Casa Serena marks 67 years with expanded eating disorder care

The Santa Barbara nonprofit says it served nearly 300 women and families over the past year while adding clinical, family and wellness programming. Casa Serena also held its first Fall Family Summit and broadened support for women in treatment and recovery.

Why it matters: - Casa Serena is expanding services as demand for women’s substance use and eating disorder treatment continues. - The nonprofit says nearly 300 women and families received care over the past year. - The additions widen access to residential, outpatient and family-based support in Santa Barbara.

What happened: - Casa Serena marked 67 years in August, dating back to founder Mildred Pinheiro opening the Main House in 1959 for women struggling with alcoholism. - The nonprofit expanded its eating disorder treatment program for women. - Casa Serena held its first Fall Family Summit in September in Santa Barbara. - Chief Clinical Officer Sandra Mistretta, LMFT, served as a keynote speaker at the West Coast Symposium on Addictive Disorders, the East Coast Symposium on Addictive Disorders and the California Addiction Conference. - Casa Serena also offered three free continuing education events for the community.

The details: - The eating disorder program treats anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID and OSFED, along with co-occurring substance use disorders. - Care is available at residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and outpatient levels. - Clients meet with a registered dietitian and receive supported meals and snacks. - Treatment includes CBT, DBT, EMDR and family therapy. - Women in the outpatient program now receive care in a newly renovated space. - Full-day and half-day schedules use a rotating curriculum so women can keep working or attending school. - Music therapy grew through Rock to Recovery and BandJAM. - A professional musician leads each session as the group writes and records an original song in one sitting. - Casa Serena added sound healing to its holistic wellness program, which also includes restorative yoga, meditation, gardening and culinary arts. - The Fall Family Summit was a free three-day weekend for current clients, alumni and their families. - The Summit included multi-family skills workshops, a multi-family process group, a sound bowl session and a community BBQ lunch. - The Summit adds to Casa Serena’s year-round family programming. - Two children lived in Casa Serena housing over the past year. - Millie’s House, the organization’s transitional living home, gives women reunifying with their children the option to live with them. - Casa Serena’s timeline says the organization served children during its first four years, when it admitted 322 women and served 289 children.

Between the lines: - Casa Serena is pairing clinical expansion with family services, which suggests a broader recovery model focused on long-term stability. - The new outpatient space and rotating schedules appear designed to reduce barriers for women balancing treatment with work or school. - The first family summit signals a push to formalize family involvement as part of recovery, not just a side support.

What's next: - Casa Serena is likely to keep building on its expanded treatment and family programming as it serves women with substance use, eating disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. - The nonprofit says lifetime aftercare remains part of its service model.

The bottom line: - Casa Serena is using its 67th year to deepen treatment options, strengthen family support and broaden access across the recovery continuum.