Innovative Drug Rehab | About Our Program

Our team of addiction specialists support recovery first, showing young adults that a happy, healthy life free from mood-altering substances is possible and preferable.

• Personal, Certified Addiction Counselors. Each client is matched with their own certified addiction counselor who they can talk to — day and night — to help keep their sobriety on track. We also pair each client with a 12-step sponsor. We provide education to our clients so that they understand the process their brain undergoes when they become sober.
• Healing & Re-balancing from Addiction. Abstinence from illicit drugs and alcohol allows the brain to re-balance itself and heal. While this re-balancing takes place, newly-sober young adults may experience intense cravings and feelings of frustration, grief, and anger. In time, the brain will achieve equilibrium and the client will begin to feel the benefits of sobriety.

Sober College’s dual-diagnosis approach to treatment provides each client with screening by our neuropsychologist, a weekly meeting with our board certified psychiatrist, and sessions with an individual therapist. Our staff is well-versed in evidenced-based treatments for substance and co-occurring mental health issues. All clients participate in group and experiential therapies including surfing, rock climbing, yoga, as well as trauma-based therapies, when appropriate.

• Diagnosing & Treating Underlying Mental Health Issues. One of the first steps on the journey to sobriety is re-learning how to process emotions and increase impulse control. Drug and alcohol abuse may have masked or subdued any underlying mental health issues or emotional symptoms from past traumas or adverse childhood experiences. Sobriety often brings these issues to the surface. These emotional, psychological and interpersonal issues must be addressed for the client to heal and move forward.
• Experiential Therapies Designed for Young Adults. Experiential activities including surf therapy, trapeze therapy, and equine therapy are also incorporated. As an age-specific treatment program, these non-traditional therapies prove to be especially effective in treating young adult substance abuse and engage our clients in new ways.
• Trauma Therapy & Somatic Experiencing. Trauma work is an integral part of the emotional growth competency, as many of clients have experienced trauma in their lives. Clients who are ready to work through their traumas have access to practitioners of Somatic Experiencing, a holistic therapy designed to harmonize mind and body sensations stemming from PTSD or other stressful scenarios.
• Individualized Therapy. Each client is paired with a personal therapist to help them process emotional and psychological issues. These sessions are designed to help your child further develop their strengths, move forward, and build a life worth living. We also have clients meet with our psychiatrist to manage medication needs.

We help prepare our clients for independent living by offering training in both personal life skills (e.g. money management, cooking) and relational life skills (e.g. communication and decision making). We also teach our clients skills to develop healthy relationships with peers that are not centered around drugs and alcohol. Building these relationships is key to their happiness and overall well-being.

• Self-Care & Healthy Relationships. Life skills are an important part of the treatment process at our long-term residential program. Clients must be able to create and sustain healthy relationships with others and be able to provide self-care as part of their long-term healing and overall wellness.
• Accountability. Clients are held accountable for keeping their living space clean and participating in group cooking and house planning. They also are encouraged to practice healthy relationships with other clients and staff and learn how to live in a community.
• Supportive Staff & Mentors. Our house staff and mentors are trained to help clients relate to one another respectfully and compassionately. Staff also help clients learn cooking, cleaning, and self-care skills.

Getting sober as a young adult means that our clients have their whole life ahead of them. However, preparing for the future can be frightening and challenging. We help them find their sense of purpose by providing them with an Academic and Vocational Coach, allowing them to discover or re-discover their passions.

• A Focus on Executive Functioning for Long-Term Sobriety. Studies show that clients with substance use disorders often show deficits in their executive functioning skills. Focusing on academic work, creative endeavors and productivity skills (including scheduling and self-monitoring) helps increase executive functioning abilities in young adults seeking sobriety.
• On-Site Accredited College Courses. Our rehab program offers college credits in the form of accredited college courses on-site. We offer five, three credit WSCUC-accredited college courses at our treatment center through our partnership with Woodbury University. This allows our clients to jumpstart their productivity goals and start building a firm foundation for their future after treatment.
• Healing the Brain Through Creativity. We offer a Creative Arts program, which includes a full professional-grade music studio, television studio, and art studio on campus. Research shows that creative endeavors help the brain heal and increase productivity. Our creativity in recovery groups introduce or reintroduce our clients to creative pursuits during treatment and encourage them to practice self-expression through music, film, and/or visual arts.
• Personalized Academic Coaching. We pair each client with an individual Academic Coach who creates a specific and individualized productivity plan.

