The History of Emergence Addiction and Behavioral Therapies

Emergence is a private, non-profit agency which was formed in November 1981 under the corporate name of Addiction Counseling and Education Services, Inc. (ACES), in response to the new laws passed in the State of Oregon which required persons who received citations for driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) to enter a treatment program. 

As a non-profit, Emergence is guided by a Board of Directors who serve as a policy-making board.  Currently there are five members of the Emergence Board of Directors who meet on a monthly basis with the Executive Director to review the operations of the agency.

Emergence’s original name was Recovery Programs, Inc., which was changed in December 1981, to Alcohol Counseling and Education Services, Inc.  A by-law change in August 1986, changed the corporate name to Addiction Counseling and Education Services, Inc.  Under the umbrella of the corporate name, the agency has operated with DBA (doing business as) names of ACES Counseling Center and as of June 2004 Emergence.

Our mission: Emergence provides education and cognitive-behavioral counseling to persons experiencing the consequences of chemical dependency and addictive behaviors.  Our mission is to educate, encourage and empower people to reach their highest potentials.

In the course of its 26-year history, Emergence has responded to treatment needs of community members by establishing program specific to the needs of those citizens.  These programs have included outpatient treatment, Discovery; intensive outpatient treatment, Threshold; gambling addiction treatment, Meridian; and outpatient treatment for Hispanic clients offered in the Spanish language, Juntos.  Emergence also has contracts with Lane County Corrections Department to provide on-site treatment services to persons incarcerated at the Forest Work Camp (when released these clients continue their treatment in our Bridge Program); clients referred from Parole and Probation, Endeavor; and clients who are participating in the Lane County Drug Court who are referred for their treatment services to our Focus program.

Treatment services have been extended through the development of a mental health program to work with clients having co-occurring diagnoses.

Currently Emergence offers treatment services in three counties, Lane, Linn and Benton, and in the communities of Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove, Florence, Albany, Lebanon, Corvallis and Veneta.

Clinical staff members are state-certified and the agency provides on-going trainings for clinical staff to maintain their certification.

The agency’s focus on excellence of treatment to clients also extends to agency values of professional excellence while encouraging supportive and creative group experiences for clients and promoting a strong team of advocates for client success in treatment.  Dedication, empathy and integrity are personal values of all the Emergence staff members.