Women come to treatment when the pain of their past and self-defeating behaviors become too great. These behaviors might include taking mind/mood altering substances, or may include looking outside of themselves—via work, food, toxic relationships, compulsive spending, etc.—for a sense of value, or to simply “feel better.”

At Pia’s Place, we believe in helping women become self-empowered through letting go of the past, developing their spirituality and moving into new behaviors that enhance their quality of life.

Opened in 1992, Pia’s Place is based on the 12-Steps. We are modeled after Pia Mellody’s own recovery process. Mellody is the author of Facing Codependence, Facing Love Addiction, Breaking Free, and The Intimacy Factor. The structure of codependence underlies all addictive behaviors. In a three-part approach to recovery, Pia’s staff first shows recovering codependents how to move beyond denial of their childhood trauma issues. They then offer techniques to identify concrete ways in which the symptoms of codependence operate in their lives. And finally, they guide recovering women through the process of identifying and recording specific instances of improvement in their lives as an aid to greater self-awareness and further recovery.

Pia Mellody is active in staff training but does not participate in client care.