Proven Track Record
Stepping Stone has been providing excellent residential treatment for people suffering from alcohol and drug dependence for over 40 years. We also offer an outpatient treatment program.
Stepping Stone welcomes all individuals for services related to alcohol and drug addiction, and those in need of life-enhancing recovery from co-occurring conditions. It is our mission to primarily serve the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community, but our doors are – and always have been – open to all. Clients often have other medical and psychiatric conditions that interact with and impact their addiction.
We are committed to providing the most holistic and comprehensive recovery and treatment services for clients. In order to help clients achieve the best stabilization in all life areas, we recognize the importance of integrating attention to these other medical and psychiatric issues throughout the treatment process at Stepping Stone. It is part of our program to provide referrals and support for linkages to services related to these other co-occurring conditions and to incorporate those services into the client’s treatment plan and recovery process.
It is recognized that when a person enters Stepping Stone, he/she is reaching out for help and deserves a welcoming response. We take responsibility for assisting each person who enters Stepping Stone’s door by making sure he/she has a comprehensive risk assessment to assure safety and is connected to a relationship that integrates attention to his/her multiple needs while in addiction treatment. In addition, we are committed to making sure that the appropriate resources and referrals are made available whether the individual will be admitted to our treatment facility or not. The life of each person is precious, and we have an important part in welcoming him/her into sober, healthy living, including recovery from co-existing medical and psychiatric conditions.
Individualized Treatment Plans
Research and our experience show that the longer a person remains in treatment, the greater their ability to maintain long-term recovery. This is due to neurological (brain/nervous system) and psychological healing, and the development of new coping skills and habits. Stepping Stone has always offered long-term treatment. Our clients are treated in residence for up to seven months and participate in aftercare for 12 weeks. As part of our continuum of care, we encourage residents to stay connected with Stepping Stone events, groups and communities for at least two years.
Individual Care
While in residence at our comfortable, safe, campus, residents each participate with case managers and therapists in creating individual treatment plans tailored to their needs and circumstances, while also benefiting from milieu (group) treatment.
- Each resident is assigned an Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) counselor, who provides case management and substance use counseling.
- Each resident is assigned a clinical therapist throughout their residential treatment.
- Individual treatment plans are crafted as a collaborative effort of the resident and the AOD counselor.
Evidence-Based Therapies
Our residents participate in daily groups using evidence-based therapy, including Discovering Sexual Health in Recovery (Braun-Harvey), Relapse Prevention Therapy© (Gorski), Seeking Safety (Najavits), and Anger Management (SAMHSA).
Sexual Health
Most treatment programs address the topic of sex by telling clients to “just not do it.” This approach doesn’t address an important aspect in the lives of almost all human beings. If people in recovery do not learn healthy sexual habits, they may not be able to sustain recovery. At Stepping Stone, all clients participate in Discovering Sexual Health in Recovery, a program developed at Stepping Stone by international sexual health expert Doug Braun-Harvey.
Relapse Prevention
At Stepping Stone we are particularly knowledgeable about the processes of relapse and recovery. It is important to know that relapse does not simply occur (although it can certainly seem that way!), but follows a predictable path. Understanding and recognizing one’s own path to relapse is crucial. So important is this concept to successful treatment, that we have incorporated Terence T. Gorski’s Relapse Prevention Therapy© into all aspects of treatment at Stepping Stone. Gorski’s model has been time-tested and has been shown to significantly enhance recovery and reduce relapse. All residents are oriented to the therapy and then given a Relapse Prevention Therapy book (www.relapse.org). Trained therapists guide and facilitate the relapse prevention process.
Seeking Safety
Trauma is one of the most common co-occurring disorders in drug and alcohol treatment. We at Stepping Stone recognize that our clients have very often experienced trauma that contributed to, exacerbated, or was caused by their use of alcohol and other drugs. People in the LGBT community may also have higher levels of past trauma. Traumatic experiences or traumatic responses to seemingly “average” experiences can interfere with the work that people need to do for their own recovery. That is why we provide several levels of trauma treatment at Stepping Stone. All residents attend Seeking Safety, an evidence-based protocol for exploring co-occurring trauma and enhancing coping skills, developed by Lisa Najavits. Other levels of trauma treatment are provided by on-site individual psychotherapists.
Anger Management
Learning anger management skills is more than just learning to not lash out; our clients learn to recognize and monitor their own emotional responses to events, people, and other stimuli, and to practice appropriate and healthy responses. Stepping Stone uses well-researched and clearly-written material from the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.