Pathway Society: Pathway House Review
Located in the Southern end of the San Francisco Bay area, Santa Clara County is popularly known at Silicon Valley. Pathway Society is located within this vast area of affluence and software. Incorporated in 1968, the Pathway Society has multiple treatment offerings including outpatient services, a women’s residential lodge and the Pathway House, its co-ed residential treatment facility.
Accommodations and Food
Located in downtown San Jose, two blocks from San Jose State University, Pathway House is in a mixed-use neighborhood, surrounded by businesses, residences and academic buildings. This residential program is a seven-apartment complex—two for women and five for men. With a maximum capacity of 64, each apartment has three bedrooms, one bathroom and common areas. Clients sleep three or four to a room, on twin beds, some of which are bunk beds. Treatment occurs on the grounds and the dining hall doubles as a media room equipped with a TV and DVD player, which are mainly used for group therapy and educational classes. Residents usually watch the news while dining. Additional, viewing times are one hour after meals in the evenings and on the weekends.
Pathway House employs an on-site cook who is often willing to accommodate any dietary restrictions. Breakfast items include toast, cereal, oatmeal, pancakes and eggs. For lunch, clients get hotdogs or sandwiches. For dinner, residents enjoy entrees that include fish or pork chops and a starch. A wide-variety salad bar also accompanies lunch and dinner. Sugar and caffeine are both allowed.
Treatment and Staff
Typically, clients stay at Pathway House for 30 days post-detox. After this initial 30 days, residents meet with their counselors to determine if more time is needed—some clients stay up to 90 days. Pathway House firmly believes in a client-centered approach. Clients participate in group therapy every day and see their counselors individually twice a week. Treatment is based around CBT and the harm reduction model of treatment.
Once a week, a doctor comes on site to do new-client screenings. If clients have medical issues, the doctor refers them to appropriate facility. While Pathway House’s counselors are trauma informed, they do not provide EMDR—they refer out for this service, just like they do for co-occurring disorders.
While this facility introduces its clients to the 12 steps and hosts on-site meetings, they also provide information about the Three Principles and SMART Recovery.
During the week, breakfast is served at 7 am—medication is distributed afterward. Clients start their day at 8:30 am with roll call and agenda, where counselors give the schedule for that day. There are two groups before lunch at noon. Following the afternoon meal, residents attend two more groups then have dinner at 5 pm. The last group ends at 9 pm. From there, residents have free time until lights out at 11 pm. While there is no exercise equipment, there is a multi-purpose room if residents want to work out. Clients also go on community walks three times a week. Visitors are welcome on weekends between 1 and 5 pm.
Pathway House employs nine certified (CADCs and an LADC) counselors, two cooks, floor monitors, one receptionist, one intake coordinator, teaching coordinators and 30 client-care coordinators—an even mixture of men and women. The latter staffers provide transportation for any medical and/or mental-health appointments. Typically, when at capacity, Pathway House has a client-to-staff clinical ratio of one-to-six. For 24/7 coverage, from 10:30 pm to 7:30 am, an overnight monitor does bed checks and provides medication if needed.
Extras
Once a week, an instructor comes to Pathway House to lead a yoga class. Clients also participate in art therapy. Twice a week, on Tuesday and Saturday evenings, Pathway House holds a two-hour multi-family group. First, clients, counselors and family members meet privately and then there is a group discussion and addiction education.
Pathway House is a big proponent of extra-curricular outings; it has facilitated bus-chartered trips to the beach, barbeques in the park and softball games. Twice a year, at the local Alano club, Pathway holds a sober dance.
In Summary
Because Pathway House is for the underprivileged: clients need to be referred in order to get treatment and a benefits coordinator familiarizes clients with Medi-Cal and food stamps during the course of treatment. Most significantly, however, it is a rare option for those who are interested in exploring the idea of harm reduction rather than abstinence as a way to overcome addiction.
Pathway Society: Pathway House Location
102 S. 11th St
San Jose, CA 95112
Pathway Society: Pathway House Cost
Free. Reach Pathway Society: Pathway House by phone at (408) 244-1834. Find Pathway Society: Pathway House on Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn
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