Woodbury University Partnership with Sober College Expands to Serve Greater San Diego

    BURBANK, CA, September 17, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Woodbury University, with campuses in Burbank and San Diego, today announced it is expanding its unique academic partnership with Sober College, a Woodland Hills-based inpatient addiction treatment center.

Beginning in mid-November, Woodbury will offer transferable, college-level educational courses and credit to San Diego-area clients undergoing addiction treatment at a new Sober College outpatient center in La Jolla.

The Sober College/Woodbury University partnership - the only one of its kind in the U.S. to fully integrate rehabilitation and academics - offers young adults in recovery the opportunity to complete up to five three-unit, college-level courses along with their treatment and recovery program. Students who complete all 15 units earn a Certificate of General Studies and are guaranteed admission to Woodbury for further studies. Or, they may transfer credits to another college of their choice. Around a dozen or so students have taken advantage of the guaranteed admission program.

"Woodbury University is proud to be able to expand this unique partnership to serve the academic needs of college-age people in recovery from throughout the greater San Diego area," said Joye Swan, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Psychology and Social Sciences, director of Special Academic Programs and head of the Sober College partnership at Woodbury. "It is gratifying for all of us at Woodbury to be part of a collaboration that has the potential to truly change people's lives."

Earlier this year, parent company Sober College Environments, LLC, acquired ownership of San Diego Student Recovery in La Jolla to better serve San Diego's college community, including San Diego State University, University of San Diego and the University of California at San Diego. According to Swan, the need for programs that address addiction continues to grow. In the La Jolla area alone, for example, there are an estimated 15,000 students who meet the criteria for treatment of alcohol and drug use disorders.

"There is a tremendous need for addiction treatment services in the greater San Diego area," said Rachel Sanders, M.A., vice president of Academic Affairs at Sober College. "Our mission is to provide a full-service academic environment that will provide clients with the academic support and confidence they need to eventually transition into a two- or four-year university. We look forward to working with our partners at Woodbury to establish a quality program that integrates academics and the Sober College model."

Combining treatment with academics offers newly sober students the chance to succeed in a college environment without the peer and other pressures that caused many to abuse alcohol and drugs, and which too often result in relapse, according to Swan. Students receive plenty of personal attention thanks to small class sizes and, in the Woodland Hills program, a capacity of 50 students per 12-week session. The San Diego program is expected to grow to a capacity of several hundred students per session. Other than an occasional break between sessions, the program is year-round.

The Sober College curriculum revolves around topics that are relevant to the rehabilitation process, including Creative Writing, Health and Wellness, Psychology, Public Speaking and Sociology. Courses were designed by Woodbury faculty and are taught, lecture-style, by adjunct professors hired by Woodbury. To accommodate the inflow and outflow of individuals at varying stages of their treatment programs, each day's class offers discrete content. At the end of each course, students receive a letter grade, which ends up on their college transcript.

"It's an innovative way to deliver rigorous, college-level courses and enable students to rehabilitate," said Swan. "The innovative free-standing modules make it possible to retain the integrity of the curriculum."

About Sober College
Founded in 2005 with the intention to provide more specialized drug and alcohol treatment for young adults, Sober College offers residents the opportunity to earn college and high school credit while in treatment. Its game-changing program, which incorporates education, music, film, and broadcast studios, extramural sports, and experiential therapies, is grounded in the belief that life doesn't stop during sobriety; in fact, it can thrive. In treating addiction from a brain perspective with its Five Core Competency Model, Sober College has helped thousands of individuals aged 18-26 recover, solidifying its place at the forefront of addiction treatment and studies.

About Woodbury University
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. The university ranks 15th among the nation's "25 Colleges That Add the Most Value," according to Money Magazine, and is a 2016-17 College of Distinction. With campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles and San Diego, the university offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Liberal Arts, along with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees, as well as a Master of Architecture degree with a concentration in Real Estate Development. Visit woodbury.edu for more information.

Media Contact:
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
(323) 469-3397
[email protected]

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