6-Month Core Program

5 Day/Week Schedule

Scheduled like a work week, our program involves activities & workshops during the day, and free time in the evenings to allow you learn to effectively manage your time and learn to live a sober life.

Weekly Counselling Sessions

You'll meet with your counsellor each week to work through your program and get everything you can out of us during your stay

Aftercare

After your stay with us, you can remain in contact with us through our Alumni Program on Facebook, and attend our weekly Alumni Meetings via Zoom

The Program You Need

We offer a 6-month residential core program that includes evidence-based approaches such as; Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Relapse Prevention, and Therapeutic Community. In addition to the foundational building blocks; we offer therapeutic activities such as Arts and Crafts, Yoga, Music, and Equine Assisted Therapy to round out our core program.

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Three-Phase Approach

The Life Skills Development Program runs for 26-weeks and has 3 Phases. The phases are designed and properly paced to assist residents on their path to recovery.

Dunham House is not just a facility that provides the required rehabilitation support; it’s a working model of a healthy lifestyle that residents can experience. This successful formula has proven itself for decades.

By all outward appearances, a substance abuser looks, acts and may even state that they cannot stop or control their substance abuse. Their struggles can be a very convincing demonstration of a seemingly powerless lifestyle. This perception of powerlessness is, of course, a self-fulfilled prophecy. This does not have to be the case. 


People throughout the ages have been able to overcome enormous and impenetrable problems long before “treatment for addiction” became accepted. This perceived lack of individual power has led to the erroneous belief that addiction and alcoholism are diseases or dependencies. At Dunham House, Phase 1 of the program focuses on restoring proper health. We address eating and sleeping habits, along with exercise, hygiene and dental work, if needed. Residents are given a household chore, and also encouraged to participate in activities to keep themselves busy and engaged. To help get to know residents better, they are asked to write an essay describing their life history and the goals they would like to achieve from the program.


Period: The first 30 days without leaving property unescorted.


Goal: Restoring proper health


Objective: 

• Cultivate better health habits

• Begin developing self-awareness

• Observe self-regulation

• Relapse prevention


Methods:

• Visit with a doctor

• Ensure proper sleep cycle and meal routine

• Attend lectures 

• Perform scheduled tasks (e.g., chores, laundry rotation)

• Write a personal life history

• Attend meetings with a counsellor

• NID-EP, Suicide & Homicide Risk assessments to be completed upon arrival. Followed by IGT assessment within 7 days of a resident’s arrival.

• Complete the first 4 weekly evaluations

• Read assigned books from the library

• Participate in scheduled group activities 

During the proceeding weeks, residents are guided through a course that first helps them to identify their behaviour patterns, underlying problems and cognitive distortions. They are then taught how to begin the process of changing their entrenched negative thought patterns and behaviours while reinforcing and expanding upon their positive traits and habits. 

As they move forward in the program, greater emphasis is placed on their positive traits, which help them to “grow out of” the counterproductive behaviours of the past. Immaturity is defined as an unwillingness to positively adapt to life’s ever-changing environment. Ineffective and counterproductive habits such as, drinking too much alcohol or abusing drugs, including mind-altering prescription drugs, keep substance abusers mired in an unsatisfying and unfulfilled life. Being unwilling or having a lack of knowledge, to choose and to implement more productive activities and goals are the immature characteristics of our program. The goal of this phase is to give residents back their ability to choose; make a choice about what his or her life will now become. Finding what their purpose and passions are helps build self-confidence and positive feelings about themselves. 


Period: From the 2nd month through to the completion of the program


Goal:

• Behaviour modification through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

• Develop self-empowerment through Motivational Interviewing


Objective:

• Develop intellectually

• Develop physical wellness

• Develop inner peace

• Develop communication skills

• Develop autonomy

• Recognition of Emotional Competent Stimuli and Stress Management

• Relapse prevention


Methods:

• Attend lectures

• Properly manage medication and doctor visits

• Read books from the library

• Attend scheduled group activities 

• Practice communication skills in class lectures

• Improve basic home skills (e.g.: managing money, cleaning, laundry)

• Complete weekly evaluations

• Productive use of weekend pass


Weekend Passes

Weekend passes are provided to give residents an opportunity to re-establish family connections and explore outside support programs (e.g.: NA, CA, AA).

No weekend passes are allowed for the first 30 days (Phase 1). A resident is allowed to have one weekend out during the second month, and two weekends out during the third month of the program.

During weekends out, residents are responsible for finding another resident to take over his or her assigned household chore. A reciprocal arrangement is expected of them when another resident is out for a weekend.


