Parole To  |  Group Home  |  HalfBack/SAVE  |  What to Bring


Physical examinations are conducted on site within 72 hours of admission to the facility. Our contracted physician is available twice weekly for physicals, colds, flu and other routine medical procedures. Other medical needs are handled through hospital based clinics or private physicians. Lehigh Valley Hospital’s specialized staff that exclusively handles HIV concerns handles special needs of persons who are HIV+. Residents that are HIV+ do have access to clinical trial drugs available in larger urban centers. The Allentown Health Bureau provides TB, HIV, and STD screening for all Keenan House residents. Medical emergencies are handled by all hospitals in the area.

Psychiatric Services are available. Keenan House employs a board certified psychiatrist (with a specialty in substance abuse disorders) to perform psychiatric evaluations.  Medication is prescribed as necessary. Re-evaluations are done to determine progress and stabilization.  This is an important dimension of the co-occurring disorder track. Psychiatric services continue throughout the continuum of care. When referrals are made to Confront (our outpatient program) the same psychiatrist follows the client’s from inpatient through their outpatient treatment continuum. Prior to a client completing their parole status, referrals are made to the local base service units for continued care since their mental health issues remain post parole.

Drug and alcohol focused individual and group counseling. Group counseling is conducted twice weekly. A minimum of one hour of individual counseling per week is also provided. In the co-occurring disorder track individual counseling is delivered in one half-hour segments with increased individual attention afforded during crisis periods. Specialized group counseling addresses the mental health, medication and drug and alcohol issues.

• Addiction Awareness. A comprehensive track of lectures and experiential exercises intended to increase awareness and understanding of the process of addiction.
• Addiction & Sexuality. A lecture track that explores human sexuality, sexual myths and values, sexual behaviors, gender roles, the impact of addiction on sexuality, sexual abuse issues, pornography, and relationships.
• Refusal Skills. An experiential series of role-plays aimed at teaching residents to cope with the community pressures of using drugs or drinking. AA, NA, and CA—the anonymous groups are held three evenings per week. These are institutional AA, NA, and CA groups that are not open to the public. These groups foster peer relationships and enable the residents to build a bridge for aftercare upon release.
• Relapse Prevention. This lecture series and experiential exercises are designed prevent relapse and teach skills about what to do if relapse occurs.

Keenan House offers a series of psycho-educationaltracks as follows:

• Life Skills Training. A track of lectures and exercises where residents learn how to manage money, plan and prepare nutritious meals, organize housekeeping, etc.
• Social skills training. A track of lectures and experiential exercises that improve interpersonal relationships through skill building. Residents learn active listening skills, assertiveness, right of people, and quality of relationships.
• Decision making. Experiential process designed to teach the skills of decision making (Thresholds Program).
• New coping skills. A track of lectures and experiential exercises where one develops new problem solving skills, learns anger management skills, emotion management and conflict resolution techniques.
• Conflict resolution. Residents learn to make a difference by changing the way conflict is handled. Residents will examine how they think about conflict, consider alternate ways to view conflict and understand how thinking, attitudes, perceptions, beliefs and social structures contribute to conflict. Residents will learn and integrate new skills with specific steps to resolve conflict through the use of role-plays.
• Vocational Assessment and Readiness, Vocational Skills Assessment and planning and Job Assistance. All residents receive a vocational assessment upon admission.

Vocational Education All moderate to long-term clients participate in a highly intensive 3-week Vocational-Education psycho-educational class that focuses on Job Readiness Training [JRT]. Class participants learn basic skills related to job searching and interviewing skills. There is also an overriding focus to maintaining employment and succeeding on the job. Teamwork is stressed as an imperative aspect of a successful employment experience as is effective communication with team members and supervisors. Class participants are held accountable for the completion of all assignments as well as for their individual and collective behavior.  All clients searching for employment receive the aid of a vocational counselor to assist with job leads and application of the skills acquired during the Vocational-Education class. The vocational counselors also help residents with any on-the-job problems encountered.

