2. Current
Website,November
2008,
after
re-‐launch
(April
2008)
consisting
of
new
site
map,
all
new
content,
and
new
photography.
www.SecondGenesis.org
3. www.secondgenesis.org/index.php/about
About Second Genesis
Our mission is to empower individuals and families to make choices that will enable them to experience a
healthy, responsible life free from alcohol, drugs, crime, violence and exploitation.
Purpose
Second Genesis facilitates individual recovery from substance abuse to providing information, support and
guidance; and by insisting that persons served take an active role in planning and implementing therapeutic
activities for themselves, their peers and their families.
Core Values
Second Genesis believes in the…
• efficacy of the therapeutic community model
• holistic approach to obstacles in recovery
• involvement of client and family in treatment
• adherence to a strict code of ethics
• reduction of stigma associated with addiction
Theorem
“No man or woman here stands alone. We together are one, but many. Aware of our frailties and failings.
We now strive to find strength in each other through the ancient concepts of honesty and love.
We must relate as human beings and project our favorable attributes. We must be open for we must not
return to the practice of hiding our defects.
We pledge to be strong in our beliefs and firm in our convictions and to draw from these convictions that
which when cultivated will contribute most to our common goal, that of creating a new person.”
4. www.secondgenesis.org/index.php/about/therapeutic_model/
Therapeutic Model
In our Traditional Therapeutic Communities, individuals in treatment are more than just ‘patients’. They are
members of a community in which they are responsible for helping one another co-progress through
treatment. The staff supports these efforts with individual and group therapy, social skills training, education
and vocational services, relapse prevention, as well as case management services. The ultimate objective is
for the residents to develop a sense of responsibility for themselves as well as others. Graduates leave
Second Genesis with the tools they need to remain successful in recovery, and in life.
Summary
The therapeutic community model is a structured method and environment for changing human behavior in
the context of community life and responsibility. Utilized by Second Genesis, job functions allow clinical care
workers to assist participants in assessing the progress of their individualized treatment goals. The guideline
for the therapeutic treatment model indicates that; as clients adapt to pro-social attitudes and behaviors,
they become more aware of their maladaptive tendencies and begin to self-realize their pivotal role as a
member of the community.
Work Adjustment Training
“Work adjustment training” is reinforced through house duties that are assigned and reviewed by staff with
each client’s learning needs in mind. Clients are expected to assume increased responsibilities in their house
as they progress through treatment and demonstrate clearly defined pro-social attitudes and behaviors.
Maturity occurs as the houses mirrors back to the client those behaviors that are maladaptive in the pro-
social Second Genesis environment. As educational opportunities arise and foster personal growth, personal
accountability is attained.
Addiction Education
These opportunities allow participants to overcome their denial of the presence and effects of addiction in
their lives. Clients explore and process their substance use and related personal histories while learning
strategies of recovery. The Second Genesis program highlights addiction education and relapse prevention,
as well as life skills development.
5. Addiction Education and Relapse Prevention
Clients learn about the addiction cycle, develop an individualized relapse prevention plan, and adopt
recovery principles and practices, including the 12-step model.
Life Skills Education
Substance abuse that begins during the adolescent period interrupts social, educational, and intellectual
maturation. As a supplement to maturity achieved in the work-phase process, life skills seminars address
behaviors and attitudes presented in the daily, living activities. Clients are armed with knowledge on how to
behave as an age and gender appropriate, socially acceptable member of the community.
Additional Information:
Therapeutic Communities of America
http://www.therapeuticcommunitiesofamerica.org
National Institute on Drug Abuse-TC Summary
http://www.drugabuse.gov/PDF/RRTherapeutic.pdf
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
http://kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/CJA_ConsumerBrochure.pdf
6. www.secondgenesis.org/index.php/programs_facilities/co_occurring_disorders_residential_program
Co-Occurring Disorders Residential Program
Philosophy
Patients live in a safe environment while receiving integrated treatment. They leave the program with the
ability to become stable, contributing members of society.
History
In 1999, the integrated Co-occurring Disorders Residential Program was created out of request by the state
of Maryland. Second Genesis has been a pioneer in providing an integrated model of service to clients with
co-occurring disorders (those with both substance abuse and mental health concerns). Our treatment
protocols were so well respected that out of this request, Second Genesis developed a Co-occurring
Disorders Residential Program that enables clients to participate in a variety of therapeutic activities to
foster recovery. Since then, we have treated nearly 200 individuals, incorporating the best practices of
integrated residential care for individuals with co-occurring disorders. Currently, we have 18 male beds and
9 female beds.
Performance
Our co-occurring clients stay in treatment an average of 169 days which is much longer than the national
and state averages, demonstrating that we effectively engage and retain our clients. Length of stay in
treatment is correlated to many prosperous outcomes: including increased employment, decreased
substance use, criminal behavior, and homelessness.
Clients
Our clients are men and women (no adolescents) with co-occurring disorders (those with both substance
abuse and mental health concerns).
Client Responses
When surveyed at discharge, all co-occurring clients state that treatment helped a lot with their drug
problem, and that their physical health and self esteem improved. As a client recently commented, “Services
here could not be better”.
7. Staff
A staff of licensed and certified master’s level clinicians specialize in treating clients with both mental health
and substance abuse issues.
Program and Activities
Second Genesis’s treatment approach is based on a cognitive-behavioral model specifically designed to help
each client understand and address the root of his or her addictive thinking. Furthermore, clients are
directed towards accepting change and ending the cycle of relapse and recidivism that prevails in this
population. In addition to individual and skill-based group therapy, clients participate in special activities
including community service, sports days, group field trips, as well as a fatherhood program.
