SAGE Counseling, Inc. is a licensed behavioral health services provider that was founded in 1998 to provide individual, couples, family, and group counseling and education. SAGE's programming includes, but is not limited to, substance abuse treatment, DUI services, domestic violence offender treatment, anger management treatment, cognitive restructuring, life and job skills training, and case management for families referred by Child Protective Services (CPS).

Our interventions utilize best practices for the specific clinical group we are treating, e.g., substance abusing criminal offenders. We generally employ a cognitive behavioral approach within a psycho-educational format. We use structured curricula that are designed for our target population and make use of Motivational Interviewing and the Stages of Change model. We provide services in our various offices throughout Maricopa County, in the client's home , and in the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention facilities.

Substance Abuse Treatment

SAGE provides Substance Abuse Education and Treatment services utilizing cognitive behavioral and psycho-educational approach, which are currently best practices for treating criminal-offending substance abusers. These groups are located in our many satellite locations throughout Maricopa County. We offer both standard outpatient treatment groups that are two hours in length and meet twice per week (typically for 30-36 sessions) and intensive outpatient groups that are two hours in length and meet three times per week (typically for 40-48 sessions). We also offer eight and sixteen hour substance abuse education programs, generally held on weekends.

Domestic Violence

SAGE Counseling is licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to provide court-ordered misdemeanor domestic violence offender treatment (see the Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3601.01. regarding requirements to complete such a program). We utilize group counseling (primarily) rather than individual counseling. Groups are gender-specific and conducted in a psych-educational format with a cognitive-behavioral approach. We employ structured curricula and methodologies that are designed to increase clients' self-awareness of their controlling and abusive attitudes and behavior, enhance their sense of personal responsibility, and facilitate the integration of the material into their relationships. The program particularly emphasizes clients' accountability, compliance with program and probation guidelines, and skill development. Clients' assigned number of sessions follows the ADHS guidelines for licensed court-ordered domestic violence offender treatment programs.

Domestic Violence: Parent Offenders

In addition to the regular domestic violence offender treatment groups described above, SAGE also provides treatment for offenders whose victims are children. In addition to the general themes addressed in our regular groups (power and control; gender dynamics, inappropriate entitlement, cognitive distortions, reframing, utilizing positive self-talk, etc.), this program also focuses on appropriate discipline strategies and techniques, overall parenting skills, setting limits with children, co-parenting, and parenting within blended families. The Parent Offender groups are part of SAGE's ADHS licensed program and also qualify for the requirements imposed in the Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3601.01.

Anger Management

The anger management program is designed for clients who do not have a domestic violence conviction and does not fulfill the requirements for completing a licensed domestic violence offender treatment program. This program is designed for those with clinical issues based more on impulse control and aggression across multiple relationships, rather than a pattern of power and control within intimate relationships. The program concentrates on improving impulse control, increasing clients' self-awareness of their controlling and aggressive attitudes and behavior, enhancing their sense of personal responsibility, and building multiple skills, e.g., conflict-resolution, problem-solving, communication, and positive self-talk. These groups are co-ed.

Intensive Family Preservation Program (FPPT)

Through the FPPT program, SAGE provides intensive crisis-oriented case-management services to families who have been referred by CPS. The families in this program have children who are considered to be potentially at risk due to abuse and/or neglect issues. The goal of intervention is to improve the family situation in order to increase safety for everyone, so that the children can remain in the home and/or return to their own home as soon as possible. Services offered include communication and negotiation skills, parenting skills training, home management skills, job readiness training, case management, and developing linkages to appropriate community resources.

Detention Center Services

SAGE provides a variety of inmate counseling and education services within the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention centers. We serve men, women, and juveniles who have been adjudicated as adults.  Our programs include anger management, cognitive restructuring, domestic violence, fathering, employment skills building, self-esteem enhancement, and individual crisis counseling. Programming is generally offered in groups (which are always gender-specific) and conducted in a psych-educational format with a cognitive-behavioral approach.

Misdemeanor DUI Program

SAGE is licensed by ADHS to provide all three misdemeanor DUI services: Screening, Level II Education, and Level I Treatment. Our Level II Education groups are typically held on the weekends, and we offer approximately 60 different Level I Treatment groups per week throughout the valley.

Other Outpatient Services

SAGE offers other outpatient services including individual, couples, and family counseling; clinical assessments for various conditions/populations; parenting classes; motivational enhancement; a self-paced domestic violence workbook, and other programs that are requested by community agencies or governmental entities.