What to expect
Typical or recommended length of stay
Options for women with children
Details regarding adolescents
Requirements for Admission
Testimonials : Sadie
PDF of Get Your Life Back
What to expect
A typical day at Nexus is designed for clients to learn responsibility in addition to developing realistic goals to maintain a sober lifestyle. The day begins at 6:30 a.m. Clients will meditate, eat breakfast and then participate in three one-hour group counseling sessions. Following lunch in Nexus' cheerful dining hall, clients will enjoy some personal time and then participate in three more counseling sessions. Clients will attend AA or NA meetings following dinner. There is plenty of free time to study and share, followed by lights out at 11:00 p.m. On the weekends family members are encouraged to visit the Nexus campus to provide support and to receive counseling.
Typical or recommended length of stay
The length of stay varies depending on the program and the funding source. Clients are encouraged to participate in the full-range of services, moving from residential treatment to intensive outpatient and the supportive outpatient treatment.
All clients completing Nexus programs are encouraged to join the Aftercare group. This is a voluntary support group that gathers to connect, support and give back to the Nexus community.
Options for women with children
Nexus' unique program for women with children removes a traditional barrier for women to get the help they need. The on-campus childcare staff cares for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. Older children attend a nearby public school. All children receive an individual assessment, participate in age-appropriate prevention/intervention programs and attend family education seminars. The Betty Ford Center Children's Program and Rainbow Days provide sessions on-site, which encourage the children to express their feelings and to begin their own healing process. The Pregnant/Parenting Women's program focuses on chemical dependency and repairing the parent/child relationship. Nexus teaches effective parenting techniques and establishes structured family routines.
Nexus also provides a place where moms-to-be and new mothers can work on their recovery while receiving medical care, along with training in basic infant care, parenting techniques and proper nutrition. Infants are cuddled and rocked in Nexus' nursery by Foster Grandparents and a loving staff while the mother attends the recovery classes that will allow all to lead happier, healthier lives in the future.
Details regarding adolescents
Teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 17 live together in a family-like environment at Nexus and attend school on-site with teachers provided by the Dallas Independent School District. Staff counselors encourage girls to develop self-esteem, establish appropriate behavioral changes and learn coping skills to face the peer pressures they will face upon their return to the community. Nexus can accommodate pregnant teens and teens with infants. Family participation in the adolescent program is mandatory and group/individual therapy is required to foster the teen's ongoing recovery journey.
Requirements for admission
Our admissions process is very simple and straightforward. The first step is to call our admissions office, which is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and a half-day on Saturday. Call 214.321.0156, ext. 3118 to set up an appointment for an assessment. This screening phone call will only take about 10 minutes. During the phone call, an admissions counselor will set up an appointment for an assessment. The assessment takes about an hour and contains questions about medical history, drug and alcohol use history, living arrangements, family support and economic situation. During the assessment, the admissions counselor will obtain information about insurance, NorthSTAR eligibility and determine the need for funding from other sources as needed.
Testimonials : Sadie
“I was really a good person. But then when I started doing drugs, it took all the good away from me," she says. Sadie lost jobs, lost family, was stealing and streetwalking.
"I was walking the streets and flagging down cars so I could prostitute. The last car I flagged down turned out to be my son." She pauses to let the shock to sink in. "He pulled over and said, 'You've got to get some help, Mama. You can't keep going like this.' I got in treatment the next morning."
"Thank God for the program at Nexus!" she exclaims. "I had tried other treatment, but Nexus got down to me. The counselor (whom she still keeps in touch with) met me eye-to-eye and said, 'I know who you are, and we're going to get to you.' And when she hugged me, I knew everything was going to be all right."
"It worked!" she declares. And my husband - he had seen what recovery had done for me and wanted it - also cleaned up. And it's been good ever since!"
Today Sadie runs a halfway house for formerly addicted women. "We help them get jobs, go to court with them, if necessary. Whatever we need to do, we're there."
Not surprisingly, she is also in demand as a public speaker. "I go all around the world speaking and there's never been a time that I've left Nexus out. Because if it hadn't been for Nexus, I would not be able to stand and speak."
Now on good terms with four of her five children (one remains estranged), her goal is to provide service for other women with children. "Because of what I learned at Nexus, I know that things I think can't happen can really happen. I see women who have lost their kids to CPS and I see them get back together. I treasure the day that I came into Nexus. March 10th, I'll have 10 years clean!"