The greatest quality an Addiction Recovery program can possess is Unconditional Positive regard—the ability to accept everyone with love, compassion and respect. The program is under the direction of Addiction Recovery Counseling Center Clinical Director Rick Baez and the gold standard of addiction counselor training in 42 countries and 38 states: CAADAC (The California Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors).
Additionally, the addiction counselor educational requirements and responsibilities have been enlarged to include greater focus on pharmacology, skill development in the selection and use of diagnostic measures, and proficiency in multidisciplinary treatment planning and healthcare delivery.
As it relates to alcohol and drug addiction, Warden Robert L. Ayers spoke directly to the issue of recidivism stating: “This was an idea dreamed up by the men in blue here; their efforts have put this thing on the map. These counseling resources will be used to break this vicious cycle. We are taking additional steps to target the guys in orange, 60 percent of which have six months or less and 20 percent are Reception Center violators.”
Inmate David Sievers, a 2007 ARC graduate, says the program gave him “hope, strength and courage to stay clean and sober.”
Addiction counselor trainee Clinton Avalos adds, “Understanding addiction has allowed me to never second guess others who are taking necessary steps in addressing their pain.”
The ARC program has screened 266 inmates with 218 intakes. A total of 175 began treatment and 83 completed the four month addiction treatment program. Currently, there are 21 inmates in treatment. The intense, comprehensive process groups and informative presentations allow one to endure the circumstances of their trials with diversity being the greatest asset to this philosophy. This equates to a preeminent program that is powerful in its impact to each participant involved.
