Rubicon Inc

In February 2014, Whitney Schwalm, ’15, was taking an orientation tour of the Men’s Treatment Center at Rubicon, a substance-abuse and mental-health treatment facility, when she encountered a highly agitated man.

“He started using profanity and shouting,” Schwalm said. “He was probably either off his meds or high.”

“I figured that was the first and last time we’d see Whitney at Rubicon,” said Rubicon administrative facility operations technician Dorothy Ball, who was leading the tour. “But instead she starting talking to him and calmed him down.”

A semester later, Schwalm is still volunteering at Rubicon, now as the student liaison for Build It, the University’s civic-engagement program that connects students to volunteer opportunities with public schools and nonprofits in Northside Richmond.

That first semester, Schwalm volunteered at Rubicon to fulfill the service-learning requirement for two community-based-learning courses: Bringing Human Rights Home, co-taught by Jennifer Erkulwater of the political science department and Jan French of the sociology and anthropology department, and Biochemistry, taught by Jon Dattelbaum of the chemistry department.

Schwalm, a healthcare and society major, said her experience at Rubicon helped her gain a better understanding of the language of policy and human-rights claims in addressing mental health and the effect of drugs on brain chemistry.

“Addiction used to be seen as a moral failing,” Schwalm said. “Now it is classified as a disease.”

In particular, she connected Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow,” a book she was reading for her human-rights class, to her work at Rubicon.

“The majority of the men at Rubicon are black,” Schwalm said. “‘The New Jim Crow’ talks about the racial overtones of the war on drugs and mass incarceration and the effects of drugs and incarceration on people’s lives.”

With the encouragement of Reggie Jenkins, manager of Rubicon’s Men’s Treatment Center, Schwalm led a group session for the men in which they discussed the book.

“I was worried about how the session would go,” Schwalm said. “Here I am, a young, white girl going to school at a private institution, talking to a group of adult men who have lived the experience. So I invited them to participate, and they got very involved.”

“Our clients talked for weeks about the group session Whitney led,” Ball said. “She inspires the clients. She can talk to people and set them at ease. She understands that there are people out there who don’t come from a nurturing, middle-class family. When people ask me what I want in a volunteer, I tell them to send me five more Whitneys.”

For her part, Schwalm acknowledged her experience at Rubicon has helped prepare her for graduate school, where she hopes to pursue a five-year MD-MPH program focused on primary care and public health.

“When you engage in the community, you develop a depth of critical thinking,” Schwalm said. “The questions you ask become more nuanced.”

   For forty years, Rubicon has been offering treatment for Substance Abuse and Mental Health that combines individualized therapy and concentrated care within a "family" environment.  Individuals participate in an extensive schedule of activities that include individual and group counseling, educational and recreational programming, parenting education and family counseling, life planning and aftercare services. Each of Rubicon's treatment programs are directed by a skilled, licensed and certified professional staff member trained in multi-disciplinary therapy models.

Rubicon provides gender specific residential treatment services that include co-occurring specific programming, detoxification, crisis stabilization and outpatient services.  We incorporate evidenced based practices including Medication Assisted Therapy for Opiate Dependence, Acupuncture, Contingency Management and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Rubicon, Inc. is licensed as a Substance Abuse Treatment Program by the Virginia State Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and is also State certified as a Community Alternatives facility. The Program maintains charter affiliation with the Virginia Association of Drug Programs, the Virginia Association of Alcoholism Counselors and the Local Human Rights Committee. 

Saving Lives for Over 40 Years

Mission: Rubicon provides quality comprehensive treatment, recovery support services, and advocacy for individuals living with, and families affected by, the disease of addiction and mental illness.

Vision: Rubicon will empower individuals living with addiction and mental illness to maintain healthy, positive lifestyles and heal families, promote recovery, reduce criminal behavior, and enhance the lives for all in our community.

Rubicon, Inc. Rubicon - a small river in N. Italy that formed the boundary between Cisalpine Gaul & the Roman Republic, when Caesar crossed it (49 B.C.) at the head of his army to march on Rome, he began the civil war with Pompey - "cross the Rubicon" - to commit oneself to a definite act or decision, take a final, irrevocable step. 

2000 Mecklenburg St. Richmond, VA 23223 804-359-3255

Primary Focus of the Provider

• Substance Abuse Treatment Services

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Type of Care

• Substance abuse treatment
• Buprenorphine used in treatment
• Accepts clients on opioid medication

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Facility Type

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Treatment Approaches

• Cognitive/behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavioral therapy
• Substance abuse counseling approach
• Trauma-related counseling

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Facility Smoking Policy

• Smoking permitted in designated area

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Service Setting (e.g., Outpatient, Residential, etc.)

• Hospital inpatient
• Residential
• Short-term residential
• Long-term residential
• Hospital inpatient treatment
• Computerized treatment

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Facility Operation (e.g. Private, Public)

• Private organization
• State substance abuse agency
• State mental health department
• State department of health
• Commission on Accreditation and Rehabilitation

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Payment/Insurance Accepted

• Cash or self-payment
• Federal, or any government funding for substance abuse programs

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Emergency Mental Health Services

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Payment Assistance Available

• Sliding fee scale (fee is based on income and other factors)
• Payment assistance (check with facility for details)

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Language Services

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Special Programs/Groups Offered

• Pregnant/postpartum women
• Adult women

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Ancillary Services

• Non-nicotine smoking/tobacco cessation medications
• Individual counseling offered
• Group counseling offered
• Family counseling offered
• 12-step faciltitation approach
• Brief intervention approach
• Contingency management/motivational incentive
• Motivational interviewing
• Anger management
• Relapse prevention
• Residential beds for clients children

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Age Groups Accepted

• Young adults
• Adults

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Gender Accepted

• Female

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Exclusive Services

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