Supportive Services
Mental Health Services
The ARC Clinical & Wellness Department strives to support the overall wellbeing of ARC members. The department consists of staff in the Los Angeles and Sacramento clinicians, graduate students, and community partners, working together to build and support innovative and evidence-based programs that integrate tenants of trauma-informed care, whole-person care, and mindfulness. With this holistic approach to care, ARC can assist in removing barriers to care, increasing access to services, and reducing the divide between physical, emotional, and overall well-being.
ARC Clinical & Wellness Department offers individual therapy to all members interested in addressing interpersonal, transitional, or other concerns. Our clinicians are experienced in working with currently and formerly incarcerated community members and understand the barriers that are often faced during incarceration and in reentry. We also provide group therapy, focused on strengthening coping skills to deal with difficult triggers, managing interpersonal relationships and identifying healthy relationships, grief group, processing groups, and psycho-educational groups. The following groups are supported by members of the clinical & wellness team:
Addiction Support
A support group for individuals struggling with substance use, have a history of substance use, are supporting loved ones who struggling with addiction, or want to learn more about the science behind addiction.
Anger Management
A 10-week group that helps members recognize signs of their anger and develop preventative and coping strategies to manage their anger. The group is discussion- and psychoeducation-based, and it helps challenge members to rethink their relationship with anger, so they move towards happier and healthier living.
ARCreatives
ARCreatives is a group of creative individuals who come together as a community to share stories through spoken word, poetry, narrative writing, film, music + production, and visual art. We meet for regularly creative arts groups throughout the month, including our member-led music and recording studio, our write to express group, social justice film collective, and our CoLab, where we explore various fields of art. Through identifying creative techniques that most resognate with us, we focus on expressing feelings and reflections, embracing the power and joy of creativity, and connecting with others.
Mindfulness
An evidence-based group based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy principles of mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Healthy Relationships
A supportive space for members to share their experiences and perspectives from past and current relationships, while also building new interpersonal skills.
Seeking Safety
An evidence-based group to support members who identify as having PTSD and substance abuse history. Group is open to all members as it focuses on developing healthy coping skills that will support members to become safer in relationships, thinking,
and actions.
Thinking for a Change
An evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy program built to support members with emotional, social, and cognitive needs.
Women & Nonbinary Group
A monthly group of ARC female and nonbinary identifying members to provide an empowering and safe place to eat dinner, enjoy fun activities, and support one another.
Yoga and Well-Being
A welcoming, trauma-informed environment to explore the benefits of yoga and other mindfulness practices for stress relief, healing, and empowerment.
Grief Group
A bi-weekly supportive space for members to grieve, connect, and heal following significant loss. Facilitated by ARC therapists, discussion topics include but are not limited to: developing coping skills for grief, myths and facts around grief, supporting loved ones through grief, establishing your identity after a loss or transition, and adjusting to your new normal.
Mentorship
& Life Coaching
Each ARC member is assigned a Life Coach to help guide them through their reentry journey by providing support and mentorship. ARC Life Coaches are formerly incarcerated themselves which gives them a unique perspective and shared lived experience to be able to guide peers into success in reentry.
