The Walker Center is a nonprofit addiction treatment and mental health facility in Gooding, Idaho, established in 1976. The center is CARF-accredited with Gold Seal status and follows American Society of Addiction Medicine standards, holding an ASAM 3.5 designation. Its treatment philosophy combines the principles of 12-step recovery with evidence-based clinical methods, and its staff of certified and licensed professionals includes a board-certified addictionologist serving as medical director. The Walker Center treats addiction to alcohol, opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine, benzodiazepines, inhalants, marijuana, and prescription drugs, alongside co-occurring mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and PTSD.
Residential Treatment and Continuum of Care
The Gooding campus provides residential treatment with a standard length of stay of eight weeks, though the duration is adjusted based on each individual’s progress. The program follows a structured weekly curriculum covering the medical model of addiction, coping with feelings, consequences of use, relapse prevention, reducing barriers, managing denial, creating lasting change, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Residential care includes 24/7 clinical support, individual counseling, a personalized wellness plan developed with a health educator, experiential activities such as a ROPES challenge course and therapeutic outings in Idaho’s natural landscape, and withdrawal management with prescription medications when medically necessary. Family programming runs two to three times during the residential stay, with each session lasting two days and incorporating cognitive behavioral family therapy and multidimensional family therapy focused on communication, conflict resolution, boundary-setting, and relapse prevention.
Outpatient Services, Sober Living, and Aftercare
Beyond residential care, the Walker Center offers a partial hospitalization program running Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for individuals who need intensive daily structure while living at home, as well as outpatient treatment at two intensity levels: a high-intensity track of three hours daily, three to four days per week, and a low-intensity option of two to four hours weekly. Outpatient services are available at both the Gooding campus and a satellite office in Twin Falls. The Walking Sober House, an eight-bedroom facility on California Street in Gooding with separate wings for men and women, provides transitional housing with 24/7 staff, life-skills classes, employment development support, and requirements including 12-step meeting attendance, community service, and accountability check-ins. Alumni support continues through free weekly peer meetings, the #WalkingSober online community, and sober social events.
