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November 2025 — Devin, Stephanie, and two of their three children pose in the library room at Auberle's Family Healing Center. Together, they are celebrating their program graduation and upcoming move to permanent housing.

Meet Stephanie, Devin, and their tight-knit family as they build a successful and fulfilling future. 

The Auberle Family Healing Center (FHC) is a first-of-its-kind program in the nation taking an innovative and holistic approach to treating families affected by addiction. Rather than sticking to the status quo of addiction services and separating caregivers and children, the FHC creates a safe space for all family members to heal — together.

Learn About the Auberle Family Healing Center 

Stephanie and Devin spend time with two of their children, Brooklyn (6) and Dee (5) in the Family Healing Center library. During their stay at FHS, individuals have access to services beyond traditional treatment, including classes on parenting, financial literacy, cooking and nutrition, tutoring, mental health services, recreation, and more.

Please share about yourself: your name, hometown, and a few words that describe you and your family.

Stephanie: My name is Stephanie. I’m 31. I was raised in Greenfield and now live in Munhall. I have three kids: Brooklyn, who is six, Dee who is five, and Ray, who is three. Our family is very lively, and they are the sweetest little kids you'll ever meet.

We’re a very close-knit family in the way that we communicate and do things. We’re always together and we get along very well. Wherever we go, you kind of have to accept that all five of us are going to be there. We love to laugh and goof off. We’re always having fun!
 

In a program like this, it’s usually you alone or with a significant other, but here, it was us as a family, so it was a different journey than any other I’ve had. Having the kids here made it worthwhile. I got to grow with them. You can’t put that into words. 

 — Stephanie, Auberle Family Healing Center Program Participant 

Anywhere our kids are, we can make home. It was easy to get used to the Auberle environment because we were together as a unit. I feel like that's what made this experience better. In a program like this, it’s usually you alone or with a significant other, but here, it was us as a family, so it was a different journey than any other I’ve had. Having the kids here made it worthwhile. I got to grow with them. You can’ t put that into words.  

Devin: I'm Devin. I was born right down the road in Homestead, PA. I'm 33 years old. I’ve been in and out of addiction for the last five to six years. I grew up with addiction in my household and was exposed at a young age, so I had a lot of knowledge about recovery before coming to Auberle, but I just needed to get off the streets.

Being able to sit here with my kids and Stephanie, being able to grow together, heal together, it was a huge plus. And I like it. You know? It's very rare. It's unheard of, honestly. This model is something that should have existed a long time ago.

    

Devin and Stephanie work on reading skills with their children after their school day. At the Family Healing Center, chidren stay united with their caregivers and maintain a consistent school schedule.

It means so much to not have to sit in recovery wondering if your kid is okay. As difficult as addiction can look from the outside, when you’re in it, you still have very real feelings. You still care deeply about your child. So, being able to keep a grasp on parenting while also getting yourself right — that’s huge. It helps to know you can work on yourself and still be present at the same time.

When I think about stepping out of here, I feel very ready. Not in an overconfident way, but in a real way, like we’ve been working on this day in and day out. And because of that, I feel prepared for what comes next.
 

When I think about stepping out of here, I feel very ready. Not in an overconfident way, but in a real way, like we’ve been working on this day in and day out. And because of that, I feel prepared for what comes next. 

— Devin, Auberle Family Healing Center Program Participant 

Stephanie: As a parent, being able to evolve both yourself and your relationships at the same time really matters. Having those things to focus on in a safe environment, with peers around you and staff who can help guide you in healthy directions, is something you don’t find just anywhere.

Usually, when you go into recovery, the focus is, “Okay, get yourself right.” But here, it’s more than that. A lot of people don’t have the support they need for extended childcare when they go to rehab. They have to put their kids into the system.

The Auberle Family Healing Center in Mt. Oliver, Pennsylvania. Families are supported from the time they enter the program to envision a successful future after their stay. A custom aftercare plan is tailored to their unique needs, considering all factors of life including housing, parenting, employment, and follow-up addiction, medical, and/or mental health appointments.

Auberle gives you a chance to work on yourself as an individual, partner, and parent. Being here gave me the chance to get my bearings. I could slow down and figure out my daily routine — what I needed to do each day to stay grounded and move forward. That made everything feel not as scary.

I truly believe that if more people had this kind of support as part of their recovery story, they would be able to accomplish so much more in their recovery.

This is the first facility of its kind in the country. What does that mean to you?

Stephanie: When I first learned about this place, I couldn’t stop thinking, why aren’t there more programs like this? So often in recovery, families are separated: parents from their kids, partners from each other. That was always our experience. We’d be apart for months, our kids staying with family, and we never had the chance to truly plan or heal together.

