Circle Tree Ranch Campus
Overview & History

Built in 1929 east of Tucson, in the lush Tanque Verde Valley, Amity’s 60-acre Circle Tree Ranch served as both a guest ranch and a private boarding school before it became the home for Amity’s Circle Tree Ranch residential treatment center. Just minutes from the Saguaro National Monument, Circle Tree Ranch is nestled between the majestic Catalina and Rincon mountain ranges and provides a sanctuary that is physically and psychologically safe for both women and men, and an environment where parents seeking alcohol and drug treatment services can bring their young children. Our unique teaching and therapeutic community provides an alternative to other drug rehab programs. Based on holistic treatment rather than the traditional medical model approach to substance abuse disorders, Circle Tree Ranch rehabilitation programs facilitate an individual’s process of change from drug and alcohol addiction and alienation to success and wholeness.

Our campus and living accommodations are surrounded by the enchanting desert and mountains. In this healing environment, individuals address the underlying causes and consequences of their alcoholism, drug addiction, or other addictive behaviors. It is in a setting such as this, drawing on the beautiful, peaceful and inspirational surroundings, that one can face the reality of their life experiences with hope rather than the despair associated with depression, bipolar, or other co-occuring disorders which are contributing factors to substance abuse. The Ranch provides a peaceful sanctuary where living spaces blend unobtrusively with the natural southwestern environment. It is an ideal setting for addiction treatment, and offers many recreational, pre-vocational, educational, and cultural opportunities.

The tranquil Circle Tree Ranch campus  includes:

• Semi-private residential accommodations
• Gracious dining areas
• Gathering Hall, meeting and group rooms
• State of the art fitness center and walking trails
• Volleyball and basketball courts
• Swimming pool
• Arts & crafts center
• Music rooms
• Authentic Native American sweat lodge
• Outdoor pavilion for weekly celebration and ceremonies

As each person is unique, so are their addiction treatment needs. With this in mind, Circle Tree Ranch offers long-term residential alcohol and addiction treatment courses ranging from 90 days to 14 months or longer.

What to Bring to Circle Tree Ranch

In order that you come prepared and know what to expect, Circle Tree Ranch has compiled the following information that will be helpful in planning for your residential treatment experience.

• Dress for therapy should be casual, comfortable, and in good taste. Sturdy, outdoor, rugged clothing is recommended for practicality and comfort on our 60-acre ranch.
• Appropriate attire includes jeans, casual slacks, polo shirts or sport shirts, skirts and casual dresses that are knee-length or longer, jogging suits, and appropriate-length shorts such as Bermuda/walking shorts (covering 3/4 of the thigh).
• Flat-soled comfortable walking shoes or tennis shoes are appropriate. Boots or shoes with a sturdy sole and heel are recommended. Shoes and/or slippers must be worn outside your room.
• Lightweight jackets and sweaters are recommended for eveningwear year-round. A heavier coat or jacket is recommended for winter months.
• Open shirts, swim wear, running shorts etc. are allowed only for recreational and fitness activities and are considered inappropriate for therapy, meals, or meetings. Please do not bring form-fitting clothing, including Lycra tights or biking shorts.
• Bathing suits for women must be one-piece, without high-cut legs or revealing tops. Bathing suits for men must be the boxer-type.
• No low-cut tops, blouses with spaghetti straps, or tank tops. Bare midriffs are unacceptable. Jeans and clothing must not have suggestive tears or cutouts.
• Clothing that depicts alcohol, drugs, sex, violence, gambling, or any clothing deemed inappropriate by faculty is not allowed.
• Wearing of undergarments is required.
• We recommend that you bring a limited amount of clothing (limit 1 suitcase and 1 carry-on). Laundry facilities, including supplies, are available for patient use. Irons and ironing boards are accessible, but we suggest that wash-and-wear clothing will be more convenient. Dry cleaning services are not available.
• Insurance card.
• Personal bedding, pillows, blankets although bedding is provided upon arrival.
• Sunglasses and hat or visor. (Sunglasses are to be worn outside only)
• It is important that you advise your Intake coordinator of all medications you are currently taking. Include the name of the medication, the dosage and frequency administered, as well as the name of the physician who prescribed the medication. Please bring a 30-day supply of the medication in the appropriately

What To Leave At Home

Upon arrival at Circle Tree Ranch your property will be searched and inventoried. This is done in order to keep you and the Circle Tree Ranch addiction treatment community safe. Items that are inappropriate will be disposed of or sent home. You may keep all other personal belongings within space limits.

Please do not bring the following:    

• Cash, credit cards or personal checkbooks.
• Non-prescription medications (i.e., Advil, Tylenol, etc.), vitamins, herbs, or nutritional supplements.
• Excessive or expensive jewelry.
• Radios, MP3 Players, iPods, CD players, CD’s, DVD’s, TV, cellular phones, laptops, electronic address books, audio/video equipment, or cameras.
• Pornographic or inappropriate reading materials.
• Shoe polish, soap, detergent, or bleach, glass items, straight razors, razorblades, or pocketknives.
• Illegal substances or mood-altering drugs.
• Firearms and/or supplies.