**Note: During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Weekend Passes have been suspended for all residents

Building A Plan For The Future

For many residents this is their most powerful time in the program. In this last phase before departing, residents build a future plan based on their own natural talents, wants, values and needs. This plan also takes into account all of the different ways they have learned to be more positive while living at Dunham House. For many, this is the stage of the program where they know in their hearts that they are ready to tackle life. The plan that they build includes virtually every facet of their lives, such as career, family, social life, physical health and spiritual goals. 


With the help of his or her counsellor, residents build their own co-signed personalized Exit Plan. The Exit Plan must include concrete and tangible measures on which the resident must be able to act such as names, addresses as well as specific contact people at precise locations. Upon departure, a resident leaves Dunham House with the names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and knowledge of how to be in regular contact with such people who may be involved in issues of lodging or income or work or education or health services, etc. 


The Dunham House program and its dedicated counsellors teach techniques and new approaches to old problems. But, the responsibility for implementing these techniques and incorporating new approaches into daily life rests solely with each individual. The entire 26-week experience teaches residents how to perform self-assessments and then put the required changes into action. Rather than recoiling from responsibility and change, the transformation process helps residents embrace challenges and create the confidence to succeed.


In Phase 3 we help residents overcome their bad habits, ineffective coping mechanisms and behaviour problems. By grasping these teachings, residents are finally able to take control of their lives and become productive, happy and successful. 


Period: From the 4th month through to completion of the program


Goal: Develop a positive and realistic future life situation


Objective:

• Develop a secure life

• Relapse prevention

• Achieve psychological safety through self-awareness and self-acceptance of one’s own unique situation.


Means:

• Elaborate and act on the Plan of Action 

• Develop personal resources 

• Re-establish healthy relationships

• Productive use of weekend passes.

Payment

Worry-Free Payment

Our 6-Month Core Program is subsidized by Emploi Quebec, meaning that if you qualify for Social Assistance, they'll cover our fees, and you don't have to worry at all!


For those who cannot get on Social Assistance, we accept all forms of payment, from cash, to cheque, to credit card. We've also partnered up with iFinance Medicard to enable us to offer a financing solution for those who need it.


Medicard offers a simple a simple way to afford your stay at Dunham House. The ideal alternative to writing a cheque. Medicard's patient financing programs ensure that you don't have to delay your treatment due to cost concerns by offering a variety of financing terms with convenient monthly payments.

Apply For Financing

Therapeutic Activities

Dunham House offers complementary therapeutic activities in order to help individuals heal and learn about themselves in ways talk therapies may not. Each activity is designed to help individuals practice skills such as communication, creativity and leadership. They are also meant to introduce residents to new activities or hobbies which they can incorporate in their daily life as they interact with others in a social setting. All our activities are spread out throughout the week in order to have a balance. Residents are also encouraged to continue the projects they start during their personal time.


Each therapeutic activity is facilitated by a professional in that activity to ensure that residents get the best quality care and understand the benefits of these therapies on their own mental health.



Foundational Building Blocks

Dunham House’s clinical care programs are built around 4 foundational building blocks:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is widely recognized for its efficiency in treating a variety of issues including: depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and co-dependent relationships. CBT teaches individuals how to effectively manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. The thought management component of CBT teaches individuals how to identify and manage their own thoughts that can cause destructive behaviour like self-medication as a means to manage to solve their personal problems and emotional upheaval they are experiencing.

Relapse Prevention

Relapse Prevention Therapy (RPT) as described by its title, uses Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques like “talk therapy”, videos, TED Talks, open discussions and handbooks to discuss and explore ways to identity high-risk situations. Triggers and recognition of these life challenges are a fundamental part of RPT, and it is used very effectively with individuals who experience challenges with obsessive-compulsive behaviour, depression and substance abuse.

Motivational Interviewing

As a resource-based model, Motivational Interviewing (MI) relies on three key concepts: collaboration, recognition, and respect for the individual’s self and personal autonomy. MI relies on a therapeutic relationship between the resident and the counsellor using a non-confrontational approach of realistic and direct communication and discussion. This special and unique therapeutic relationship gives priority to the ideas and life experiences of the resident while respecting their capacity to determine what is best for them as they problem solve.


An important component of MI is for residents to learn and to understand their own inner strengths and competencies which they will then use to have better control over their lives.

