Our Program

1. PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The HOPE Center (House of Prayer and Evangelization) is a faith-based, community-centered, psycho-spiritual residential recovery facility under the HOPE Foundation, Inc., established by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose, Nueva Ecija.

HOPE Center exists as a healing and recovery community, not merely as a rehabilitation institution. It provides a structured, values-based, and relational environment where individuals with mild to moderate substance use disorders are accompanied toward personal renewal, sustained recovery, and reintegration into family and society.

The Center operates as a non-stock, non-government, open residential facility for male residents, offering its services through a Solidarity Share system, and guided by Catholic social teaching, ecumenical openness, and evidence-informed recovery practices.

2. PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

The HOPE Center is built on a psycho-spiritual model and community approach to recovery, recognizing addiction not merely as a behavioral problem, but as a complex condition affecting the person’s body, mind, relationships, values, and spirituality.

Central to the program is the principle of “Community as Method”, where daily communal living becomes the primary therapeutic and formative context. Recovery is fostered through shared responsibility, mutual accountability, structured routines, prayer, work, and dialogue.

The program is guided by four foundational pillars:

Community Life (Koinonia) – healing through belonging and shared responsibility
Prayer Life (Leitourgia) – spiritual renewal and God-centered living
Community Service (Diakonia & Martyria) – service, witness, and moral responsibility
Continuing Formation (Kerygma) – education, skills development, and value formation

These pillars shape the daily life of the Center and provide the environment for sustained behavioral and inner transformation.

3. TARGET BENEFICIARIES

The HOPE Center primarily serves:

Adult males with mild to moderate substance use disorders
Individuals who voluntarily seek help or are referred by families, parishes, LGUs, courts, government agencies, or partner institutions
Individuals who are willing to live in a structured community, follow house rules, and commit to a recovery process

The Center accommodates both referral-based and walk-in applicants, subject to screening, assessment, and pre-entry procedures.

4. STRUCTURE OF THE RECOVERY PROGRAM

4.1 Pre-Entry, Orientation, and Admission

All prospective residents undergo a mandatory Pre-Entry Phase, consisting of four (4) sequential elements:

Screening – documentary review and initial eligibility determination
Intake Interview – initial psycho-social diagnosis and motivation assessment
Assessment – psychological, psycho-social, and spiritual evaluation
Detoxification Preparation – physical and psychological readiness for community living

Upon successful completion, the candidate receives formal orientation and acceptance, culminating in the signing of a Renewal Program Agreement.

4.2 The Psycho-Spiritual Recovery Pathway (150 Days)

The core of the HOPE Program is a 150-day structured recovery pathway, divided into four sequential phases, each anchored on a core value that forms the acronym H.O.P.E.

Phase One: HUMILITY (Days 1–40)

Focus: Acceptance of reality, discipline, and self-awareness

Orientation to house rules and community life
Psycho-education on addiction and motivation
Basic faith formation and dignity of the person
Daily prayer journaling (Psalm 1–40)
Case conferences, goal-setting, and evaluations

Phase Two: OPENNESS / OBEDIENCE (Days 41–80)

Focus: Trust, emotional openness, and learning to receive guidance

Coping skills and relapse prevention education
Trauma, stress, and relational awareness
Family, vocation, and social responsibility formation
Prayer journaling (Psalm 41–80)
Ongoing counseling and motivational interviews

Phase Three: PERSEVERANCE (Days 81–120)

Focus: Resilience, emotional regulation, and meaning-making

Mindfulness and grief processing
Loss, addiction, and recovery integration
Social justice and moral formation
Communication and assertion skills
Prayer journaling (Psalm 81–120)

Phase Four or Re-Entry Phase: ENDURANCE (Days 121–150)

Focus: Sustainability, reintegration, and long-term recovery

Recovery capital and stigma awareness
Relapse management and life planning
Freedom, love, and responsibility formation
Social skills and drug resistance training
Prayer journaling (Psalm 121–150)
Graduation and re-entry preparation

5. CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS

5.1 Spiritual Formation Program

The spiritual program nurtures God-centered, value-driven living, emphasizing:

Daily community prayer, Eucharistic celebrations, and catechesis
Individual spiritual assessment, interviews, and Rule of Life
Journaling, mindfulness, retreats, and spiritual direction
Sacramental life (for Catholics) and ecumenical respect
Aftercare spiritual accompaniment and family enrichment

Spiritual formation strengthens inner freedom, meaning, and moral responsibility, essential for long-term recovery.

