Marion Hutton had it all, she was Perry Como’s co-star and the one and only “girl” Glenn Miller ever wanted to sing with his “Big Band” in the 30’s and 40’s. She also starred in movies. Marion was a real deal – Hollywood A-lister!

Marion Hutton was also an alcoholic. She drank too much and took too many pills. She found out that a female star falls harder in the eyes of the world, as well as in her own. As Marion tells it,

When women become an alcoholic the destruction is devastating. The guilt, the loss of self-esteem is beyond description.

On March 23rd, 1965 Marion took her last drink and consumed her last “pills.” Thus, began her new career as a psychologist and counselor to women, who like her, suffered from an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Marion’s own experience convinced her that addiction is a disease in which women are more fragile— more at risk—than men.

In the late 70’s a small group of passionate folks began drafting plans to establish a facility to help women overcome addiction. The work done by Bill Buck, Art and Margie Clemente, Linc Denny, Ann Forbes and Jack Mahler led to the beginning of Residence XII. Margie Clemente enticed her good friend Marion Hutton to leave Hollywood behind and join the team as the Treatment Director and she later became the Executive Director. The intent from the start was to provide a safe place, tailored to the unique needs of women, and to keep it “intimate.” We still honor those values today.

Residence XII has 25 inpatient beds; we keep our groups small and safe in our outpatient programs too. This allows us to individualize our treatment plans to meet the specific needs of each woman. Residence XII is a safe place where a woman can address her addiction without shame or stigma. A place where she can be open about past relationships, focus on her needs, rebuild her life, and to learn. We provide a safe place that allows women the time and space to focus on overcoming their addiction while learning how to manage and heal emotional, psychological, or relationship issues.