ABOUT PASSAGES FOR WOMEN
Founded in 1986 and located in a suburban area nine miles northwest of central Houston, nonprofit Passages for Women offers step-down residential care for women ages 18 and older who have completed a primary course of residential treatment for chemical dependency. The center is one of 212 private non-profit facilities in Texas, and one of 206 centers in the state that offers programming specifically designed for women.
Medical detox is not available on-site, and clients must have been of drugs and alcohol for at least seven days before checking in. The facility’s website suggests that most clients are referred by a primary treatment center. The program accepts clients with dual diagnosis as long as documentation from the client’s physician confirms that she is stable on her medication.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
The center aims to meet women’s physical and spiritual needs, and to help them gain a sense of self-respect, responsibility, and accountability. Admissions are processed through a phone call or personal interview with the director.
Clients stay in this supportive living program between 30 and 120 days — though the center states that the ideal length is 90 days. The program is built around the 12-Step philosophy (a method used at 78.1 percent of facilities in Texas), and residents attend off-site 12-step meetings two nights a week, as well as on-site group therapy three nights a week. Clients also participate in educational sessions led by certified personnel on topics such as money management, sexuality, assertiveness, and relapse prevention.
To take part in the program, residents must maintain outside employment or do volunteer work for a minimum of 24 hours a week. Individual counseling is available as necessary, as are referrals to medical, dental, vocational, other services. Aftercare consists of weekly alumni meetings facilitated by staff.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Passages for Women’s staff includes a nurse, licensed chemical dependency counselors, a licensed professional counselor, and social workers. Both of the individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the staff’s level of training and experience gave it four out of five stars.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The living facility is modeled on a comfortable family home, and is supervised 24/7. All residents must be accountable and take-on house responsibilities and chores, and there are weekly house meetings to ensure that the house dynamics is running smoothly. Visitors are allowed with staff approval, and clients may invite loved ones to dinner on Fridays. The two individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the center’s cleanliness and upkeep gave it a three-star and a four-star rating.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The single alum polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave very positive feedback. “Very helpful still sober today almost 2 years later,” the anonymous reviewer wrote, giving the center five stars for its treatment effectiveness. Approved secondary sites do not currently offer any alumni reviews of Passages for Women.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The two loved ones polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave mixed feedback. When asked whether they would recommend treatment at Passages, both remained neutral, though they also both awarded the center four stars for its family program. They also gave Passages a three-star rating and a four-star rating for both its overall effectiveness and its counseling options.
The reviews also indicated that the center’s treatment for co-occurring disorders might be lacking: both reviewers gave just two stars in this category. One reviewer praised the center’s “caring staff,” but both indicated that treatment was somewhat bare-bones, with one reviewer writing: “Amenities are horrible,” and the other adding: “The staff was very good but were limited in treatment modalities.”
WHAT STAFF SAY
“The best part of the job is the difference that it makes in peoples lives,” wrote a resident manager who posted a four-star review on Indeed — the only staff review available at the time of this writing.[1] The reviewer painted a picture of a warm, supportive environment, with workers who genuinely care about the clients.
FINANCING
According to the Passages for Women website, the center accepts some insurance. The facility does not publish its rates, but notes that it aims to keep treatment to a reasonable cost. Both of the individuals polled to date on the center’s affordability gave it four stars out of five.
[1] https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Passages-For-Women/reviews