Substance Abuse Education & Treatment
SAGE provides a range of Substance Abuse Education and Treatment services. Our services always begin with a comprehensive assessment, and we utilize evidence-based practices, e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Counseling, Motivational Interviewing, Relapse Prevention, Interactive Journaling, and empirically-validated assessment instruments. Our services are provided in our many outpatient clinics in Maricopa County and throughout Arizona--18 in total.
We offer standard outpatient treatment groups that typically meet twice per week, intensive outpatient groups that typically meet three times per week, early intervention counseling, relapse prevention, underage drinking program, and complete DUI services. We also offer eight and sixteen-hour substance abuse education programs on the weekends.
Domestic Violence Counseling
SAGE Counseling is licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services to provide court-ordered misdemeanor domestic violence offender treatment (see the Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3601.01 regarding requirements to complete such a program). We primarily utilize group rather than individual counseling, and offer more than 50 domestic violence offender treatment groups in Maricopa County (some of which are offered in Spanish. We also have multiple treatment modalities to better serve a variety of clients. Our groups are gender-specific and conducted in a psychoeducational format with a cognitive-behavioral approach. The program particularly emphasizes clients' accountability, compliance with program and probation guidelines, and skill development and rehearsal. We employ structured curricula and methodologies that are designed to increase clients' self-awareness of their controlling and abusive attitudes and behavior, enhance their sense of personal responsibility, and facilitate the integration of positive changes. Our clients' assigned number of sessions follows the ADHS guidelines for licensed court-ordered domestic violence offender treatment programs.
Individual Counseling
In our outpatient programs, individual counseling is an option, as is group counseling. The specific modality or modalities utilized are based on clinical needs and the client’s specific situation.
Case Management
A range of supportive case management services are available for most clients in our outpatient programs, based on their clinical and personal needs. Most of these services are covered by the “Health Plans” of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) for AHCCCS covered clients, as long as they are medically necessary.
Transition Program from Incarceration
Since 2011, SAGE Counseling has been the exclusive contracted treatment provider with the Arizona Department of Corrections for their state-wide prison transition program. This legislatively-based program provides a comprehensive assessment and then 90 days of counseling and case-management services. Participants are released from prison 90 days early to participate in this program, while they are simultaneously on community supervision by the Department.
Cognitive Skills / Recidivism Reduction Groups
This program is grounded in the idea that our feelings and behaviors are directed by our thoughts more than by external factors, such as people, situations, or events. The benefit of this understanding is that we can change the way we think to change the way we feel and act, even if the external situation does not change. This approach is based on the scientifically supported perspective that most emotional and behavioral reactions are learned. Therefore, the goal of counseling is to help clients identify their problematic beliefs and cognitive sets and “unlearn” their unwanted reactions (including criminal behavior) while learning new ways of responding. SAGE teaches clients about the effects of their current decision-making and problem-solving styles in order to improve them and develop healthy lives. This group is designed to instill positive values, increase empathy, promote positive changes, and enhance pro-social behavior. In order to help clients experience greater success as they increase their self-awareness and gain understanding of the process of change, we also teach them the Stages of Change Model.
Parenting Classes
Parenting counseling and education classes assist clients in enhancing their current skills, as well as developing and rehearsing new ones. Appropriate strategies for dealing with difficult parenting situations are addressed, as well as positive communication skills, appropriate use of discipline, parents’ self-care, boundary setting, anger management, developmental stages of childhood/adolescence, self-esteem, and family conflict management.
Anger Management Counseling
This program is designed for clients with clinical issues based in aggressiveness, hostility, and poor impulse control, rather than a pattern of power and control within relationships (which are focused on in our Domestic Violence Treatment program). This program is not for clients with a domestic violence conviction, and does not fulfill the requirements for completing a licensed domestic violence offender treatment program. The program concentrates on increasing clients' self-awareness of their controlling and aggressive attitudes and behavior, reducing hostile thinking patterns, improving impulse control, enhancing their sense of personal responsibility and pro-social attitudes, and building multiple skills, e.g., conflict-resolution, problem-solving, communication, thought-stopping, and positive self-talk. These groups are generally co-ed.
In-Home Child Welfare Services:
Family Preservation and Family Stabilization and Reunification
Since 2002, SAGE Counseling has continuously contracted with the Arizona Department of Child Safety (formerly the Department of Economic Security/Child Protective Services) to provide in-home, family-based services for families who have an open case with the Department. We meet with clients in their homes multiple times per week to identify and reduce potential risks and increase safety by enhancing resiliency factors and protective capacities. We strengthen family’s support systems and teach parenting skills. All clients in these programs are referred from Arizona’s Department of Child Safety. We do not accept private referrals.