Self-Help correspondence courses, mailed lesson by lesson, to men and women in California Prisons.
Creative Options, Academy of Human Development was founded in 1995 by a Carmelite nun and a Catholic priest. They believed that no one is beyond hope. It started in Lyons, Oregon, as a home for people ready to change their lives. Over time, we saw that the people coming home from prison needed help long before their release. So in 2004, our ministry took a new direction: free Christian self-help courses, sent by mail to incarcerated men and women.
Today we're based in Coronado, California. We're independent, and we keep our Catholic roots and the blessing of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Coronado. We have no grants, no government funding and no paid staff. Every lesson is answered by a volunteer, and every course is free. Since 2016 alone, we've served more than 1,500 students in facilities across the country.
Our facilitators serve from home and always stay anonymous. They don't grade lessons, and they never know or discuss a student's crime. Instead, they write back with encouragement and follow Jesus' example of offering hope, love, and forgiveness of oneself and others. With every letter, a real relationship grows.
We welcome students of every faith and of no faith at all. We aren't here to judge. We're here to bring hope and love to people ready to rebuild their lives, one lesson at a time.
Every lesson is answered by hand and mailed back — there is no app, no login, and no waiting room. Just a volunteer, a pen, and someone on the other end who enrolled because they wanted to change.
Examines anger in its many forms — its causes, its place in our lives — and healthy ways to express and control it, using anger as a motivating force to change ourselves and the world around us for the better.
A three-fold program: to see the whole developing person — mind, body, and spirit — and how a parent can build a healthy environment for a child to grow into a happy, productive adult; to reflect on our own experience of being parented, gaining understanding of ourselves; and to offer ways an absent parent can still share in parenting and give support from a distance.
The Twelve Steps of A.A. and N.A., studied one lesson at a time. The questions accompanying each lesson are designed to deepen understanding of the Steps — and of the person studying them.
The Story of My Life — a guided journaling process, suggesting ways to reflect on your life and pray your way toward healing.
**Please Note: This course is available only after one of the others have been completed.
Our services have always been free of charge for anyone asking for help. We are not affiliated with any department of correction. Please see our FAQ page for additional information.
Download the printable form to enroll an inmate today.