Many clients may have already received care in our residential program or other primary treatment facilities but are not completely ready to return to their previous living situations. Others may have already attempted individual outpatient treatment without success and need a little more therapeutic structure in their lives. Clients in this program reside in our Transitional Living House for at least 4 weeks and participate in a variety of individual and group psychotherapies, group educational seminars, and, if needed, medication consultation and management conducted in a nearby office complex. All clients in the Transitional Living Program participate in the Core Treatment Module. In addition, each client participates in an Individualized Treatment Module by choosing 3 additional therapy or psychoeducational groups from a menu designed to address specific problem areas. Within a supervised living environment, clients have the opportunity to implement the therapeutic techniques that they have learned in residential treatment or lower levels of care, as well as learn new skills to facilitate their return to productive and fulfilling lives in the community.

Transitional Living House:

Clients participating in this program reside in the transition house, located in beautiful Santa Monica, California (separate from our residential treatment facilities). The house is staffed when clients are present in the house. Breakfast and lunch foods are provided for the clients to prepare their own meals; dinner is prepared by our house chef.

Core Treatment Module:

Each client in the Transitional Living Program receives the following therapies:

Individual Psychotherapy: Residents receive individual psychotherapy two times per week. All of our psychotherapists are licensed in California and have extensive experience in a variety of specialty areas, allowing for treatment that best fits each client's needs. The individual therapist serves as the resident's case manager to ensure coordination of care with other therapists and staff.

Individual Somatic Experiencing Therapy: Residents also receive individual somatic experiencing therapy once a week. Somatic Experiencing is a naturalistic mind-body technique designed to help the client regulate physical and psychological distress through careful attention to body sensations.

Process Group Therapy: Process group therapy is offered twice a week to residents. This therapy allows clients to interact with other residents in the program under the supervision of a licensed clinician. The exchange of feedback regarding emotional issues, interpersonal style, and situational stressors encourages residents to learn new skills to replace maladaptive behaviors and enhance their lives.

Medication Consultation and Management: Clients may enter our Transitional Living Program in need of medication review and consultation to determine the best possible medication regime. Others may enter the program from our residential treatment program having already determined a beneficial medication plan and simply need periodic review. Our licensed and board-certified psychiatrist provides individualized services as needed.

Individualized Treatment Module:

Each client in the Transitional Living Program chooses 3 additional group (or family or couples) therapy or problem-focused education elements in consultation with his or her case manager. The various elements are described below. The combination of treatment elements is designed to work synergistically to address one of the following specific problem areas:

• Affect Regulation Difficulties
• Bipolar Disorders
• Eating Disorders
• Sexual Abuse
• Traumatic Experiences
• Addictions

Transitional Living Program clients may add additional treatment elements to their program for an additional fee.

Individualized Therapy and Psychoeducation Elements (clients choose 3):

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills: This group teaches clients four types of coping skills designed to increase adaptive personal and interpersonal functioning: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotional Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. The group also provides a supportive environment for clients to practice their new skills.

Stress Management: The Stress Management group provides the client with tools and techniques for releasing stress and restoring balance to the physiology of the body. The client will have an opportunity to experience various forms of meditative practice, including contemplation, breathing (mindfulness) meditation, visual and sound meditations, guided imagery and visualization, and progressive relaxation.

Anger Management: This group teaches clients various techniques to identify, monitor, and appropriately manage angry feelings.

Assertion Training: In this group, clients learn to distinguish passive, assertive, and aggressive responses to others and develop skills to assert their needs and maintain their interpersonal boundaries.

Eating Disorders Process Group: This group is an integrative approach to evaluating the role of an eating disorder in the client's life. Interpersonal dialogues in the supportive group context help the client reflect on the way in which eating disorder symptoms may serve to mask anxiety, depression, feelings of inadequacy, social anxiety, and poor self-esteem.

Body Image Discoveries: In this group the influences that shape the development of body image throughout our lives are presented and discussed. Specific gender, familial, cultural, and societal factors that may affect the client's relationship with his or her body are explored. Correlates of a healthy body image are outlined and exercises are introduced to help the client heal personal body image issues.

Nutrition/Mindful Eating: Nutritional information and body intelligence techniques will be presented in this group, along with experiential exercises, to help the client create a balanced relationship with food. Through the exploration of the relationships among eating, taste, and feelings, the client learns to make eating choices that foster feelings of healthy nourishment.

Bipolar Disorders Group: In this group, clients (and their families if appropriate and available) learn the most up-to-date information about bipolar disorder, discover techniques to manage their stress levels and sleep (which directly impact the frequency and severity of the disorder), and develop social support and other coping mechanisms for living with bipolar illness.

Sexual Abuse Recovery: This group helps clients identify various negative emotional and behavioral effects of sexual abuse (particularly feelings of shame and social isolation) and develop adaptive skills with which to cope with those effects.

Addiction Recovery: This group is a process-oriented group designed to help clients understand how substance abuse has evolved into a self-defeating mechanism for avoiding undefined or uncomfortable feelings. Participants learn to identify and voice those emotions in a manner which promotes psychological and physical health.

Family Therapy: When indicated, clients may engage in therapy in Family Therapy with their families of origin and/or with their spouses and children. Family therapy focuses on the development of adaptive communication and problem resolution among family members to resolve interpersonal difficulties and enhance supportive relationships.

Couples Therapy: This treatment helps couples understand the dynamics of their relationship, improve communication and listening skills, resolve conflicts and problems, and develop greater intimacy.

Art Therapy: This group utilizes art expression as a modality for emotional healing and personal development. Through creating art in this group—using modalities of painting, drawing, collage, and sculpture—a creative pathway can be accessed for expressing and resolving past and present emotional issues through a greater awareness of self and others.

Music Therapy: Music therapy sessions use the unique components of rhythm, melody, and harmony to address and explore emotional and behavioral states. Group members participate through listening exercises, imagery, and group improvisational music making.

Recreation Therapy/Exercise: This group teaches clients various exercise techniques (such as yoga) designed to enhance their sense of physical strength and well-being.

Wellness Modules:

In addition to the core treatment module and the individualized treatment module described above, the Transitional Living Program also offers three Wellness Modules which may be added to the client's treatment schedule on an individual basis for an additional fee. The Wellness Modules may be conducted on an individual or group basis with residents.

Creativity Module: Includes individual art therapy and individual music therapy.

Health Module: Includes individual nutrition evaluation and counseling, and recreational/exercise counseling

Transition Module: Includes education and vocation guidance, public assistance guidance, and volunteer opportunities