Ohlhoff Recovery Programs

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Mixed bag; not very evidence-based 1) Heavily 12-step based; gives short shrift to more evidence-based therapies (CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, etc.). When I brought this up to the director, he suggested I come back and present overviews during a 1 hour alumni talk. That's called passing the buck. 2) Most of the counselors are interns or "techs"; very few have masters-level training. Rumor was that virtually all counselors were paid $20/hr or less, and there seems to be a good bit of turnover. Individual therapy is weekly (at best) and most likely with an intern. Coordination with outside therapists was poor, even after I did my best to initiate it. 3) Ohlhoff lists itself as handling dual-diagnosis patients, but it is drastically ill-equipped to do so. While I was there, 2 staff members had to call the police on a troubled client with schizophrenia because they feared for their safety. This client remained in the program for another day or two after that,ontinuing to mingle with everyone, which was both unprofessional and unacceptable. Additionally, there is very little in the program that addresses more common, less acute issues that may be contributing to substance use (like a history of trauma or complex PTSD). 3) Psych Ed or Education Workshop classes are often canceled or converted to "art therapy", which is little more than Mandala coloring. 4) There is extremely poor coordination and communication between staff on various shifts; if your request cannot be immediately be fulfilled, more often than not it will fall through the cracks. 5) Once you become the senior client of your gender, you are saddled with extra responsibilities which are not well delineated or documented. I fail to see how herding dysfunctional, feral cats is helpful to one's sobriety. Also, if the rest of the group is slacking on chores (cleaning/restocking the kitchen, taking out trash, fetching food), you will find those responsibilities falling to you. 6) The director is fond of saying things like "Massage, acupuncture and equine therapy will not keep you sober." Well fine. The majority of clients could probably not afford such things on a regular basis anyway. But why not have something like a group massage instruction class? Trading massages would be a useful relaxation skill to have. 7) Indoor facilities are fairly cramped, especially for the men. We struggled to find a quiet place for meditation, for example. 8) The electronics policy (cellphones, tablets, music-only iPods, iPod touches, kindles) needs revision. Given the scant coverage of other treatment modalities, you should be allowed to read recovery ebooks or audiobooks. Positives 1) Most of the staff are quite well intentioned and do try to be helpful. Most of them are in recovery themselves, so they have firsthand experience that is quite valuable; on the flip side, most only found success with 12-step therapies which can bias the approach they apply to a more diverse clientele. 2) There are 12-step meetings on campus and a decent selection of off-campus meetings are attended. The SF Zen Center recovery meeting on Monday night is also a welcome option. 3) Opportunity for learning and significant support from other clients, depending on who is there. 4) Free process group for alumni is available Tuesday nights. Also the staff generally welcome you to drop by the office after you've left if you have a need. 5) Relatively cheap, may well be in-network with your insurance carrier. 6) Does not employ public shaming / punishment as I've heard other programs do (e.g. New Bridge in Berkeley).

Excellent programme very highly recommended

If it weren't for ohlhoff I'd have a needle in my neck this place saved my life

The best, the counselors and staff are amazing and genuinely care about your recovery. If your serious about wanting to recover this is a great place to start.

This was my fourth rehab and it was the best experience of all !!!

This is one of the best drug rehabs in the bay area!