Therapeutic Community

Dunham House is committed to cultivating a therapeutic community for its’ group-based program. Our residents live with each other in double rooms, eat together and share in all residential activities including household chores.  Our residential community fosters respect of one’s individuality and of one’s differences in a collaborative and support environment of group therapy, group activities as well as self-work.  Our supportive community is guided by our exceptional clinical care team and dedicated residential staff that encourage and demonstrate respect, cooperation and community living.

Workshop & Lecture Topics

Recognizing The Addiction Process

Goals:

The goal of this workshop is for residents to become familiar with the addiction process and how it fuels their substance abuse.


Objectives:

In this workshop series participants are introduced to:

• The addictive personality

• The process and stages of addiction, stages of change

• Identification of different behaviours which contribute to repetitive choices and dissatisfying results

Participants learn how to recognize the resistance to change associated with addictive thinking. They are also presented with evidence of their particular and self-defeating logic.




Interpersonal Communication

Goals:

The goal of the workshop is to introduce residents  how interpersonal skills are important for understanding their relationships with others, as well as the importance of communications skills.


Objectives:

In these workshop series participants are introduced to:

• Enhancing, creating or maintaining close relationships (spouse, family and close friends)

• Styles of Communication

• Encouraging disclosure

• Establishing and maintaining trust 

• Active listening

• Understanding messages

• Appropriate responses


Cognitive Disorders

Goals:

The goal of these workshops are to introduce residents to the nature of deceptive thoughts, which result in maladaptive decisions.


Objectives:

In this workshop series participants are introduced to:

• Questioning habitual thought processes

• Identifying unhelpful thinking patterns

• The challenges of changing habitual thought processes


Physical & Mental Health

Goals:

The goal of this workshop series is to introduce residents to evidence of how a healthy body translates into a healthier mind, and to become familiar with the effects of substance abuse to their mental health.


Objectives:

In this workshop series participants are introduced to:

• Hygiene

• Nutrition

• Hydration

• Sleep

• Exercise

• Rest and relaxation 

• How substance abuse affects mental health


Relapse Prevention

Goals:

The goal of this workshop is for residents to identify and apply strategies that will help them prevent a relapse.


Objectives:

In this workshop series participants are introduced to:

• What is addictive thinking

• Denial, rationalization and projection

• Guilt and shame

• Hypersensitivity

• The importance of support groups (e.g.: AA, NA, CA, GA, social workers, psychologists, family)

• Demonstrates a better understanding of the signs of relapse

• Creates a plan of relapse prevention


Stress & Anxiety Management

Goals:

The goal of this workshop is for residents to learn the importance of managing their stress & anxiety levels.


Objectives:

In this worksshop series participants are introduced to:

• Recognizing stress

• Stress & Anxiety management

• Healthy and unhealthy stress

• Recognizes how stress and anxiety effects substance abuse

• Demonstrates the use and application of stress & anxiety reduction strategies

Emotional Regulation & Distress Tolerance

Goals:

The goal of this workshop is to help residents develop a new found emotional intelligence and to develop the skills required to manage distress. 


Objectives:

In this workshop series participants are introduced to:

• Wise mind (Emotion mind vs. Reasonable Mind)

• Understanding and naming emotions

• Reducing vulnerability to “Emotion Mind” 

• Changing emotional responses (check the facts, problem-solve, opposite action)

• Crisis survival skills (the STOP skill, finding a distraction, self-soothing, improving the moment)

• Reality acceptance skills (radical acceptance)

• Create new coping strategies for distressing situations (plan ahead)

Life Skills Development

Goals:

The goal of this workshop series is to introduce residents to a variety of life skills.


Objectives:

In this workshop series participants are introduced to:

• Creating a CV and Resume

• Basic meal preparation

• Employment and school opportunities 

• Finding adequate housing

• Development of S.M.A.R.T. Goals.


Individual Counselling

Individual Counselling Sessions are held two times per week in our 30 -Day Intensive Program, and once weekly in our 6-Month Core Program. Residents meet one-on-one with their assigned counsellor to review their progress and discuss roadblocks and challenges should they occur. Counsellors are there to oversee the integrity of our therapeutic program, offer individual counselling and can be seen on an as-needed basis should a crisis occur.

Meet Our Clinical Team

Group Therapy

Our weekly group therapy allows individuals to be part of a supportive environment to process emotions or life experiences. Group therapy has been shown to be a powerful way to initiate change and gain support from those who struggle with similar issues. Our group therapy is led by a member of our clinical team and varies between psycho-educational or support based. Some of the themes explored in group focuses on life skills, discussing mental or emotional barriers to recovery and communication skills.

Apply To Dunham House
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