The Basics
Since 2000, The Center for Harm Reduction Therapy has provided outpatient treatment to residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. It currently has facilities in Oakland and San Francisco and plans to soon open an additional branch in San Jose. Additionally, staff therapists conduct a range of community workshops. Executive Director, Jeannie Little (LCSW) and the Director of Clinical Services and Training, Patt Denning (PhD) are co-authors of Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, a Manual for Professionals, and Over the Influence: The Harm Reduction Guide to Managing Drugs and Alcohol. The Center for Harm Reduction Therapy was awarded Opencare’s 2015 Patients’ Choice Awards for San Francisco Psychology.
In Harm Reduction Therapy, the therapist helps clients identify the specific harm their substance use is doing to themselves and others and then make and implement an effective plan to reduce that harm. Harm Reduction Therapy offers an alternative to the 12-step framework, as it does not ask clients to abstain from alcohol as a condition of treatment, unless that is the client’s goal.
Treatment and Staff
After an intake session, clients are given treatment recommendations that include group and individual therapy. Clients first attend a group that orients them to the Harm Reduction Therapy model. Clients may attend CHRT’s therapy groups regardless of where they are undergoing treatment, as long as the therapeutic modalities are compatible. Groups at CHRT usually number eight to 10 participants and use Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Stages of Change models. All groups address how to regulate substance use and manage triggers. CHRT endorses the belief that co-occurring disorders are foundational to most substance abuse and group and individual therapy is tailored to provide clients with dual diagnosis support.
The duration of treatment at CHRT is progress-based. Some may stay in their groups for three months while others have been attending them for over a year. Clients are encouraged to collaborate with their therapist on their treatment plan as therapy progresses. The treatment team at CHRT includes Master’s-level therapists including LCSWs, MSWs, MFTs and a psychologist. CHRT is also able to assist clients with procuring medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction.
Extras
Each fall and winter CHRT offers a Holiday Group, a four-session class to help clients address the particular challenges to substance use presented by the holidays. Additionally, CHRT therapists offer services in Spanish and partner with several community organizations to offer therapy services at drop-in centers throughout the Bay Area. The Center’s founders also offer Harm Reduction Therapy training to others in the helping professions.
In Summary
The Center for Harm Reduction Therapy offers an effective alternative to those who do not favor the 12-step framework. It views treatment as a collaboration between therapist and client, in which the therapist helps clients see the effects of their choices and implement a plan to cease harming themselves and others. Since treatment at The Center for Harm Reduction may be quite a departure from abstinence-based treatment practices, clients are invited to attend a group for free to learn more about the process and see if it’s a good fit for their needs.
Center for Harm Reduction Therapy
45 Franklin St, Ste 320
San Francisco, CA 94102
315 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94607
The Center for Harm Reduction Therapy Cost: Does not accept insurance. Call for sliding fee information. Reach The Center for Harm Reduction Therapy by phone at (415) 863-4282. Find the Center for Harm Reduction Therapy on Facebook
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Photo courtesy of en:User:Paul.h (en:User:Paul.h) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (resized and cropped)
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