Established in 1954, Wayside House, Inc. is a well-respected Minnesota non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with 60 years of experience helping women overcome addiction and mental illness. It is among the nation’s oldest treatment centers devoted exclusively to the gender-specific needs of women. We provide a full spectrum of recovery services to help women achieve long-term sobriety.
ABOUT WAYSIDE HOUSE, INC., WOMEN’S TREATMENT CENTER
Headquartered in the southwestern suburbs of Minneapolis, Wayside House is a nonprofit that supports women who are struggling with substance use disorder. The center was founded in 1954 to help homeless women, and though the focus has now shifted to substance use disorder, there is still a special emphasis on women also struggling with compounding factors such as poverty, unemployment, homelessness, poor physical health, single parenting, physical and sexual abuse, and co-occurring mental health disorders.
The center offers residential and outpatient treatment, including a family residential program where women can bring their children to stay with them while they get help — one of only six programs of its kind in the state of Minnesota.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
On all programs, the facility’s approach to recovery combines 12-step meetings with evidence-based modalities such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). When appropriate, daily transportation is provided to centers offering medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
The typical length of stay in residential care is 90 days, followed by 12 weeks of outpatient aftercare. Clients spend most of their days in individual and group therapy and educational sessions. Passes to leave the facility and use of personal vehicles are allowed at some stages of treatment.
In addition to treating addiction, Wayside aims to prepare its residents for life after treatment through GED and parenting classes and support finding housing and employment, as well as guidance on navigating the legal system and Child Protection Services.
Parenting programming aims to help residents to improve relationships throughout the family, understand how their addiction creates trauma for their children, and ultimately break the generational cycle of addiction and trauma.
Outpatient care is provided from a facility in St. Paul, as either a step-down from residential treatment or entry-level care. Clients will also work with a case manager during their stay, to put together an aftercare plan, which might include ongoing, supportive counseling, or a stay in Wayside’s supportive housing, which provides safe and affordable transitional accommodations.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Wayside House’s staff includes licensed drug and alcohol abuse counselors, many of whom have years of sobriety in their own substance abuse recovery, as well as licensed mental health professionals, nursing staff, and recovery coaches. Medical and psychiatric care is available via local providers. To date, the five individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com on the staff gave generally positive feedback:
Staff Experience and Training: 3.6/5
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Residents stay in shared bedrooms and eat together as a group. Pet dogs –– leashed and under 40 pounds –– may visit clients on-site. At the family treatment center, children may either stay on-site with their mothers or visit; children staying on-site with their mothers will have access to therapy and support. The five individuals polled on the center’s performance in a variety of areas indicated that it was clean and well maintained, with mediocre extracurricular activities.
Facility Cleanliness and Upkeep: 4/5
Exercise and Leisure Offerings: 3.4/5
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Most of the five alumni reviews submitted to Best-rehabs.com to date are positive, though one is very negative and a couple are mixed. The negative reviewer complained of patronizing and poor treatment from staff as well as, in their view, misguided policies such as contact blackouts and over-medication for mental-health disorders.
Among the remaining reviews, there are a few complaints from people who did not connect with their personal counselors. But most alumni reported successful treatment at Wayside, and they often praised the staff in particular. “Wayside from my experience it was very helpful, staff’s are very understandable and easy to speak with,” Trista wrote in a typical comment.
Wayside has mostly positive feedback on secondary sites, with average ratings of four stars based on 15 reviews on Google and five stars based on 20 reviews on Facebook, where the center can manage its own page.[1] [2] The reviewers repeatedly thanked Wayside for helping them turn their lives around. “Was the first place in my life I felt safe. I am grateful for all of the incredible help this program has given me. A truly unique and special place,” Polly wrote in a typical comment on Facebook.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The four loved ones polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave mixed feedback. Two of the reviewers cited difficulty communicating with staff about their loved one: “I was not contacted by my family members counselor, even though there was a release. No messages returned from any staff. No messages passed along to family from client phone,” G.C. wrote in a representative comment. On the whole, loved ones gave mediocre ratings for the center’s family involvement and visitor policies:
Family Participation: 3.3/5
Connectivity/Visitor Policy: 3.5/5
However, the reviewers more commonly commented on the center’s highly structured, strict but fair program: “Strict with everyone/fair, staff recognize behaviors very quickly & address it. Let you earn trust and reward you with weekends & overnights passes,” one anonymous reviewer wrote in a typical comment.
Likelihood to Recommend: 3.3/4
WHAT STAFF SAY
Wayside has polarized feedback on Glassdoor, with a one-star and perfect five-star rating.[3] Both reviewers agreed that the center is committed to providing quality support to an underserved community: “Amazing staff! Prevalent belief that women are valuable, can achieve wellness, and can manage their addiction problems with quality care,” one anonymous reviewer wrote. However, both reviews indicated that the center is sometimes overstretched, leading to a lack of resources as well as staff burnout.
FINANCING
Wayside accepts all major insurance providers as well as self-pay, and public assistance may be available for people on low incomes. The four individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com on the center’s affordability gave it strong ratings:
Affordability: 4/5
[1] GoogleReviews
[2] https://www.facebook.com/pg/wayside.house/reviews/?ref=page_internal
[3] https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Wayside-House-Women-s-Treatment-Center-Reviews-E1356710.htm