Casa Serena

ABOUT CASA SERENA

Located in Santa Barbara, Calif., and in operation since 1973, Casa Serena offers residential treatment to women struggling with substance use disorder. It's among the 54.5 percent of facilities in California to provide treatment tailored to women. It also provides residential beds for its clients' children, which is a service available in just 4.8 percent of treatment facilities in the state.

TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT

Upon admission, clients outline a set of recovery goals with the help of a counselor and case manager. The residential program typically lasts up to nine months and is divided into four phases. Casa Serena is among the 33.6 percent of treatment facilities in California to offer residential treatment lasting longer than 30 days.

The program is evidence-based and includes modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and trauma-informed therapy. Women participate in educational programming, individual therapy, and group counseling, as well as 12-step meetings.

Clients also have access to yoga and meditation classes, recreational activities, and workshops that focus on parenting skills, job preparedness, and relapse prevention.

STAFF CREDENTIALS

According to the center’s website, the clinical team includes marriage and family therapists, certified alcohol and drug counselors, and counselor interns.

ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES

The center’s main house accommodates up to 18 women at a time. Clients sleep in twin beds in shared rooms and have access to a flower garden, large backyard, and laundry room.

Oliver House, which adds residential beds for clients' children, offers similar amenities, with the addition of both indoor and outdoor play areas. Up to 12 women and 12 children can be accommodated at a time.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY

The four alumni polled by Rehabs.com to date gave Casa Serena highly positive feedback. They described the facility as a positive, female-focused treatment center with compassionate staff and effective programming. "My time spent at Casa Serena allowed me tools I needed to remember the person I was and to look forward to the person I can become," wrote M.G. in a representative review. The one alum polled on a series of metrics offered high four and perfect five-star ratings for the facility's discharge planning, ability to treat co-occurring disorders, and the staff's level of experience and training.

Casa Serena also received positive feedback on Google^[1], where it earned an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars based on 20 reviews, and CiteHealth^[2], where it received an average rating of 4.5 stars. Alumni praised the rehab for its focus on women and their children, including Heather who wrote the following in a representative review on Google: "Casa Serena showed me how to live a happy sober life, and how to be a mother to my children."

WHAT STAFF SAY

The one staff member polled by Rehabs.com to date gave Cara Serena positive feedback, noting that she was proud to be an employee. “This is an effective treatment program with lots of support offered from staff and other residents. Women talk about the feeling of safety that is experienced upon entry,” she wrote.

FINANCING

According to the facility’s website, clients pay what they can, and many receive financial assistance.

^[1] GoogleReviews
^[2] http://citehealth.com/rehab-centers/california/cities/santa-barbara/casa-serena-based-at-1515-bath-street#reviews