PRIDE Institute

PRIDE Institute has been the leader in providing treatment for the LGBT community for  25 years.

PRIDE Institute opened its doors in 1986 as the nation’s first treatment center dedicated to providing services exclusively for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Since then, PRIDE has graduated more than 14,000 graduates hailing from every state in the country and even some from Canada.

Minnesota was chosen as the location for PRIDE Institute because of the rich reputation for innovation and excellence in the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction. PRIDE opened as a 36-bed residential program offering clients a safe environment in which to confront their chemical dependency and the unique stresses they face as LGBT individuals living in a heterosexist society.

Clients at PRIDE Institute have the opportunity to face their internalized homophobia head on in both individual and group sessions. One’s sexual identity is not an issue to be ashamed of at PRIDE Institute unlike many mainstream or “ally” programs. When clients are able to be open and honest about their authentic self, they are then able to focus solely on their recovery. After all if it is OK to keep one’s sexuality a secret, then why not keep one drink or one pill a secret, too? At PRIDE Institute, honesty is a key to recovery.

In 1991, the programming was expanded to include outpatient treatment programs in Minnesota.

PRIDE Institute now features a 42 bed residential program and Intensive Adult Outpatient Services for adults. In addition PRIDE offers the only program of its kind for working with LGBT people with sexual health concerns including sexual compulsivity and sexual anorexia.