Program Description

The Wells House provides an intensive 6 to 12-month residential treatment program. The program is science-based on the disease concept of chemical dependency and incorporates twelve-step recovery program participation. Each resident has a treatment program tailored to his personal situation and individual needs. This program includes an in-depth psychosocial assessment with treatment planning followed by individual and group counseling, referrals for rehabilitation and educational training, coordination of aftercare treatment services, and assistance in utilization of community resources for employment, medical or legal issues. There s a strong network of individuals in recovery in the local community that is very active in engaging the residents and supporting them in a 12-step program, e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). The residents are required to attend daily twelve-step meetings in the community and are encouraged to develop a recovery network prior to their discharge.

The Wells House philosophy is one of “action” and is designed to help motivate each client to help them begin to solve the problem of how to accept and appropriately deal with life on its own terms – without the use of substances.

The Wells House program is designed to offer peer support, encouragement and confrontation in a “family” type structure to enable clients to begin to live a life free from drugs or alcohol while restoring self-confidence and dignity.

Ideally, this goal may be accomplished with a commitment to continued recovery and involvement in twelve-step recovery programs, addiction education, group and individual counseling, family involvement in the treatment process and willingness to cooperate with all related community resources for recovery.

Each client receives a minimum of five contact house a week. In addition to individual and group sessions, the Wells House staff conducts a rotating schedule of drug and alcohol educational sessions. The sessions are an hour long and are held twice weekly. All educational group sessions include a “here and now” segment to allow the clients to express feelings, share concerns, ask questions, etc.

The sessions topics are:

1. Introduction to the Twelve Steps of AA/NA – AA & NA Meeting Etiquette
2. Essentials of Twelve Step Sponsorship
3. Biopsychosocial Aspects of Addictive Disease
4. The Developmental Model of Addictive Disease
5. Biochemical Basis of Addiction – It’s a Brain Disease!
6. Cross-addiction & Tolerance
7. Medical Aspects of Addiction
8. Nutrition & Diet in Recovery (guest lecturer)
9. Self-Diagnosis & Forms of Denial
10. Relapse Process & Triggers
11. Relapse Prevention
12. Stress Test
13. Stress Management & Problem Solving
14. Identifying Common Problems in Recovery
15. Feelings
16. Self-Esteem
17. Guilt
18. Values
19. How Families Operate
20. Distorted Thinking Styles
21. Frustration and Confliction Resolution
22. Setting up Boundaries & Respecting Others Boundaries
23. HIV/AIDS Education (guest lecturer)
24. Interpersonal Relationships (Sexual & Otherwise)
25. Personal Responsibility in Recovery
26. Lifestyle Changes in Recovery

In addition to these sessions, special sessions are given by guest speakers from Waypoint Bank, the IRS, Social Services, DHR Child Support Division, etc. to cover special topics of interest.