5.2 Psychological Program

The psychological program provides assessment, counseling, therapy, and psycho-education across all phases:

Psychological and psychometric assessments (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7, BPI, ACE)
Individual and group counseling
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, expressive and adventure therapies
Relapse prevention and emotional regulation training
Family counseling and recovery planning

This component equips residents with coping skills, self-awareness, and resilience.

5.3 Social Services

Social services ensure case management and continuity of care, including:

Intake documentation and Social Case Study Reports
Case conferences and progress evaluations
Court coordination (for residents with legal cases)
Pre-discharge planning and family readiness assessment
Structured discharge and reintegration processes

5.4 Livelihood and Sustainability Program

The sustainability pathway prepares residents for productive and responsible living, offering:

Life skills and work discipline training
Career coaching and job readiness
Gradual re-engagement with work and social responsibilities
Support for reintegration into family and community life

5.5 Aftercare Services

HOPE Center provides continuum of care beyond residential treatment through:

Family counseling and seminars
Alumni encounters and peer support
Spiritual direction and follow-up
Coordination with LGUs and community social workers

5.6 Research and Development

The R&D program promotes evidence-based improvement, focusing on:

Monitoring and evaluation of outcomes
Action research and program innovation
Knowledge-sharing with dioceses and partner institutions
Policy enhancement and model replication

6. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF THE HOPE CENTER PROGRAM

Psycho-spiritual and community-based recovery model
Structured 150-day pathway rooted in values and discipline
Strong emphasis on dignity, responsibility, and faith
Integration of psychology, spirituality, social work, and livelihood
Continuum of care from admission to aftercare
Open residential, non-punitive, and voluntary framework

7. PROGRAM OUTCOME

Through its comprehensive program, the HOPE Center seeks to form renewed persons who:

Live free from substance dependence
Possess coping and life skills for sustained recovery
Are reconciled with family, community, and God
Re-enter society with dignity, responsibility, and hope

Psycho-Education

The Psycho-Education Program of the HOPE Center is a structured learning component of the Psycho-Spiritual Recovery Pathway that equips residents with knowledge, insight, and practical skills to understand addiction, mental health concerns, and the recovery process.

Psycho-education refers to the method of educating individuals who are faced with substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health concerns, and dual diagnoses, helping them make sense of their experiences in a non-judgmental, empowering, and recovery-oriented manner. At HOPE Center, psycho-education is delivered in conjunction with group-based therapies, individual counseling, mindfulness practices, and cognitive-behavioral approaches, reinforcing learning through lived community experience.

The program enables residents to:

Understand addiction as a behavioral, psychological, and relational condition, rather than a moral failure
Recognize the effects of trauma, stress, emotions, and distorted thinking on substance use
Develop coping skills, emotional regulation, relapse prevention strategies, and self-management skills
Strengthen motivation for change and personal responsibility in recovery

Psycho-education modules are progressively integrated across the four recovery phases—Humility, Openness, Perseverance, and Endurance—ensuring that learning deepens alongside the resident’s psychological and spiritual growth. Through facilitated sessions, reflection, and practice, psycho-education supports residents in forming a realistic understanding of recovery, building resilience, and sustaining long-term sobriety.

Spiritual Direction

The Spiritual Direction Program of the HOPE Center is a core component of its psycho-spiritual recovery model, providing guided accompaniment that helps residents become attentive to God’s personal and loving presence in the midst of their recovery journey.

Spiritual direction at the HOPE Center is help given by one Christian to another so that the resident may recognize how God is communicating with him, respond freely and honestly, grow in intimacy with God, and live out the consequences of this relationship in daily life.

Within the context of recovery, spiritual direction assists residents in:

Interpreting their experiences of addiction, suffering, repentance, and hope in the light of faith
Discerning God’s presence amid struggle, vulnerability, and healing
Integrating prayer, conscience, and daily decision-making
Deepening interior freedom, trust, and moral responsibility

Spiritual direction is non-directive, confidential, and reflective, complementing psychological counseling and recovery coaching. It supports residents in grounding sobriety not only in discipline and skills, but in a renewed relationship with God, fostering meaning, purpose, and spiritual resilience essential for sustained recovery and reintegration into life beyond the HOPE Center.

