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Therapeutic ‘Making Changes’ pilot in Whatcom County jail showed short‑term drops in anxiety and depression scores, presenters say
Summary
Lifeline Connections' six‑week therapeutic community pilot at the Whatcom County work center ran October–November 2024 with six entrants and five completers. Staff reported clinically meaningful GAD‑7 and PHQ‑9 score reductions for several participants and strong participant endorsement of program continuation and community linkage.
Lifeline Connections and Whatcom County corrections staff described a six‑week voluntary therapeutic community pilot that officials say produced measurable improvements in anxiety and depression scores and strong participant feedback.
At the Jan.16 Justice Project Oversight and Planning Committee meeting, Hannah Sloan, clinical program director with Lifeline Connections, presented findings from the “Making Changes” pilot that ran October–November 2024 inside a work‑center pod. “The program is a voluntary therapeutic community and group therapy program intended to educate and rehabilitate incarcerated adults,” Sloan said.
Why it matters: The county has not previously operated multi‑week therapeutic pods inside the jail system. County and nonprofit staff framed the pilot as a proof of concept for in‑custody programming that pairs clinical groups with a therapeutic living environment and reentry planning.
Pilot structure and eligibility
The pilot housed six men together in a single pod with 4 group sessions per week (two mental‑health groups, one reentry group and…
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