a person experiences low mood or loss of interest along with additional symptoms such as changes in sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, feelings of worthlessness, or thoughts of death or self-harm. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that an estimated 8.4 percent of U.S. adults experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2022 based on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Depression sits on a clinical spectrum. Mild and moderate presentations are often treated through outpatient therapy and medication. Severe or treatment-resistant presentations, presentations with active suicidal ideation, and presentations co-occurring with substance use or another mental health condition often need a higher level of care that includes 24-hour clinical support, integrated mental health and substance use treatment, and a structured daily program. The American Psychological Association Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression in Adults identifies cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and second-generation antidepressants as first-line treatments for adult major depression.
Depression is treated across a continuum of care, and the right level of care is set by clinical severity, safety risk, and whether other conditions are present.
Most adults with depression are well served by outpatient therapy and medication. Adults whose depression is severe, treatment-resistant, accompanied by suicidal ideation, or layered with substance use often benefit from a residential setting that holds the whole clinical picture in one place. Villa Healing Center operates at the residential level and supports step-down to outpatient as clinical progress allows.
Dimension | Outpatient | Intensive Outpatient | Residential |
Time commitment | One to two visits per week | Three to five days per week, three hours per day | Full-time, 24 hours per day onsite |
Living arrangement | You live at home and travel to sessions | You live at home and travel to sessions | You live onsite at the residential facility |
Clinical intensity | Individual therapy and medication management | Group therapy, individual therapy, and medication management on a structured schedule | Daily individual therapy, group therapy, family work, medication management, and integrative wellness programming |
Best fit | Mild to moderate symptoms, stable home environment, no active safety concerns | Moderate to severe symptoms or recent step-down from a higher level, need for more structure than weekly therapy | Severe or treatment-resistant depression, active safety concerns, co-occurring substance use, or when home environment cannot support stabilization |
Where Villa Healing fits | Available as step-down | Available as step-down or step-up | Primary level of care at Villa Healing Center |
Our depression program combines evidence-based psychotherapy, psychiatric medication management, trauma-informed daily programming, and 24-hour clinical support, organized around one written treatment plan per person.
Treatment begins with a clinical assessment by a licensed therapist after admission. The assessment establishes the specific depression diagnosis, severity, suicide risk, co-occurring conditions, and the right level of care. Your treatment team then builds one plan covering depression and any co-occurring condition, reviewed and updated as your clinical picture changes.
A typical week in residential includes individual therapy sessions, group therapy sessions including dedicated mood-disorder groups, family therapy on a scheduled basis when clinically appropriate, psychiatric medication management visits, and integrative wellness programming. Behavioral health staff are onsite 24 hours a day.
Suicidal ideation, which the National Institute of Mental Health identifies as the leading clinical risk in major depressive disorder, is assessed at admission and monitored throughout the stay, with safety planning maintained for the duration of care as clinically indicated.
Our depression program uses cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, behavioral activation, dialectical behavior therapy, trauma-focused therapy when relevant, and psychiatric medication management.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), developed by Aaron Beck, is identified by the American Psychological Association as a first-line psychotherapy for adult depression. CBT works on the patterns of thinking and behavior that maintain low mood, and is delivered through individual and group sessions during your stay.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), developed by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman, is identified by the American Psychological Association as a first-line psychotherapy for adult depression. IPT focuses on how relationships, role transitions, and grief contribute to depression, and on rebuilding the relationship patterns that support recovery.
Behavioral Activation is an evidence-based depression therapy that focuses on re-engaging activities that produce a sense of mastery and pleasure. Behavioral Activation is structured around small daily goals that rebuild forward momentum.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), developed by Marsha Linehan, is integrated for adults whose depression presents alongside self-harm urges, suicidal ideation, or emotional dysregulation. DBT teaches distress tolerance, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness.
Trauma-focused therapy is included when trauma is part of the clinical picture. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is recommended for trauma-related symptoms by the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization.
Medication management is part of the clinical program and provided by a psychiatric prescriber. First-line FDA-approved options for adult major depression include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, with atypical antidepressants such as bupropion and mirtazapine and other agents used when first-line treatment is not sufficient. When depression is treatment-resistant, the treatment plan is revisited with the psychiatric provider and additional evidence-based steps are considered.
Depression often presents alongside another mental health or substance use condition. The National Institute of Mental Health documents high rates of co-occurrence with anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders. Our residential program treats depression with anxiety, depression with trauma and PTSD, depression with substance use, and depression with suicidal ideation under one integrated treatment plan.
Each co-occurring condition has a dedicated clinical page:
Not sure if your situation fits our program? Call (888) 669-0661 to talk with admissions.
Villa Healing Center accepts most major commercial insurance for depression treatment in Woodland Hills. Most commercial plans cover depression care with prior authorization for residential and standard outpatient benefits for IOP and OP. Initial residential authorizations require prior approval, with continued-stay reviews conducted based on medical necessity. Out-of-pocket cost depends on your plan deductible and coinsurance.
If your plan is out-of-network, we work with you on out-of-network reimbursement, single-case agreements, and self-pay options. Call (888) 669-0661 to discuss options.
Villa Healing Center’s facility is located at 23033 Ostronic Drive, Woodland Hills, California 91367, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County.
National Institute of Mental Health data on depression care has consistently shown that a meaningful share of adults with major depression do not receive treatment in a given year. Adults across the San Fernando Valley face the same gap, and adults whose depression is severe or co-occurring often face the additional challenge of finding a setting that holds both the depression and any related condition in one plan.
Our residence sits in Woodland Hills, accessible from the 101 and 405 Freeways. We serve adults from across the San Fernando Valley and coordinate admissions from across California. Adults from across Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Orange County, and the broader Southern California region travel to our Woodland Hills facility for residential depression treatment.
Mental health admissions are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call (888) 669-0661 to speak with a clinical intake coordinator, or verify benefits to start.
If you are in crisis right now, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For medical emergencies, call 911. Reach the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