Livelihood Training

The Livelihood Program of the HOPE Center is an integral component of its holistic psycho-spiritual recovery and reintegration framework, designed to help recovering persons rebuild a stable, dignified, and sustainable way of life after substance dependence.

In line with livelihood development principles, the program seeks to improve the quality of life of recovering individuals, particularly those from low-income and vulnerable sectors, by providing work exposure, skills development, and livelihood opportunities. It addresses not only unemployment but also the deeper social and economic vulnerabilities that often contribute to relapse and marginalization.

Through structured training, supervised work engagement, and values-based formation, the Livelihood Program enables residents to:

Develop basic employability and work-discipline skills
Gain access to livelihood and income-generating opportunities
Strengthen self-reliance, responsibility, and confidence
Prepare for healthy reintegration into family and community life

The program is implemented in coordination with community partners, local institutions, and aftercare support systems, ensuring continuity beyond residential recovery. By enhancing economic stability and community participation, the Livelihood Program helps recovering persons move from dependency toward productive, responsible, and hope-filled living, reducing the risk of relapse linked to poverty and social exclusion.

Addiction Recovery Coaching

The Recovery Coaching Program of the HOPE Center is a strength-based, person-centered support component of the Center’s psycho-spiritual recovery model. It is designed to accompany individuals with substance use disorders as they work toward sustained sobriety, personal responsibility, and healthy reintegration into daily life.

Recovery coaching at HOPE Center focuses on practical guidance, accountability, and encouragement, helping residents translate insights gained from psycho-education, counseling, and spiritual formation into concrete daily choices. Recovery coaches assist residents in identifying personal triggers, developing healthy coping strategies, and making values-based decisions that support their recovery goals.

Within the structured community environment, recovery coaches help residents:

Navigate the challenges of early sobriety and emotional regulation
Strengthen motivation and commitment to recovery
Access internal and external recovery resources
Build routines, discipline, and life skills for sober living
Remain accountable to their personal recovery and formation plans

Recovery coaching is non-clinical, relational, and future-oriented, complementing psychological interventions and group therapies. Through consistent presence and guidance, recovery coaches foster self-efficacy, resilience, and hope, empowering residents to live responsibly, remain substance-free, and sustain recovery beyond residential care.

Family Recovery Coaching

The Family Recovery Coaching Program of the HOPE Center is a supportive and strength-based accompaniment service designed for families and significant others of persons undergoing recovery. Recognizing addiction as a relational and family illness, the program addresses the needs of those who are affected by the addiction and recovery of another and who themselves require healing, clarity, and support.

A Family Recovery Coach walks alongside family members as they engage in their own recovery process, helping them understand addiction, set healthy boundaries, and develop coping strategies that promote both personal well-being and sustained recovery for their loved one. Coaching focuses on education, emotional support, and practical guidance rather than clinical treatment.

Through family recovery coaching, families are assisted in:

Understanding the dynamics of addiction and recovery
Addressing patterns of enabling, codependency, and emotional exhaustion
Learning healthy communication and boundary-setting
Rebuilding trust and supporting recovery without control or coercion

Implemented in coordination with counseling, psycho-education, and aftercare services, the Family Recovery Coaching Program strengthens the family system as a key recovery resource, fostering healing relationships, shared responsibility, and a supportive home environment that sustains long-term recovery beyond the HOPE Center.

Healing Relationships

The Healing Relationship Program of the HOPE Center is a relational and formative component of its psycho-spiritual recovery model, dedicated to restoring balance, trust, and harmony within the relationships affected by addiction. Recognizing that substance use disorders disrupt not only the individual but also the web of relationships around them, the program intentionally cultivates safe, respectful, and supportive relational spaces that foster healing and growth.

Healing relationships at the HOPE Center emphasize the emotional and spiritual well-being of all persons involved—residents, families, peers, staff, and the wider community—as essential to the recovery process. Through guided dialogue, communal living, values formation, and reflective practices, residents learn to engage others with honesty, empathy, accountability, and respect.

The program supports recovery by helping residents:

Rebuild trust and repair relational wounds caused by addiction
Develop healthy communication and emotional regulation
Practice boundaries, responsibility, and mutual respect
Experience belonging and acceptance within a healing community

Integrated with counseling, recovery coaching, spiritual direction, and family programs, the Healing Relationship Program affirms that recovery is sustained in relationships marked by care, dignity, and spiritual depth, creating an environment where personal transformation and lasting healing can take root.

Vantage Point

Victor Frankl

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”