Zia's Mission continued…

In the Zia environment students further their academic/occupational education while reinforcing learned techniques and learning new processes and techniques for maintaining and strengthening a healthy balance between the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual selves. This holistic healing process and environment will nurture a generation of young people who love and believe in themselves and possess the character, self-discipline, courage and attitude to become productive members of society.

Who started Zia and why?

Charles F. Harper and John Rosso founded the Zia Transition Home. John and Charlie met when Charlie worked with John’s son who was in recovery.

As a parent of a child in recovery John searched for a program that would provide his son with emotional and spiritual support while he transitioned into a mainstream educational program. John found none. 

As a mentor and life coach Charlie witnessed first hand the struggle teenagers in recovery had when they returned to their old neighborhoods or educational settings where there was little or no support for their sobriety and emotional well-being.

Together they determined that there was a need for a program that would meet young people where they are in their recovery and customize a program that would empower them to transition from rehab and other institutions into mainstream educational or occupational programs while practicing the tools and techniques of living healthy, happy and sober lives.

What is the background of co-founders Rev. Charles F. Harper & John W. Rosso?

A graduate of Yale Divinity School, Charlie has worked with teenagers for thirty plus years. He has worked with them as a pastor, counselor, mentor, life coach, teacher, dorm head and addiction counselor. In those thirty years he’s had the privilege of working with adolescents who are teen-age mothers, gang members, drug addicts, alcoholics, depressives and even so called “normies” who suffer from the “nausea of meaninglessness”.  

Currently, Charlie mentors adolescents in recovery and/or crisis at local Schools. Charlie has taught art and drama at Southwestern Academy for the past few years. And for the past 4 years Barbara and Charlie have provided room/board and counseling services for young people in recovery from their home in Sedona.

John has been on the leading edge of commercial real estate development for 32 years including three years in commercial real estate brokerage and 21 years as a real estate developer in Scottsdale, Arizona.  While his success speaks for itself, his development and ownership of residential apartments,, residential subdivisions, residential homes, office complexes and retail centers are noted for reflecting his commitment to the highest standards of construction and design. As he likes to say,  “Buildings shouldn’t just house people, offices and stores they should inspire their dreams.”

Who does the Zia Transition Home serve?

Zia serves an international population of high school age (13-17 years of age) individuals working on substance abuse/addictions and other life/health issues

Zia is a six bed home for teenagers who are successful graduates of therapeutic and/or short-term recovery programs. They are at a stage in their recovery where they are ready and willing to become engaged as students and as citizens of the community.

What are the criteria for accepting a student in the Zia home?

At a minimum a Zia Student:

1. Must have successfully completed a 30-45 day rehabilitation program and/or have had a successful tenure at a therapeutic/wilderness school.

2. Must demonstrate a continued willingness to stay sober and pursue their educational or occupational goals.

3. Must be 13-17 years old.

 

What do Zia students  do?

After an initial assessment and orientation period, students who live at Zia go to school during the day. After school and on weekends students participate in activities that touch on the emotional health, the physical well-being, the spiritual growth and the intellectual development pf each student .The average stay of a Zia student is 9 months.

The Zia is a safe nurturing environment where students further their academic education in local educational institutions while learning the processes and techniques for maintaining and strengthening a healthy balance between their physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual selves.

What about parents?

After a student has been with Zia for 4 to 6 weeks Zia offers intensive retreats for parents. The focus of these retreats is to provide parents with the information and support they need to take care of themselves as well as the child when he/she returns home.

How is Zia Staffed?

The Zia Home will be staffed by resident house parents/counselors, an administrative assistant, a chef/nutritionist, an addiction counselor, a registered nurse and a caretaker/driver. A psychiatrist, psychotherapist, addiction counselor, art/music/poetry therapists, outdoor/phys ed therapist, masseuse, educational consultant, academic tutor, spiritual director wil be retained on a part-time basis.

Why is it called the “Zia” Transition Home?

Zia is the name given from the ancient sun symbol of a Native American people, who believed the giver of all-good gave them gifts in groups of four. A circle of life and love, without a beginning or end, binds the rays. The four rays on the left are symbols for: dawn, daylight, dusk and dark; the four rays on the top are symbols for: spring summer, fall and winter; the four rays on the right are symbols for: infancy, youth, adulthood and old age and the four rays on the bottom are symbols for: north, east, south and west.

We add a fifth set of four rays to symbolize the physical, the intellectual, the emotional and the spiritual. We believe that by learning to live a life that is balanced between physical fitness, emotional literacy, spiritual growth and intellectual curiosity that ultimately we can learn to live life healthy, happy and sober .

Do you have continuing care after a child turns 18?

Currently plans are in the works to build a twenty bed co-ed facility in Scottsdale, Arizona for 18-24 year olds. Following the philosophy of Zia Sedona it is designed to further independent living in the professional as well as institutions of higher education.

Why is it a nine-month program?

The short answer is that 30 to 45 day programs are a good start but not enough.
In our society students are encouraged to master the SAT's, PSAT's, ACT’s, and LMNOP’s of academic life.  And little or no importance is given to the importance of emotional or spiritual literacy.

In his book," Poetry Language and Thought", the philosopher, Martin Heidegger, says that "Language is the house of being."  In other words, what one is as a human being, where one resides spiritually and emotionally is dependent on the words and the language with which one learns to think.

We believe, when it comes to education, we make a promise to our students to help them practice a very different language in school and at home than the language they learn in the so-called " real world".

Now learning emotional and spiritual language in a culture that places a premium on intellectual language is very much like learning a new language.

At first it doesn't make any sense at all. At times it's frustrating and discouraging. But the more we practice this very different language, the more read the poems, reflect on the history, perform the plays, walk the hikes, think the philosophy, experience the science, express the creativity and exchange ideas with each other the more that language becomes an integral part of what we are, in our way of thinking, in our way of feeling.

And as is true with any other language, the more you think in that
language-the more natural, the more second nature it seems to become.

We at the Zia Transition Home want young people to learn how to read and respond creatively to the language of their hearts and souls at the very beginning of their lives, so that throughout their lives, as they come face to face feelings of inadequacy, fear, anxiety, stress, loneliness and despair they'll always have the tools, insight and transcendental perspective to live in a “house of being” characterized by joy, serenity, kindness and hope.

 

What makes a Zia home unique?

1. 9 to 24 month program for 13-17 year olds

2. Holistic approach combined with small/ nurturing home environment

3. Luxurious facilities/inspiring environment

4. Program designed for each individual’s transition to independent life

 

What kind of results do you get? 

While our past work with young people in recovery has had considerable anecdotal success we have not been around long enough to statistically measure outcomes.

Where does Zia’s Income come from?

When Zia is licensed by the state it will charge families a monthly fee of  $20,000.  A portion of the Zia program will be reimbursable by insurance companies. In addition, we will establish a “Sober” fund that will allow students of any financial ability to benefit from the Zia program.

When do you expect Zia-Sedona to be open?

While we will continue to do out-student work like running recovery groups, individual spiritual direction, life coaching, art and outdoor therapy we will not be licensed in-student care until March /April of 2008.

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