McAlister Institute for Trt and Educ

About McAlister Institute for Trt and Educ

McAlister Institute is a nonprofit alcohol and drug treatment provider founded in 1977. They serve adults, teens, and families across San Diego County, including adult and teen outpatient recovery centers in Chula Vista. Their philosophy holds that recovery is a lifelong process built on personal responsibility and a supportive community, and many staff members are in recovery themselves. Their continuum of care includes outpatient treatment, short-term non-medical residential detox, residential treatment, sober living, and supportive housing, and most programs accept Medi-Cal while keeping costs low.

Care combines individual and group counseling, individualized treatment planning, case management, and an evidence-based, trauma-informed curriculum that is tailored by gender, with treatment available for co-occurring mental health conditions. Clients can also get vocational training, life skills workshops, family therapy, re-entry and housing help, relapse prevention, and aftercare. Several programs serve specific groups: women’s centers provide on-site childcare and parenting classes, the Kiva residential program offers about 90 days of structured care for women with or without their children, and New Connections supports people involved with the justice system. Teen recovery centers fit around school schedules with after-school counseling, and detox clients are introduced to 12-Step recovery and connected to medication-assisted treatment when needed.