The primary part of our program is the Work Therapy Assignment (WTA). Many alcoholics and drug addicts have allowed their job habits and work habits to become so poor that they are unemployable. Therefore, the WTA, is designed to help our beneficiary improve those skills. Because of this requirement, outside work is not permitted during participation in the program. The work therapy assignments available include the following: truck helper, dock worker, small appliances, large appliances, sorting, shoe department, bicycle shop, as-is-yard, kitchen helpers, janitor, night watchman, and houseman.

Every beneficiary is seen individually once a week

You will be assigned a primary counselor within 2 weeks upon entering the program. Throughout the program you will attend weekly process group counseling sessions, where you are given permission to speak openly and honestly with other beneficiaries about problems that relate to your chemical dependency and sobriety.

This is a non-smoking program. Upon admission you will sign a contract agreeing to quite smoking on your 91st day in the program. Upon admission you will be required to participate in nicotine cessation class for 6 weeks.

Each new beneficiary is required to participate in an orientation class for the first month of his program. In that class, he learns about The Salvation Army: it's history, philosophy, policies, and procedures, and about the Bakersfield Center, it's house rules and program.

From the beginning of your program, you will attend a Relapse Prevention Workshop. This workshop is where you will learn the principles of relapse and your relapse experience will be explored and strategies for handling them will be learned

After being advanced to the second phase of the program you will begin a Life Skills Workshop. This workshop is 12 weeks long and introduces social, educational, and employment issues, self-esteem building, anger management and goal setting, as well as other aftercare issues.

During the fifth month of your stay you will be introduced to the program and services of the Dept. of Rehab, Employers Training Resource, and the Employment Development Dept. You will also be given information on sober living arrangements that you may wish to think about before leaving the program.

By the end of the sixth month you should be ready to look for work. Participation in the Dept. of Rehab's Job Club will give you the job application, interviewing, and other tools that you will use in looking for work. The program gives you one day per week to look for work.

You are required to attend five Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings per week.

Each beneficiary is required to participate in morning Devotions before work every day, in Tuesday night Bible Study, in a Wednesday night Chapel service, and in a Sunday Morning Church Service. Also, the beneficiaries are encouraged to attend the church of their own choice.

When you enter the Salvation Army's program you are immediately on a 30 day restriction which includes no phone calls and no visits. You are able to send and receive letters through the mail.Upon entering the program you receive a toiletry kit along with an clothing voucher. The Salvation Army provides you with everything you will NEED to enter the program. While you are in the program you will receive a small gratuity that you can use to buy items that you need.

In order to avoid discouragement and reliance on ourselves, it is important to know that God has begun His work in us, and He will complete it. "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion" Philippians 1:6