Stepping Stone of San Diego Inc - Stepping Stone Residential

LGBTQ+-Affirming, Community-Centered Residential Care

Stepping Stone provides a safe, inclusive residential setting in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood for adults with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health needs. Care can last up to seven months, emphasizing a supportive, city-based campus with an outdoor courtyard and community spaces that foster connection and stability.

Structured Phases With Real-World Goals

Clients progress through orientation, stabilization, supportive recovery, and extended recovery. Early stages focus on assessment, safety, and identifying relapse patterns; later phases emphasize self-sufficiency with concrete plans for housing, employment, education, and ongoing support. A volunteer or service commitment is part of graduation, reinforcing accountability and community ties.

Signature, Evidence-Based Programming

The program integrates Relapse Prevention Therapy, Seeking Safety for trauma, cognitive behavioral therapy, and anger management. Its signature Discovering Sexual Health in Recovery curriculum addresses healthy sexual behavior as a key part of sustained recovery. Individual, family/couples, and group therapy provide both personalized attention and peer support.

Social Model: Daily Roles, Skills, and Leadership

Residents share cooking and housekeeping (with guidance from a trained kitchen director), take on leadership roles, and participate in peer-led activities like outdoor movie nights. This hands-on structure builds life skills such as time management, teamwork, and accountability, while strengthening recovery networks that extend beyond treatment.

Integrated Mental Health Care and Care Coordination

Licensed clinicians provide individual psychotherapy and facilitate weekly mental health groups. Modalities such as EMDR and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) are available when appropriate. Detox or withdrawal management are not offered on site. However, staff coordinate referrals to external programs prior to residential admission when needed.