Wedgwood Christian Services

About Wedgwood Christian Services

Wedgwood Christian Services is a Christian behavioral health organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that has served children, teens, families, and adults across West Michigan since 1960 through residential care, counseling, and community programs. For substance use, they offer a specialized residential treatment program for boys and girls ages 10 to 17 who have a substance use disorder, with or without a co-occurring mental health diagnosis, targeting the underlying reasons for the use as well as the use itself. Their care is trauma-informed and grace-based, pairing 24-hour staff support with attention to physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. Admission comes through referral from a funding agency such as the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, a juvenile court, or Community Mental Health, since insurance generally doesn’t cover their residential stays.

The core of the program is daily group therapy, individualized coaching and goal-setting, relapse prevention, and education on how substances affect every part of life, with weekly work built around the Stages of Change model and 12-Step concepts. Residents attend AA or NA meetings, learn to identify their triggers and healthier ways to cope, and receive random drug screens and breathalyzer tests. An interdisciplinary team that includes a master’s-level therapist, a registered nurse, and a psychiatrist draws on approaches like Trauma-Focused CBT, Relationship Trauma Repair, and Motivational Interviewing, and parents, guardians, and referring workers take part in treatment and discharge planning from admission onward. Optional chaplaincy, recreation and animal therapy, and an employment training program give teens room to explore faith, build life skills, and gain real job experience.