Community-based Services. Keenan House developed numerous community resources that benefit the program participants.  The program has informal relationships with a number of local employers with whom we place clients and who are familiar with the requirements of the program, i.e., communicating emergent problems. Additionally, the Vocational Counselors utilize the services of the Office of Occupational and Vocational Rehabilitation [OVR] and Pennsylvania Career Link.

• Job Readiness. Keenan House provides other job readiness skills through the use of work therapy. Residents are assigned to a department within the Keenan House therapeutic community and are provided with responsibilities related to their skill levels and needs. For example, an offender with limited cooking skills may be assigned to the Food Service Department in order to aid them in increasing their competency in this area. Furthermore, Keenan House offers a computer class that allows participants to become more comfortable working with computers and teaches them basic computer competencies and programs.
• Certificate Computer Classes. This certificate program is provided by a sub-contract with Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School. Limited enrollment classes are offered twice yearly with plans to expand the frequency and numbers of resident served.
• Facilitation of Educational Development. Keenan House provides ABE/GED classes three times per week on site. Residents that do not have a GED or High School Diploma are enrolled in class. All residents are pre-tested to assess their educational needs. When the resident is ready to take the GED test, arrangements are made through Lehigh Carbon Community College. Tutors are utilized on a weekly basis for individuals with exceptional needs.
• Family Assessment. Keenan House offers a multi-family program for the family members and significant others of residents in treatment. The offender and guests are expected to participate in psycho-educational programs and group therapy in order to receive the visiting privileges. All family members participate in a family session conducted by the primary counselor. The counselor will assess the family dynamics, supportive nature of the family members and educate the family members on the effects of addiction. The counselor will encourage family members to share in discussion relative to the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse; i.e., trust communications and if applicable, effects on children. Family members are expected to participate in the family program on a monthly basis. Additionally, conjoint sessions are scheduled as needed while the offender is in the inpatient phase of treatment. Prior to completion of the inpatient phase, a family session will be scheduled to address aftercare plans and concerns for the residents return home. If deemed necessary family therapy will be suggested as part of the aftercare plan.
• Individualized treatment planning. This is affected upon admission and assessed ongoing, as difficulties are uncovered. Client /counselor treatment care planning is reviewed weekly. New treatment plans are developed on a monthly basis and updated to maintain BDAP licensing standards. Referral sources receive monthly progress updates.
• HIV/STD education and risk assessment. HIV education, pre and post test counseling, harm reduction, and health promotion counseling are provided (See attached program outline).
• Criminality groups. Residents are introduced to the concept of criminal lifestyle and how thinking guides their decisions. The track focuses on the negative affects of such thinking along with pro-social alternatives and managing criminal thinking.
• Continued Care Planning - Aftercare and Follow-up. All residents leaving Keenan House do so with an aftercare plan and referrals. Those receiving drug and alcohol treatment receive an outpatient treatment referral and are encouraged to participate in the AA, NA, or CA support network. All referrals are coordinated and follow up is conducted to assure continuity of care. Residents are assisted in securing housing, accessing educational and/or vocational training.

Aftercare Plans

Upon completion of the inpatient phase of treatment the referral source receives a comprehensive aftercare plan. This aftercare plan includes a treatment summary, level of offender participation, the outpatient provider name, appointment time and date, and demographic information including employment information.

Linkage with Supportive Services

Keenan House residents are linked to numerous outside services. The support groups first experienced are institutional, provided at our facility and not open to the public. This is shifted the last week to outside the facility (community based) AA, NA, and CA groups. We want the residents to obtain a sponsor and home group either while in the last week of Keenan House or within the first week of their aftercare plan being executed. Residents also access OVR (Office of Vocational Rehabilitation) as eligible), furniture bank of the Council of Churches, rent assistance when available from county adult services etc. We try, wherever possible, to link resources to the needs of the offender in treatment.