A general description of the Portage Atlantic substance abuse treatment program for youth in Elora, Ontario

1. Portage Ontario
at Elora

2. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
"Throughout the program, I began to see that I was
as valuable as anyone else. I have learned how to
understand others and how to ask for help. I know
that I can’t do it by myself, but because of the family
I’ve gained at Portage, I know I won’t have to."
- Cardier, Portage Elora resident

3. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Portage rehabilitation programs
• Therapeutic Community Approach
• Video – Portage Ontario
• Adolescent Program

4. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Québec (since 1973)
• Adolescent Programs
• Adult Programs
• Mother and Child Program
• Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers Program (MICA)
• Employment Reintegration Programs
• Ontario (since 1985)
• Adolescent Program
• Atlantic (since 1996)
• Adolescent Program
• British Columbia (since 2009)
• Adolescent Program

5. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Treatment approach based on
• self-help
• mutual support
• peer role-modelling
• reality therapy
• motivational interviewing
• cognitive behaviour
• The community is the therapist
• Residents are taught to shape their own values,
develop a realistic perception of their lives, and build
self-respect and self-confidence.

6. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Voluntary admission
• Highly structured and safe residential environment
• Residents acquire competencies through
• Participation in groups and activities
• Taking on various roles and responsibilities
• Interacting with their peers, who serve as role models

7. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel

8. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• A participant often demonstrates the
following characteristics:
• Started using drugs as young as 10 or 11 years of age
• Lost interest in school and usually not attending regularly
• Has been abusing drugs and/or alcohol for approximately
4 years – primarily marijuana, hallucinogens, cocaine and
opiates
• Alienated from family, and may no longer live at home
• Often involved in criminal activities

9. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Residential drug rehabilitation centre
• Residential program – up to 6 months
• Aftercare follow-up – 2 years
• For youth 14 years and older with substance abuse
issues
• Gender-specific programming
• Portage Academy
• On-site school programming through the Upper Grand
District School Board
• Family-type setting within the
therapeutic community
• Structured and safe residential
environment

10. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Youth 14-18 years of age
• Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol
• May have lost interest or dropped out of school
• May have social adjustment problems
• May be in a stable phase of mental illness
• May be in the care of the Children’s Aid Society
• May be involved in the Youth Criminal Justice
System

11. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Eliminate abusive consumption of drugs/alcohol
• Develop skills and acquire social aptitudes
• Improve interpersonal skills and family
relationships for better social support system
• Social reintegration: back to school, work, or
volunteer work

12. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Youth learn that trust and honesty is the key to
coming to terms with the difficulties they have
experienced.
• By sharing with their peers, they discover they
are not alone and that many have experienced
similar situations.

13. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Phase 1: Welcome and integration into therapeutic
community
• Phase 2: Competency acquisition
• Phase 3: Introspection and application
• Phase 4: Taking on responsibilities
• Phase 5: Validation of acquired therapeutic skills
and plan for social reintegration (family, school,
work, activities)
• Phase 6: Social reintegration

14. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Created with the resident upon admission and
revised monthly
• Objectives and plans for drug issues, physical
health, mental health, personal development,
social skills, family, education, etc.
• Competency development phases
• Length of stay based on individual need
• Monthly case conferences

15. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• On-site school programming, adapted to residents’ needs
• Sports and recreational activities
• Outward Bound
• Career counselling service
• Community involvement
• Weekend outings
• Parent/resident groups

16. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• From 6:30 am to 9:00 pm
• Morning meeting
• On-site school programming at Portage Academy
• Lunch
• On-site school programming
• Recreation/leisure activity
• Community meeting
• Dinner
• Therapeutic groups, activities, and workshops
• Leisure time
• Night meeting

17. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Preparation for social reintegration
• Reintegration visits with family
• Support seeking appropriate school environment
• Support seeking counselling; individual, group counselling
services
• Support seeking housing
• Career planning and company visits

18. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Follow-up for 2 years to support youth in transition
• Relapse prevention
• Follow-up phone calls
• Support groups
• Individual counselling, if necessary
• Back in touch visits
• Employment counsellor and job search strategies
• Guidance counsellor services
• Continuum of Care

19. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• For those who, for whatever reason, do not
complete residential treatment
• 2 years
• Periodic telephone calls, tailored to individual needs
• Individual meetings, where necessary
• Eventually, participants can return to residential therapy at
Portage or elsewhere, if necessary

20. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• Monthly onsite Family Days
• Therapeutically focused groups and visits
• Build trust, confidence, balance, and skills to cope
with youth in treatment
• Transition planning to create a strong
support network
• When reintegrating back into the family,
establishing expectations in the home and
providing support to both youth and their
families

21. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• A dynamic and multidisciplinary team
• Drug addiction counsellors, psycho-educators, nurses,
teachers, employment and guidance counsellors, and
other resources
• Responsibilities
• Ensure the physical and psychological safety of residents
• Supervise, support, counsel, and assist with learning and
new competency acquisition
• Monthly treatment planning sessions, weekly follow-up
• Parent/guardian/agency contacts via telephone and/or
email

22. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
• A research study on Portage’s services (2003 to 2008)
concluded that:
• 66% of the adolescents who spent more than six months at our
centres were still abstinent more than a year after leaving the
residential program.
• After treatment, the majority of graduates go back to
school or back to work
• The majority enjoy improved relationships with their
family members and develop a positive social network

23. I have the right to be happy and to be treated with care and understanding . I have the right to be safe . I have the right to say what I feel
“My life had spiraled out of control because of my substance
abuse. I had lost everyone and everything I loved and was living a
dangerous lifestyle. When I was admitted to Portage, it was the
scariest day of my life, but definitely the best choice I ever made.
I’m now a caseworker at Portage Elora. I think it’s important that
I know where the residents are coming from, that I can relate to
them, that I understand all the feelings that they’re going through.
In the end, I can always assure them that this program has
changed my life and that it can do the same for them.”
- Jennifer Andrews, Portage Elora Caseworker and graduate

24. Portage Ontario
at Elora
519.846.0945
www.portage.ca