Daily Activities
at Circle Tree Ranch

Circle Tree Ranch is innovative in providing a variety of addiction rehabilitation methods throughout each day. A typical day begins with morning wake ups followed by time to prepare for the day and attend to housekeeping of personal areas. Students are encouraged to participate in an early morning walk followed by a delicious breakfast served in our beautiful dining rooms. The day then unfolds with a gathering of the entire community, hosted by a rotating group of students. An important aspect of drug addiction recovery is time for personal affirmations, acknowledgements, and expressions of gratitude. Students develop a vocabulary of affection and affirmation rather than a language based on negative behaviors. It takes no skill to notice what is wrong, but it takes great skill to be able to recognize the strengths, goodness, possibilities, talents, and courageous actions made by students and faculty members. The community gatherings play an important role in establishing a culture of open communication which is critical to the substance abuse rehabilitation process. These daily gatherings foster trust, build confidence, and allow students to develop their voice.

Students in each lodge are assigned weekly roles and “role playing”, which may include “good Samaritan”, “good rapper”, “linguist”, “social activist” or the “big brother/big sister” roles. In order to successfully navigate through the life experience it is important to engage in role development. Playing roles is a method used in chemical dependency treatment as it connects people to one another and affirms our humanity.

There are rotating schedules for each week throughout the month. This creates a variety of educational, recreational, social, spiritual and work related activities in addition to our drug and alcohol recovery programs of study. Students are assigned jobs for part of each week or day depending upon the daily schedule. This allows students to develop sustained responsibility within the community. These jobs can include but are not limited to community management (student government) landscaping, woodworking, kitchen and meal preparation or serving of meals to community, maintenance of our gracious dining rooms, cultural arts, recreation, graphic arts, office assistance, answering phones or attending the reception desk to welcome people to announce arrivals of guests and visitors at the front gate.

At noon the entire community breaks for lunch in our dining rooms. The community gathers briefly following lunch before resuming the activities scheduled for the remainder of the day. Depending upon the weekly schedule, the morning and afternoon sessions will rotate to include: seminars on a variety of addiction rehabilitation topics, curriculum circles focusing on underlying causes and consequences of alcoholism and chemical dependency, or extra curricular classes like parenting or cultural arts classes.

Curriculum sessions, seminars, workshops, family support groups, parenting classes, one on one sessions and other specialized substance abuse recovery activities are woven throughout each day and week. Groups may be called at any time of the day as long as pre-approved by a faculty member to assist students who may be having personal crisis, peer conflict, or need to express thoughts and feelings with their peers in their process of addiction recovery and change. Group interventions create mutually supportive relationships among students and faculty.

The whole community gathers for dinner followed by an evening community gathering, in which everyone has the opportunity for affirmations and to make campus or community announcements In addition, the schedule of activities for the following day is communicated at evening gathering. Evening activities and seminars vary and often include additional curriculum circles or therapy groups, a curriculum movie followed by discussion, or a cultural or creative event. The day closes most evenings by 10 PM at which time students are asked to be in their rooms.

Weekends often include special property focus projects, hosting open house, celebrating holidays from cultures all over the world, and recognizing current events taking place in the world. Church and family visits are offered on Sundays. Students may participate in a nature hike on one of the many spectacular trails near the Ranch, or attend extra-curricular activities with their lodge including volleyball, basketball, ice-skating, movies, softball and swimming. They also have opportunities to attend cultural events such as theatre, plays, operas, classical concerts or museum tours. Drug and alcohol recovery is facilitated by the development of new positive experiences and learning to have fun in sobriety.

Visits & Phone Calls Guidelines
Circle Tree Ranch

Circle Tree Ranch, an Amity Foundation Teaching and Therapeutic Community, provides the resources, setting and climate for drug and alcohol recovery. While enrolled at Circle Tree Ranch for residential substance abuse treatment, there are some community guidelines which provide structure and facilitate the recovery process.

Visitors
When a student first arrives at Circle Tree Ranch residential treatment program they will need time to orient to their new surroundings and to develop peer relationships. The faculty will need time to get to know the new student. Also at this time we provide an initial in-depth assessment and detox referral when necessary. With this in mind, we do not encourage visits during the first month of a student’s journey to sobriety. Thereafter, there are Visitation & Family days monthly as well as  designated holidays with approval from a faculty member.

Visitors are required to check in at the main reception area upon arrival and must follow the guidelines for appropriate attire. Guests are asked not to bring prohibited items to any student, and all packages will be checked. All visitors are required to attend a one hour orientation prior to their first visit.

Telephone, Mail & Packages
Persons learning about recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism who have sought out Circle Tree Ranch for residential substance abuse treatment need time to begin their healing process. As a student continues through their process, the frequency of phone calls will depend on how they are progressing and their personal demonstration.

All phone calls must be approved by a faculty member and will be made on the designated days assigned to each Lodge. Phone cards are required for long distance phone calls.

Mail should be sent to the following address:

Packages may be delivered to students while they are in treatment. Please send all packages (clothing and necessities only) to students to the address above. Packages cannot be delivered to the facility directly by the United States Postal Service.