Walden House in-custody programs employ the Therapeutic Community (TC) model to help give hope and change the lives of our participants. In the TC, we treat the whole person rather than their symptoms and we view recovery as a global change of lifestyle. We promote community within each of our facilities by serving a diverse population, employing a diverse staff and acknowledging what each person has to bring to the table. We have many different activities and job functions that promote social learning. Currently in the state of California, prisons are overcrowded and recidivism (return to custody) rates are higher than ever. Our goal is to help our clients to stay out of prison and become productive members of their families and communities.
Valley State Prison for Women/Esperanza Program
Walden House operates an in-custody substance abuse treatment program for women at Valley State prison for Women in Chowchilla, CA. under contract with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Services include:
- Group and individual counseling
- Motivational Interviewing
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training
- Seeking Safety (trauma recovery curriculum)
- Gender-responsive substance abuse recovery curriculum
- Workforce re-entry preparation
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Parenting
- Social and recreational activities
- Re-entry planning
- Relapse prevention
- 12-Step programs
Program services and activities are particularly designed to help facilitate the participant’s successful transition from prison-based treatment to treatment in the community. The program works closely with the regional Female Offender Treatment and Employment Program’s case manager and the regional Substance Abuse Services Coordinating Agency case managers to assure that each participant is assessed, referred, and transported to continuing care upon parole.
Eligibility: Women with a history of substance abuse incarcerated in a California state prison with 6-24 months left to serve on their sentence.
California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF)/F Yard
Located in the Central Valley, Walden House operates this program under contract with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison at Corcoran.The program was activated in 1997. The program is staffed with highly qualified men and women serving incarcerated men.
Programs services include:
- Assessment and treatment planning
- Group and individualized counseling
- Motivational interviewing
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training
- Seeking Safety
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Parenting education
- Family education
- Domestic violence prevention
- Workforce re-entry preparation
- Life skills training
- Relapse prevention training
- 12-Step activities
- Social and recreational activities
- Re-entry preparation and transition planning
Program services are culturally relevant and designed to meet the specific needs of incarcerated men. The program places a strong emphasis on re-entry planning and preparation. Staff work closely with the regional Substance Abuse Services Coordinating Agency case managers as well as parole and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation case managers to ensure a seamless transition from prison to continuing care in the community upon parole.
Eligibility: Level I and II inmates with 6-24 months left to serve.
The Walden House program at SATF also offer a Mentorship program for a select group of highly motivated lifers and other inmates serving sentences in excess of five years. The Mentorship Program helps prepare participants to become substance abuse counselors by offering formal training, education and internship opportunities. Trained Mentors serve as peer counselors and role models for other participants.
