McAlister Institute for Trt and Educ

About McAlister Institute for Trt and Educ

McAlister Institute is a nonprofit alcohol and drug treatment provider serving adults, teens, and families across San Diego County since 1977, with 24 programs at locations throughout the region. Their philosophy holds that every person has a positive purpose and can rebuild their life through recovery, which they see as a lifelong process that needs a supportive community, and many of their staff are in recovery themselves. Their continuum of care includes short-term non-medical detox, residential treatment, adult and teen outpatient programs, supportive housing, sober living, and aftercare. Services are low-cost and open to anyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, or income, and most programs accept Medi-Cal.

Clients work through individualized treatment plans with individual and group counseling, case management, and evidence-based, trauma-informed, gender-specific curriculum, along with care for co-occurring mental health conditions, family therapy, vocational training, and re-entry support. Women have dedicated options, including outpatient centers with on-site childcare and parenting classes, a women’s detox that serves pregnant clients, and Kiva, a roughly 90-day residential program where mothers can bring their children. New Connections offers residential care tailored to people with justice involvement, while the adult detox introduces 12-Step recovery and connects clients to medication-assisted treatment. Teens can attend after-school programs, some located at schools, and the 24/7 Recovery and Bridge Center gives people found intoxicated in public an alternative to jail, with nursing support, counseling, and direct links to housing and treatment.