Halfway House Services

Our facility provides the following substance abuse treatment services for eligible clients:

• Group Therapy -- Group therapy is provided once a week for a minimum of 1½ hours per session. These services are directed by two counselors per group and focus on issues identified on the individualized treatment plan. There are eight clients per group.
   
• Individual Therapy -- Individual therapy is once a week for a minimum of 1 hour per session. These services are directed by our counselors and focus on issues identified on the individualized treatment plan. Our caseload of 1:4.16 allows for intensive and comprehensive treatment.
   
• Peer Groups -- We require clients to attend peer groups four times a week for a minimum of one hour per session. These services are structured, peer-led groups which are topic and self-expression oriented. We encourage our clients to attend peer groups more frequently at the entry level stage of treatment.
   
• Community Meeting -- Community meetings are held twice a week for a minimum of 45 minutes per meeting. One of these meetings is led by our Resident Manager, the other by our Executive Director. Each meeting focuses on daily living management including communications and house responsibilities.
   
• Education Group -- Life Skills education groups are held once a week for a minimum of one hour per session. These services are instructional lectures or group discussions which focus on a wide range of topics including HIV/AIDS, nutrition, family planning, literacy, parenting, fitness, etc. Community agency representatives are often utilized for specialty lectures.
   
• Community Building -- Community building services are provided to all clients as an integral part of the program. These services reflect our philosophy of bridging the gap between the group living experience and the community setting and include activities such as community resource and networking, client volunteer projects in the community, and peer support.
   
• Relapse Prevention -- Relapse prevention services shall be provided to each client during their last month of treatment, then extended beyond discharge for two months at no charge.
   
• Coordination of Supportive/Ancillary Services -- Good Friends, Inc. provides supportive/ancillary services directly or through community linkage/referral. Services are provided to each client on an as needed basis according to the client evaluation and treatment plan. We, at a minimum, arrange for, or provide, all of the following services:
   

  Vocational	Services include vocational assessment, job readiness, job placement
  Educational	Services include GED preparation, literacy and basic education tutoring.
  Healthcare	Services include medical and dental referrals and general health education, especially HIV/AIDS awareness and support.
  Psychological	Services include the use of our Medical Consultant to evaluate, monitor, and manage psychiatric behaviors.
  Economic	Services include budgeting, credit restoration, housing assistance, income support.
  Recreation/Social	Services include fitness, games, peer interactions.
  Other Services	Physical examination Biopsychosocial assessment Availability of specialized professional/medical consultation and testing such as HIV and TB testing and other laboratory work as indicated Individual treatment planning with review at least every 30 days Development of discharge plan and referral into continuum of care All staff members adhere to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Office for Drug and Alcohol Program's staffing requirements for Drug and Alcohol Treatment Activities A statistically based Quality Improvement Program

Treatment

The Good Friends, Inc. halfway house is a community-based residential treatment and rehabilitation facility that provides services for chemically dependent persons in a supportive environment. While this service provides substance abuse treatment, it also emphasizes protective and supportive elements of family living while encouraging and providing opportunities for independent growth and responsible community living, mutual self-help, assistance in economics/social adjustment and integration of life skills into daily life and a solid program of recovery. This is a live-in/work-out environment with the typical length of stay of three to six months.