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, and in Escondido they operate the North Inland Regional Recovery Center, an outpatient program for adults 18 and older dealing with substance use, including those with co-occurring mental health conditions. Their philosophy holds that every person has a positive purpose and that recovery is a lifelong process best supported by community, and many of their staff are in recovery themselves. They aim to keep services low-cost and open to anyone regardless of background, and most of their programs accept Medi-Cal. Across San Diego County, their 24 programs span prevention, intervention, outpatient care, non-medical detox, short- and long-term residential treatment, aftercare, and sober living.

Outpatient clients receive assessment, individualized treatment planning, individual and group counseling, case management, and mental health services, along with practical help such as vocational support, re-entry assistance, housing assistance, and aftercare. Their curriculum is evidence-based, trauma-informed, and gender-specific, and family therapy is part of their broader services. Women can turn to a nearby women and adolescent recovery center in San Marcos, which offers on-site childcare and parenting classes. For those who need a higher level of care, they also run a 2- to 14-day non-medical detox with linkages to medication-assisted treatment, a roughly 90-day residential program for women with or without children, a residential program for people with justice involvement, and after-school teen recovery programs.