Information Page

Serenity House Counseling Services, Inc.
891 S. Route 53
Addison , IL 60101
Phone: (630) 620-6616
Fax: (630) 620-7924
Email: serenity@serenityhouse.com

Ordering by Phone – Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CST

Shipping Information
Orders placed by Monday – Thursday by 2:00 p.m. will ship the
next day.
Orders placed Friday by 2:00 p.m. will ship the following Monday.

This schedule is a general rule and not a guarantee that the item(s) will ship in this timeframe.

Returns
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your order, please call us at (630) 620-6616 X129 within 90 days of your purchase to obtain an authorization for return. Returns shipped back to us without authorization will be refused.

Freight charges are not credited on returns.

Be a Part of the Miracle. Be a Part of Serenity House.
Your gift can bring hope to indigent men and women suffering from the disease of substance abuse and chemical dependence. Gifts from generous supporters like you provide critical financial support to the programs at Serenity House that give these individuals the necessary skills to rebuild families, strengthen relationships, and to become productive members of their communities.

Serenity House Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. All contributions are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law.

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Serenity House – Serving DuPage for Twenty Years
By Dr. David Tews

When the topic of addiction is brought up, many of us can think of someone we know who probably needs help. However, we tend to say to ourselves “Until he (she) wants to change, there is really nothing I can do.” Perhaps we’re in denial ourselves about our own chemical use. “I can stop any time; it’s not a problem.” The fact is, without treatment or intervention, uncontrolled substance abuse will progress to dependence, and the individual will ultimately find himself or herself in legal trouble, hospitalized or dead. We need to remember: There is always hope, there is always something we can do.

In 1985, my father, Henry Tews, founded a small halfway house program located on a five-acre parcel in Addison, Illinois. A refurbished abandoned farm house (ironically, had been a hang-out for drug users) served as a place where recovering men could live and receive counseling as they put their lives back together.

Today, Serenity House is a comprehensive treatment center with a variety of programs designed to help those who are either abusing substances or chemically dependent. The halfway house, or extended residential care program, serves 32 men and 12 women at our Addison facility. There are also recovery home programs that serve 19 women (10 in Addison and 9 in Naperville) and 26 men. The recovery home is a less intensive level of care which provides sober living and continued counseling. Serenity House has an outpatient program which serves up to 150 individuals at any given time. We also provide HIV testing and counseling, as well as special male family reunification counseling.

Since Serenity House has links with a wide variety of ancillary services, our clients receive support in areas such as mental health, physical and dental assistance, and legal assistance.

VOLUNTARY
Clients get connected to Serenity House in a variety of ways. Some clients arrive voluntarily. Their addiction has taken its toll and they have surrendered – sometimes referred to as “hitting bottom.” For those fortunate enough to get a bed, Serenity House is a safe place to live and rebuild their lives while keeping them from living on the street.

Most individuals will stay about 90 days in our halfway house before moving on to the recovery home or their own apartments. Some return home and reunite with loved ones. While at Serenity House, our residents must find a job and attend regular group and individual counseling sessions. We provide weekly education on a variety of topics from anger management to balancing a checkbook. Residents also attend outside support group meetings. Some residents need help with mental health issues. We work with the health department and our medical director to help our uninsured clients become stable.

There is still a great unmet need when it comes to mental health. If clients cannot access psychiatric care in a timely fashion, the potential for relapse goes up dramatically. While at Serenity House, residents need to make their beds, prepare and serve meals, and complete daily chores from landscaping to shoveling snow. All of these activities are considered part of the treatment process.

Recovery is not just about not using substances. It is also about learning how to live and feel good about how one is living. Recovery encompasses personal responsibility and an improved sense of self-worth. Unfortunately, we have a waitlist for our extended residential care program, the result of funding constraints.

MANDATED
Some clients are not here voluntarily. They have found themselves mandated to treatment due to involvement in some criminal activity related to the use of legal and illegal substances.

Serenity House works closely with the DuPage County Drug Court and the Probation department. Working with mandated clients presents a variety of challenges. Counselors perform a balancing act between respecting the clients’ rights while complying with the legal requirements of their cases. Usually, counselors are client-centered and empathic. Counselors of mandated clients need to learn about the legal system, while members of the legal system need to learn about counseling.

For example, confidentiality laws are very clear and protective of those who seek alcohol and other drug treatment. Yet, when a person is mandated to treatment, releases of information are signed, and the counselor works with the mandating body. This can adversely the counseling relationship, as the client will then view the counselor as an officer of the court. The client may tell the counselor what he or she wants to hear to avoid further legal consequences.

Outcomes may be good when a person is receiving mandated alcohol and drug treatment, but recidivism rates tend to increase once the scrutiny is lifted. Requiring individuals to check in at monthly or quarterly intervals, following the completion of their court-ordered treatment, will serve as a means to reduce recidivism.

DUI
Unfortunately, people are still driving under the influence, endangering themselves and others who share the roadways. When an individual is arrested for driving under the influence, he or she must receive an evaluation and complete the recommended treatment or intervention.

Serenity House provides these DUI services in a very professional and ethical manner. Treating those who have broken the law by drinking and driving is not merely a business proposition. We have a serious responsibility to provide the necessary level of care so that this person will not endanger the community.

Some DUI offenders may decide not to come to Serenity House due to our reputation for being tough and taking the problem seriously.As part of the DUI risk education, mandated clients learn about the progression of substance abuse and dependence. More importantly, they are taught ways to cope with life’s stressors without resorting into this experience angry, just wanting it to be over. Upon completion, the majority of our DUI clients report that the time spent was a valuable learning experience.

THE FUTURE
The need for our services continues to rise. Alarmingly, one of the fastest growing addicted populations is the young, affluent, heroin addict right here in DuPage County. Heroin is cheap, accessible, and lethal. All unchecked chemical use will eventually contribute to an early death, but heroin and its varied unpredictable potency is killing young users who have no desire to die. It is a frightening and disturbing trend. We continue to monitor other trends, such as the increase in methamphetamine use. We also continue to educate ourselves when it comes to treatment approaches that are specific to the drugs being used and the ever-changing client demographics. It is rewarding and challenging to be a part of Serenity House. We see tragedy, but we also see miracles. The most important thing to remember is, that for those who are still suffering with an addiction, there is always hope.

Dr. David Tews is the Director/Vice-President of Serenity House, Inc., a comprehensive substance abuse treatment program located in Addison, Illinois. He is a certified alcohol and other drug counselor. He received his masters in counseling from Northeastern Illinois University and his doctorate in counselor education at Northern Illinois University. He is also licensed in Illinois as a clinical professional counselor. He has taught classes in community agency and addiction treatment issues at Northern Illinois University and College of DuPage.