Treatment facilities face a persistent challenge when addressing patients’ spiritual needs: how can they offer meaningful religious programming without compromising clinical integrity or creating an unwelcoming environment for those with different beliefs? Most healthcare organizations either avoid spiritual care entirely or struggle to integrate it appropriately within evidence-based treatment frameworks.
Designing an Optional Spiritual Track
Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center addressed this challenge through careful program design that prioritized patient choice while maintaining clinical excellence. The facility introduced The Grace Program in 2019 as “a dynamic optional program for girls and women who wish to have their Christian faith principles incorporated into their treatment.”
The program’s optional nature proved crucial to its success. Rather than imposing spiritual programming on all patients, Timberline Knolls allowed residents to choose whether faith integration would enhance their individual recovery journey. This approach maintained the facility’s inclusive environment that welcomed “women of all religions, faiths, and beliefs” while providing meaningful spiritual care for those who desired it.
Acadia Healthcare’s support for this innovative approach demonstrated the parent company’s commitment to individualized care models. When the healthcare system acquired Timberline Knolls in 2012, it enabled the facility to continue developing specialized programming that addressed diverse patient needs rather than requiring standardization across all locations.
The program structure reflected careful consideration of both clinical and spiritual objectives. Each participant received “a Bible and a Souls Like Stars workbook that serve as guides” while working with “spiritual leaders and behavioral health professionals who are skillful at incorporating spiritual topics into discussions and education.”
Clinical Structure Within Faith-Based Programming
The Grace Program at Timberline Knolls integrated spiritual elements within established therapeutic frameworks rather than replacing evidence-based treatments. Participants worked with licensed Christian therapists in both individual and family sessions, ensuring that spiritual care met professional clinical standards while addressing faith-specific concerns.
The program featured three specialized groups designed to approach spiritual growth through different methodologies. Soul Making served as an “interactive, psychoeducational group” that helped clients “explore topics such as experiencing God’s love and understanding forgiveness, identity, and boundaries.” Awakenings functioned as “an experiential group that addresses how to release feelings of shame, guilt, and anger.” The Sojourn operated as a process group that gave “girls and women a chance to share their spiritual feelings and insights with one another.”
These groups complemented rather than replaced standard therapeutic programming at Timberline Knolls. Participants continued receiving evidence-based treatments including dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and trauma-informed care while adding spiritual dimensions to their healing process.
The facility also provided practical spiritual resources, including “The Sanctuary,” described as “a sacred space on our campus that offers a supportive place for our residents to pray, meditate, and reflect.” Additionally, residents could “meet privately with our board-certified chaplain, who is a doctor of ministry,” and were encouraged to “attend Sunday services within the community.”
Patient Choice and Treatment Customization
The success of Timberline Knolls’ integrated approach depended heavily on its emphasis on patient autonomy and individualized assessment. The facility’s goal was explicitly not to “teach clients our own beliefs” but rather to help them “explore and develop their beliefs and use them to heal and grow.”
This patient-centered approach ensured that spiritual care enhanced rather than conflicted with clinical treatment objectives. Individual assessments determined whether faith integration would benefit each resident’s specific recovery goals, allowing treatment teams to customize programming appropriately.
The Grace Program operated alongside standard programming throughout Timberline Knolls’ operation under Acadia Healthcare, demonstrating that optional spiritual tracks could be successfully implemented within larger healthcare systems. The program’s structure provided a template for other facilities seeking to address patients’ spiritual needs while maintaining clinical excellence and inclusive environments.
Until its closure in February 2025, Timberline Knolls continued refining this model, proving that thoughtful program design could successfully balance diverse patient needs with evidence-based treatment standards.
