Raincross offers a traditional 12-step program and treatment specifically geared toward women, including relationship rebuilding, family support, and trauma-focused therapy in an environment of trust and safety.
Raincross Women’s Treatment Center, which is part of MFI Recovery, takes its name from the breathtaking mountain it rests at the base of. Located in Riverside, California, Raincross offers a comprehensive recovery program in a semi-private, apartment-style setting. Each client is presented with treatment that’s tailored to their unique, highly specific needs—an individualized approach that helps women struggling with depression, addiction, anxiety or other co-occurring conditions to learn strategies that help them long after they’ve left the treatment center. Counseling at Raincross is specifically geared toward women, including relationship rebuilding, family support and trauma-focused therapy. Addiction specialists, psychiatrists and therapists work together with residents to not only develop treatment plans, but also to help them understand the deeper reasons behind their challenges and behaviors.
Former Raincross residents who responded to our survey described their fellow residents as aged anywhere from 18 to about 60 and coming from “all walks of life.” The center welcomes women with a wide variety of backgrounds and personalities. “Some people came from homelessness like me [and] some from a wealthier lifestyle,” one client reported. “We could all relate when talking about addiction and our recovery.” Another alum said that “there was a wide variety of difference in age and income and even drug of choice.” The residents we surveyed were also generally positive about the center’s fully furnished accommodations, which they share with roommates. “I had two roommates and became good friends with them,” one former resident commented.
Daily life at Raincross is very structured “with a little wiggle room,” as one person noted, where routines play a central role. “Every day we were woken up at 6:30 for breakfast, which was hard to get used to but it helped me build structure in my life and now I can get up early with no problem,” one woman said. When residents aren’t completing their basic, light housekeeping tasks (“We did chores that taught us how to live life outside of treatment successfully”), they participate in a full schedule of individual and group therapy sessions. Almost every resident we surveyed made a point of singling out the gym as their favorite amenity. Yoga, Zumba and weekly equestrian therapy is also offered to Raincross clients. Residents also enjoy “Fun Fridays,” which involve offsite activities like movies, mall trips, mini golf and visits to the nail salon, among others. TV watching is permitted, but personal cell phones and internet use are not. Clients are allowed two phone calls per day using the house phone.
For the most part, residents at Raincross were pleased with the food options available to them. By and large, clients cook their own meals based on menus that are provided by the staff. “I made the menu with the help of everyone,” one resident wrote. “We rotated cooking.” Coffee and snacks are always available to clients throughout the day. Menu options are varied, with French dip sandwiches, turkey chili, spaghetti, chicken pot pie and soup counted among the residents’ favorites. Some women also enjoyed using the outdoor BBQ grill. “Most of the food was a bit over-processed for my diet but I informed my counselor and she made sure that I could add items to the grocery list and prepare my own meals,” one client cautioned. For the most part, residents described their meals as “healthy,” “excellent” and “delicious.”
The medical treatment that former Raincross residents received was positively rated. While there are no doctors in residence at the center, they regularly visited the site and were described as “very helpful” and “knowledgeable” by clients. (Detox services are available to Raincross clients at MFI’s Mt. Rudiboux center.) “If we needed to see a doctor, [Raincross would] provide transportation and were always willing to let us make appointments and get the help we need,” one client noted.
Non-medical staff also received praise (one person described the staff-client interaction as “amazing”), with most of the residents reporting that they were treated fairly and with respect. Many believed that rule infractions were handled well for the most part, too, with phone and visiting privileges taken away when necessary. “I was completely out of line one time and as a consequence, my weekend privileges were revoked,” one woman noted. “I deserved it and I don’t think I threw a fit again.” The phrase “tough love” was repeatedly used to describe the approach staff members took with clients. “As long as you’re participating and doing the right thing, it’s easy going and fun,” one person wrote, “but if you slack off they do hold you accountable.”
Raincross offers a traditional 12-step program, with treatment plans customized to each client, including a tailor-made aftercare plan. Alumni noted that alternative treatment modalities were also available, including meditation and relapse prevention groups. Religion isn’t emphasized in the program at all, though participants are encouraged to focus on their higher power and Sunday church visits are an option for those who want it. One former resident cited her assigned counselor as the most important factor of her time at Raincross: “She was instrumental in my recovery and was crucial in helping me work past major psychological roadblocks that would have been tough to deal with outside of treatment,” she said. “I continued to see her when I was in outpatient [therapy] because I valued her help that much.” The program is aimed at helping clients understand and address the roots of their issues. “The most memorable thing for me was being with a group of women who could relate to the disease of addiction,” one person wrote, adding that the “lack of outside interference” helped her and her fellow residents bond.
Overall, residents were positive about their time spent at Raincross. Nearly every client who responded to our survey reported that they’d steered clear of the addiction or problem for which they sought treatment since leaving Raincross. Some indicated that they were now regularly attending AA or NA meetings and working the steps, too, in addition to using the number of tools Raincross had provided them, such as the tailored aftercare plans. “My experience could not have been more positive,” one resident said, while another echoed that sentiment, calling it “a life-changing experience.” Many alumni said they’d recommend the recovery center to anyone similarly struggling with addiction. As one former Raincross resident said: “I love MFI and truly credit them with helping me save my life.”
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