Research shows that regular exercise improves brain function and balances the nervous system. Our fitness program works to make healthy living accessible to everyone through outdoor activities, as well as competitive individual and team sports ranging from soccer and lacrosse to Frisbee golf. We also offer nutritional counseling and personal training, as needed.

• Creating Lasting, Healthy Behaviors. Fitness is a mandatory part of each client’s schedule. A nutritionist is available as needed for clients who need guidance with their nutritional needs. Healthy diet, regular sleep patterns, and regular exercise are integral to brain health and healing.
• Team and Individual Activities. Sober College offers a variety of activities to engage the mind and body. Gym memberships are included and our fitness director organizes regular sports activities including soccer, football, basketball and more. Clients can also enjoy kickboxing, mountain biking / climbing, surfing and more. Yoga is mandatory once per week, and additional yoga classes and individual yoga instruction is available. Our fitness director organizes regular inter and extra-mural sports activities including soccer, football, basketball and more. Clients can also go kick-boxing, mountain biking, and mountain climbing, surfing and more.

Each client has their own Certified Drug & Alcohol Counselor to help guide them through the process of recovery. This relationship becomes a source of support and strength in the recovery process throughout the time your son or daughter is with us.

• Individual meetings with their counselor as needed, a minimum of once per week, and sobriety-based groups including relapse prevention and recovery groups several times per week. Offsite 12-step meetings and sober activities.
• Your child’s counselor is also your point of contact. You will have weekly calls to discuss your son or daughter’s progress. You can also contact your child’s counselor at any time with questions or concerns.
• Credentials: CADC Certified

The client-therapist relationship at Sober College is considered sacred. Using our admissions application and intake assessments, each client is paired with a therapist that our treatment team believes will be the best fit. Therapists are full-time, on-site, and available to our clients as needed.

• Individual meetings with therapist 1-3 times per week, meetings with psychiatrist once per week, meetings with trauma practitioner as needed, group processing and relational groups several times per week.
• Credentials: Master’s and Doctorate level therapists and psychologists, licensed or pre-licensed through the state of CA

House Managers are available 24/7 for our clients. Together with the house staff and mentors, our House Managers ensure that clients are engaging in the community and learning the skills they need to progress toward independent living.

• 24/7 staff supervision until the client shows enough progress to venture out on their own
• Credentials: Mentors and House staff are trained weekly and participate in regular supervision to help them best support our clients

Each client has their own Academic and Vocational Coach who works with our Creative Arts Team and the rest of the treatment team to help clients find an outlet and a means of self-expression outside of drugs and alcohol.

• Individual meetings with Academic Coach as needed, a minimum of once per week. All Academic coaches are on-site full time and available to provide one-on-one support, as needed.
• Throughout their stay, as long as they are on track in all other competencies, the music visual arts and film and television studios and creative arts team are open and available.
• Credentials: All Academic and Vocational Coaches are Adjunct Professors for Woodbury University and are Master’s or Doctoral level. Learn more about our unique college and rehab program.

Our health and fitness team ensures that each client is on a nutritional and fitness plan that fits their needs. Under their supervision, your child will learn and practice healthy habits they can take with them long after they leave our care.

• Clients work with the fitness director and counselors to ensure they are keeping up with their fitness regimen.
• Our medical doctor specializes in Addiction Medicine and can help clients overcome the challenges that early recovery can have on the body and health.
• Our yoga therapist and yoga instructor provides group and individual yoga therapy, as well as other healing yoga classes to help clients practice mindfulness for a healthy body and mind.
• Credentials: Our medical doctor is board-certified and specializes in Addiction Medicine. Our Fitness Director is Master’s Level, has his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree, and a number of other Certifications. Our yoga instructor is certified in a number of different styles of yoga and works closely with our yoga therapists. Learn more about the team members your child will meet at Sober College.