T.E.A.C.H. Sober College Program

Helping Recovering Students Advance Their Education for Over Twelve Years

Twelve years ago, Sober Living by the Sea instituted a groundbreaking educational program that combined residential treatment with classes at local colleges in Southern California.  The T.E.A.C.H. Program provided a much needed bridge for students who had begun a new life in sobriety at Sober Living by the Sea to continue their education while still in a supportive and supervised recovery environment.

The reason that the T.E.A.C.H academic program for recovering students is so effective is the extra guidance and support we provide to our newly sober (or eating disorder abstinent) students.  Our sober college treatment program includes:

• Transcript Assistance
• Career Assessment Testing
• Individual Academic Advisor and Counselor
• Academic Tutoring
• Monitored Study Sessions
• Transportation Provided to Campus
• Accredited/Transferable Units

80% Class Completion Rate

Our academic institute for recovering students includes academic counselors who help with the sometimes painful process of gathering of past transcripts to gain a full understanding of the student's current status and what their next academic milestone should be.

Our long standing partnership with local Orange County colleges, including Saddleback College and Orange Coast College, has given the educators at those institutions the rewarding experience of seeing the progression of recovery and educational growth of our recovering students and they have built meaningful and lasting relationships with our students and our treatment facility.   As Dick Wilson, Professor and Dept. Chair at Saddleback College, in Mission Viejo California, writes:

"What we have in the T.E.A.C.H. program  is truly unique to the world of treatment and education. I know of nothing like it anywhere. Sober Living by the Sea's students continue to excel and are models for other students."

Successful Students Continue Education & Sobriety

The success stories of the T.E.A.C.H. program are numerous and impressive.  Many of our recovering students originally arrived here in Newport Beach, Orange County, suffering from the effects of their substance abuse or physically coping with the symptoms of their eating disorder.  Some students arrive here in California after completing primary treatment at another treatment center just to enroll in the T.E.A.C.H. Program. 

The T.E.A.C.H. college program can help students at all academic levels.  Some recovering students begin the T.E.A.C.H. program trying to earn their high school diploma or a GED, while other students have some college credits (often at multiple colleges) to build upon.  Still other recovering students start on their Masters Degree while in the T.E.A.C.H. program.  The individual academic counseling will help plan an academic regimen that is just right for each individual student.  The T.E.A.C.H. Sober College program has seen many of its students begin by earning accredited and transferable units at local Southern California Community Colleges (like Orange Coast College and Saddleback College), and many students have gone on to acclaimed "Top 25" universities and receive their diploma in the arts and sciences.  Some students have gone on to earn Law Degrees, become nurses, and complete other advanced degrees.

Continued Residential Treatment is Vital to Successful Integration Back Into the Classroom

As with all treatment programs at Sober Living by the Sea, students are housed in single gender accommodations that are nice, clean, and located in the vibrant recovery community of Newport Beach. 

Since participation in an appropriate 12-step program can be vital to recovery, as part of our T.E.A.C.H. Program, all student residents are required to attend daily 12-step meetings both on and off the premises. Ongoing treatment includes relapse prevention classes and workshops to assist them in developing sober leisure skills and healthy college friendships. This ongoing treatment regimen and recovery education is of crucial importance since the recovering students may be continuing on to other colleges where they will be in contact with friends from their "pre-treatment" lives.

We will closely monitor the students and continue their treatment program to identify when the student is exhibiting signs of stress or frustration that might threaten their program of recovery.  Our multidisciplinary support system of addictions experts will provide the help and guidance needed to ensure that the recovering man or woman is able to continue their education in a healthy manner that is appropriate to their treatment program.

Please contact our admissions department to begin the process of enrolling in Sober Living by the Sea's T.E.A.C.H. program.