Home > Encyclopedia of Psychology > Halfway House

A live-in treatment facility for individuals who have completed inpatient, or hospital-based psychiatric treatment, but who are not prepared to make a full transition to independent living.

Halfway houses are typically staffed by therapists, counselors, social workers, other mental healthcare professionals, or lay-people with a background in the treatment area. Time spent both in and away from the house is highly structured. Residents are allowed to leave the facility for work and school, but are assigned housekeeping or other tasks that contribute to the house and its residents during their residential time. Attendance at on-site group therapy or support group meetings is usually required.

The average length of stay in a halfway house ranges from three months to a year. Both co-ed and gender specific halfway residences...