Portion of one of the bedrooms in the new rehabilitation center in West Union.

Downstairs living room and kitchen area in the new rehabilitation facility in West Union.

WEST UNION – The Counseling Center, an organization providing addiction recovery programs, has opened a new treatment center for women in West Union.

The newly renovated facility, which can house 12 women, will be one of the first steps for many women in their attempts to battle addiction.

Executive Director of Compass House Housing Craig Gullion, which owns the new facility, said that getting people into a new environment is critical in the recovery process.

“Recovery housing gets people that are in addiction out of their old environment into a safe environment with support so they can get the help they need,” Gullion said.

This facility will house women in a minimum 90-day intensive program aimed at giving the women a more stable environment and plenty of support.

“Outpatient treatment can sometimes be sporadic since they sometimes don’t get the support from their home base,” Gullion said. “Transportation can be an issue plus they may be residing with someone who’s an active user which is detrimental to their success.”

Structure is a big portion of the program where residents will spend most days in activities with other residents, going to counseling and helping out around the house.

“A typical day may consist of getting up, eating breakfast together, then they may get transported over to the counseling center’s counseling program while some of them may have doctor’s appointments or legal appointments,” Gullion said. “Usually when they get back there will be chores to do, they’ll help prepare the meal for that evening and lots of times they’ll then be transported to Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings in the evening.”

Gullion says because of the intensiveness of this program, getting back into the working world won’t occur until after they’ve left this facility and either gone back home or into a transitional-style program.

“Residents won’t have jobs while they’re here because this is an intensive outpatient program that requires several hours a day,” Gullion said. “But once this program is completed there’s services that The Counseling Center has that can help with employment opportunities. But we do generate a lot of motivated people who are ready to work.”

Regular drug screening will take place to ensure those who use a a visitation pass to go see friends or family aren’t relapsing when out of the building. In addition, children are not allowed at the facility.

Above all else, Gullion wants to stress that this is a house for addiction recovery for people who are voluntarily admitting themselves and trying to get better.

“This is their home,” Gullion said. “We want to create a supportive environment with a homely feel as much as we possibly can. There’s a negative stigma with this type of treatment. People look at it and say ‘Oh, that’s just where a bunch of drug addicts live,’ but this is a facility full of people who volunteered to be here and want to get better.”