O'Connor Hall Halfway House

Straight & Narrow is proud to announce the opening of O’Connor Hall, a 50 bed Halfway House for Men participating in the NJ Drug Court system.

O’Connor Hall is named in honor and memory of Father Norman O'Connor, whose name was seldom mentioned without the words ''the jazz priest'' attached. In 1980, Father O'Connor was hired as the executive director of Straight and Narrow and led the organization until his retirement in 2002. Father O’Connor passed away in June, 2003.

The program at O’Connor hall is designed to prepare men with substance use disorders for community integration as productive, contributing members of society. Each client is required to complete a series of developmental phases, each designed to prepare the client for community reintegration. Each client will be evaluated at the end of each treatment phase by the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). The MDT is made up of residential supervisor, employment counselor, primary counselor, and clinical director. The MDT function is to evaluate the client’s treatment progress and make clinical recommendations.

The first phase of Straight & Narrow Halfway-House introduces the client to program structure and daily living. In Phase I, the client must remain in the house for two weeks and is required to participate in all scheduled program activities, including group, individual and family counseling, along with job readiness assessments and treatment planning.

The second phase of the program at Straight & Narrow Halfway House, the client’s treatment activity is individualized by the Primary Counselor. In this phase, the client will focus relapse prevention skills and on developing employment skills, such as resume writing and interviewing skill, as well as gaining employment or enroll in school or vocational training.

 The third phase of the program at Straight & Narrow Halfway House, the client must be employed or enrolled in school or job training. The client will develop time management skills, learn to save and manage a budget, all the while participating in individual, group and family therapies. All clients will participate in the 12 step community, learning to build a sober support network as they get ready to transition to independent living.

 The last phase of the program at Straight & Narrow Halfway House is the transitional phase. In this phase, the client is encouraged to become a community leader by volunteering their time by facilitating in house meetings and orienting new clients, as well as preparing for discharge.

 Substance abuse treatment for all clients at Straight & Narrow is evidence- based, utilizing the following models of treatment recognized by the National Registry of Evidenced Based Practices: Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Seeking Safety. Client’s have access to psychiatric and medical services while attending the halfway house program.

 This treatment model, together with the ASAM III Criteria, the client’s diagnoses according to DSM 5, the information gathered when completing a variety of assessments, and the client’s own expressed goals and needs are all utilized to formulate the course of treatment for the clients. The client’s progress toward achieving his/her treatment goals, development of any newly recognized treatment needs and goals, and any changes in ASAM LOCI are used to help determine the client’s clinically driven length of stay.

 When the treatment team and the client have assessed that the client is clinically ready for discharge, the court is provided with the summary of the client’s progress in treatment, informed of his potential discharge date.

 The discharge plan will include appropriate housing, intensive outpatient services if indicated and any other medical or mental health services that the client may require. Referrals for aftercare needs will begin as soon as a tentative discharge date is established. The client, with the counselor’s assistance and input, will choose and will contact an agency, at the appropriate level of care, which best meets his aftercare needs

410 Straight St,
Paterson, NJ 07503

Phone: 973-345-6000 ext. 6560
Fax: 973-742-6161