Specialty Programs

Recovery Support Services (formerly known as Aftercare)

Harbor House realizes that Residential Treatment is only the beginning to long term recovery. We, therefore, offer a continuing care program, Recovery Support Services, for both males and females upon completion of Residential Treatment Services. As part of post-treatment continuing care, Recovery Support (Aftercare) is available to all completing individuals. Admission to Recovery Support Services (Aftercare) is voluntary (unless court ordered), and requires a two-year commitment. Residential Treatment participants complete a Recovery Support Plan during their stay and attend Recovery Support Services during their last two weeks of Residential Treatment.

The primary purpose of Recovery Support is to provide ongoing peer-focused sobriety-oriented support for participants. It meets weekly and is facilitated by a certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Clients are expected to attend the weekly sessions and 12-Step recovery meetings on a regular basis. They are required to abstain from drugs and alcohol and harmful behaviors, participate in the random drug screening program and have a strong and consistent relationship with a sponsor.

The Family Program

The family program is available to all families and friends of active clients at Harbor House and to the public. It focuses on information and education about the disease of addiction and is held on Thursday evening from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30p.m. (for a total of 4 sessions) with up to 30 minutes of visitation after the program. The major goal of the Family Program is to provide families and friends with information and education that allows them to understand the disease of addiction and what they can do to begin the process of recovery. Families are affected by addiction in many ways and they suffer many consequences; their own recovery is essential for their welfare and for that of the client.

Alumni Services

In early 2018, The Alumni of Harbor House formed their own Association, True North:  Friends of Harbor House.  In keeping with the “Harbor” theme, they chose True North because they know, unlike magnetic North which continually shifts, “true north” will guide one’s path from south to north, and back again.  In this way, one might arrive exactly where intended.  As sober, productive members of each of their respective Recovery Communities, the members of True North feel, as Alumni, that they might act as a guide, if you will, a true north, to those clients as they transition from an inpatient treatment setting to positive standing in the Recovery Community.  The primary goal, as Alumni, is to support those individuals in their new life, and to let them know that they are not alone.  The Alumni also hosts many social and fundraising events throughout the year, chair weekly 12-Step Meetings for Primary Clients, and once every month, an Alumni member shares their story to the participants in Recovery Support Services.

The DUI Diagnostic Assessment Service

Harbor House is licensed to conduct DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Diagnostic Assessment Services. This program is for individuals who have been convicted of two or more DUI violations and have had their driver’s license suspended. This program was developed and sanctioned under the Mississippi Implied Consent Law to encourage alcohol and drug treatment and to reduce the suspension period for offenders.

Clients who acknowledge at the time of admission to the Primary Care Residential Treatment Program that they have been convicted of two or more DUI violations receive a summary of the Mississippi Implied Consent Law, an hour of DUI educational films and information on how to get their driver’s license reinstated. A certified counselor then administers an approved standardized test (Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory). The results of this test, in combination with the initial intake, blood alcohol content report, motor vehicle record and other information, are used in developing the client’s Primary Care Residential Treatment Plan.

The Ropes Course

The purpose of the Ropes Course, which is also called adventure based counseling, is to challenge groups of individuals to work together as a team to overcome obstacles in an effort to reach their goals — those set by the facilitator and those set by the participants themselves. As opposed to the typical “feelings groups,” in which residents sit around a circle and work through concerns verbally, this approach to group therapy places participants in a hands-on learning situation. The Course takes place over two days (4 hours each day).

In many cases, this environment provides an opportunity for the more withdrawn members to assume an active role in the problem-solving process, while more headstrong members are challenged to rely on other people for support versus relying totally on themselves. The group moves through typical stages: (1) forming, (2) norming, (3) storming and (4) performing. A crucial component of the ropes course experience is the process circle in which the members reflect on their experience, sharing insights and feelings related to the activities.

Members set goals for themselves that are positive and meaningful to the group as a whole and personally challenging. The idea is for them to build upon personal and group strengths, while eliminating, or minimizing negative, ineffective behaviors. After completing several ice breaker activities, group members are asked to come up with goals that will guide the group, providing them with a compass to gauge where the group stands. Some examples of group goals include working as a team, being open-minded, honest, and willing and setting realistic goals.

The group is also asked to identify behaviors that it does not want to tolerate. These behaviors usually include things such as: general negativity, one person trying to run the show, blaming, giving up and arguing. When this sort of negativity arises, the members agree to confront and work toward changing this behavior. Additionally, each member is asked to specify two personal goals, usually related to character defects identified in the treatment process, to work on throughout the Ropes Course activities.

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