Here, we were finally able to be a family during recovery. We got to get familiar with our kids again. That’s something you can’t put a price on. Having family beside you during recovery creates a sense of safety and strength. It can make recovery feel possible instead of overwhelming.

What was it like working with the staff at Auberle?

Devin: Coming in, I already had some familiarity with recovery and being around others in recovery. I understood some of what’s expected day to day, but what stood out immediately here was the level of support.
 

[The staff] take the time to sit with us, talk with our family, and build real relationships. Our kids feel comfortable around them and know they can go to staff if they need help, which means everything to us. It’s been a very smooth experience, and you can tell they’ve hired the right people who genuinely care.

— Devin, Auberle Family Healing Center Program Participant 

From the moment we walked in, the staff have been amazing. They’ve shown up for us consistently even on the hard days when personalities clash and things aren’t perfect. No matter what, they’ve always supported us and gone above and beyond in ways that meant a lot. Simple moments that lifted our spirits and supported our mental health. Those are memories I’ll always cherish.

The one-on-one therapy was also meaningful. Those sessions helped me get to the core of what had been weighing on me and better understand addiction: where it comes from, why certain patterns exist, and how history and genetics play a role.

Overall, the staff here have been incredible, not just in groups or programming, but on a personal level. They take the time to sit with us, talk with our family, and build real relationships. Our kids feel comfortable around them and know they can go to staff if they need help, which means everything to us. It’s been a very smooth experience, and you can tell they’ve hired the right people who genuinely care.

Stephanie: There's definitely somebody here for everyone. Depending on what you're going through, there's a variety of staff with different backgrounds to go to. You can talk to a diverse set of people for your day-to-day needs. And that's, that's very rare, very rare.

What are some skills, lessons, or tools that you’d like to pass on to others?  

Stephanie: I learned that it doesn’t matter what your background is: whether you’ve struggled with addiction, worked in recovery before, or never thought you could do something different. If you truly want to make a change, you can.

I’ve been to several rehabs before, but I was struck at how deeply people care at the Auberle Family Healing Center. I also discovered what I want to do with my life. I want to become a Certified Recovery Specialist and help others the same way I was helped.
 

I was struck at how deeply people care at the Auberle Family Healing Center. I also discovered what I want to do with my life. I want to become a Certified Recovery Specialist and help others the same way I was helped.

— Stephanie, Auberle Family Healing Center Program Participant 

The women here took extra time to sit with me, to listen, and to put their own responsibilities aside to help me reach my goals. Because of that, I learned that when you’re given something meaningful, you want to give it back. And if there’s one thing I hope others take from my experience, it’s this: no matter where you come from, if you want to make a change, you can.

Devin: One thing I’ve really learned is that you only keep what you have by giving it away. That’s true in service and in life. Service, even in small ways like checking on someone or supporting their mental health, makes a real difference.
 

...that balance, emotional stability and accepting life as it comes, is something I didn’t have when I first came here, but now it’s something I share with newcomers and hope to pass on to my children.

— Devin, Auberle Family Healing Center Program Participant 

For my kids, I want to pass on the importance of acceptance. Life will throw things at you, and it’s easy to get pulled off balance by anger, sadness, or even excitement. I’ve learned to accept things as they are and then decide how to move forward. That balance, emotional stability and accepting life as it comes, is something I didn’t have when I first came here, but now it’s something I share with newcomers and hope to pass on to my children.

Signage at the Auberle Family Healing Center. Upon intake, families moves into their own apartment in the safe facility. FHC staff takes care of the rest, crafting a custom care plan for their stay

What is the wider community impact with places like the Auberle Family Healing Center?

Devin: Like Steph, I’ve discovered a path I want to follow,  maybe working with kids in the system or helping others in recovery. The Family Healing Center shows people that change is possible. I hope that everyone who comes here becomes a walking example of hope and transformation.

Even though the center is still new and not everyone knows about it yet, the impact spreads. People leave with new sobriety, growth, and skills, and that ripple effect reaches their families, friends, and communities. By seeing real change happen here, others start to believe that it’s possible for them too.

Stephanie: In today’s world, pretending addiction isn’t real is naive. Addiction doesn’t just affect the person struggling. It affects their whole family. For parents like me, getting sober isn’t just about myself, it’s about being there for my kids. Places like the Family Healing Center offer real solutions. If you want the world to change, this is where that change begins.

Thank you to Stephanie, Devin, and their children for generously sharing their time and story with the Auberle community. Learn more about Auberle's Behavioral Health Services at www.auberle.org/behavioral-health.

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