Our Vision
Transforming lives.
Our Mission
Saving the lives of women of all ages, women with children and pregnant women affected by alcoholism, other addictions and related issues.
Our Core Values
Excellence – “Setting Standards”
Spiritual – “Soul Centered”
Integrity – “Moral Soundness”
Diversity – “Inclusive”
1977
New Directions for Women is established as a project for the Junior League of Orange County, CA, in response to the severe shortage of affordable, accessible rehabilitation beds for women suffering from alcoholism. Our Founders Pamela Wilder, Muriel Zink, and Marion Schoen had a wealth of supporters who spearheaded the movement to create NDFW, including Mrs. Betty Ford.
1982
Became a not-for-profit 501 (c ) (3) organization with a volunteer board of directors.
Since Then
Progressed from providing peer-oriented social model recovery home services to offering an array of chemical dependency treatment services.
2001
Established The Pamela Wilder Family Home for treatment of women with children. Women may obtain treatment without giving up custody of their children!
July 2004
Rebecca J. Flood, MHS, NCAC II, CADC, BRI II joins New Directions as Executive Director/CEO. Becky institutes an Executive Management team to include a Clinical Director and a Development Director.
February 2005
New Directions initiates Early Childhood Development Services on campus. A full time Child Development Coordinator is hired to work with children living in residence, while their mothers focus on their treatment during the day.
2007
New Directions for Women becomes CARF Accredited for the first time. For more information read about our Accreditation and Licensure.
2009
Our Intensive Outpatient Program begins, using The Matrix Model, developed by UCLA’s Matrix Institute. At the same time, Courage House is licensed as an Intensive Sober Living home where women attend IOP treatment services while working, going to school, or volunteering in the community during the day.
Summer 2011
Seeking Safety is integrated into the curriculum, adding a vital component to our recovery program by actively addressing trauma while in treatment for substance abuse.
Spring 2012
NDFW re-commits to Social Enterprise by doubling the capacity of Repeat Boutique, of which all profits go directly to the Pamela Wilder Scholarship Fund.
Fall 2012
NDFW introduces the healing, tools and wisdom of Native American culture into its curriculum with the Wellbriety approach, a tool to reach beyond sobriety and recovery to include a life of wellness and healing everyday.
Winter 2013
The Inaugural Women CEO Roundtable is hosted by New Directions. The event is a unique opportunity for women in the addiction field to support and learn from each other, address critical issues that affect treatment today and ultimately work together towards a promising future in the industry as a whole.
Spring 2013
The first phase of our Master Plan comes into fruition, with the opening of two state of the art Intensive Sober Living Homes on Willo Lane: one for women, and one for women with their children.
Spring 2014
This year, we’ve operationalized and licensed 7,000 square feet of outpatient and administrative support space a mile away from the flagship NDFW campus. With this additional space, we’ve expanded various levels of outpatient services including Partial Day (PDP) and General Outpatient (GOP). In addition, there’s dedicated community space for Al-Anon, Refuge Recovery, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, and other self-help groups to hold meetings in a safe, warm, and welcoming place.
Fall 2014
Licensed detox services have been added, creating a seamless continuum of care for our patients. Detox services are invaluable in the treatment of women suffering from opiate addiction. We implemented a number of new holistic treatments such as Pilates, aquatic therapy, whirlpools, and the maintenance of physical health in general, especially nutrition.
Summer 2015
Our largest building, Founders House, has been fully renovated into a healing sanctuary. The two-story building is perfect for our needs, with space for 18 beds, a spiritual sunroom, two new therapy rooms and an expanded 24-hour care coordinator office. The family-style dining room and new meeting space connect to outdoor seating, meditation areas, and a variety of gardens. Water and fire features, stone and wood all come together to create a very natural, tranquil, and home-like environment to help breathe life back into broken spirits.
2016
We are committed to quality improvement and accreditation. This year, we passed our 3rd triennial CARF accreditation with flying colors. We completed landscaping on our common areas and a sand volleyball court has been added for patients and their families to enjoy on the weekends. It’s wonderful to hear the sounds of laughter from women who are beginning to come back to life. The patients also make good use of the spiritual room upstairs for meditation, the water wall, the fire pit, and the surrounding gardens.
2017
NDFW celebrates 40 continuous years of providing quality addiction treatment services for women. We hosted the first Jeffersonian Dinner on campus to bring community leaders from business, education, politics, law enforcement, and addiction treatment together to have a conversation about not only what is happening in our own backyard, but what has become a crippling, nation-wide epidemic. Miss Jeanie, Child Care Coordinator, joins the team with thirty years of experience working with children and their families. She is committed to promoting “activities with a purpose” for our children — fun with development benefits. Learning by doing creates more neural networks in the brain and throughout the body, making the entire body a tool for learning. These activities help our littlest ones to get the innocence of childhood back and learn how to just be a kid.
