Mental Wellness and Addictions Recovery

NWT Facility Based Treatment Options for Addictions

NWT residents have a number of high-quality treatment facilities available at no charge. If you or someone you know needs help, visit your local health centre or meet with your community counsellor or wellness worker to start the process.

Treatment facilities include:

Aventa Centre of Excellence for Women with Addictions 

Established in 1970, Aventa is a gender-specific facility for women located in Calgary, Alberta. Aventa provides concurrent capable, trauma responsive, FASD informed addiction treatment programs to meet the unique needs of women. Over the past year, 98% of women accessing programs and services at Aventa report that they have experienced trauma in their lifetime. Aventa employs a multidisciplinary team of skilled, compassionate staff with varied education, professional, and lived experience. Aventa programs focus on building trauma awareness, increasing understanding of the connection between trauma, mental health, and addiction, and developing grounding, coping, and relapse prevention skills within a safe and supportive live-in environment.

Programs Available to Northwest Territories Residents:

  • Phase II: A seven-week facility-based program that provides therapeutic individual and group counselling. The program focuses on the following four key areas: sexual, spiritual, relationships, and self. Young Adult Treatment (YAT) is a 90-day live-in program for women 18 – 24 years of age.
  • Phase III: A 12–14-week facility-based treatment program for women who have completed Aventa’s Phase II or YAT programs and require additional treatment to support their recovery.
  • Medical services (physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, nursing, dental, optometrist)
  • Weekly Indigenous Elder-led group for cultural teachings
  • Parenting in Recovery group
  • Continuing Care Program
  • Online Family and Friends Program

AVENTA
Calgary, Alberta
Phone: (403) 245-9050
Fax: (403) 245-9485
  • Women Only Treatment Centre

    1. Detox partnership with Renfrew Recovery Centre (if required, should be pre-arranged by NWT counsellor)   

    2. 49-Day Program
    3. 90-day+ Extended Care
    4. Young Adult Treatment Program
  • Age – Adults 18 +
  • 5 days abstinence required (please see detox information above)
  • Admission process – application, pre-treatment intake assessment via phone or video and medical assessment

*Northwest Territories Facility-based Addictions Treatment Application Package to be completed with an NWT Mental Health Provider, Counsellor, Wellness Worker, Social Worker, or Health Professional

Cedars Recovery 

Cedars Recovery is a co-ed facility-based centre that offers gender responsive and inclusive polysubstance use treatment through a strengths-based recovery-oriented model.  Located on Vancouver Island, Cedars is nestled in over 60 acres of forested land in Cobble Hill, BC. 

Programs Available to Northwest Territories Residents:

  • Direct transition from Medically Supervised Detox to treatment
  • On-campus psychiatric and medical services
  • Trauma-informed, culturally humble and safe care
  • Psychodynamic Group Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/ Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
  • Twelve Step Facilitation programming, SMART Recovery, Red Road to Wellbriety
  • Integrated Health Services
  • Indigenous programming is weaved throughout daily activities including drum circles and smudging, sweat lodges, feeding the fire, and heated teepee for ceremony. Sound, river, ocean and moon bathing ceremonies are integrated into programming  
  • Elders in residence meet with service-users to foster a sense of belonging and trust
  • Land-based teachings are incorporated to that speak to Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual healing
  • Accommodates unique living arrangements for people who identify as a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community
  • All individuals who complete programming at Cedars are entitled to 12-months of post treatment care which includes one on one recovery coaching, facilitated groups, daily virtual mutual aid support groups and more.  

Cedars Recovery

Vancouver Island
Cobble Hill, BC
Toll Free: 1-866-716-2006
Local: 250-733-2006
Fax: (403) 269-5578
  • CO-ED Treatment Centre

    1. On-site medical detox program   

    2. 50 – 90-day programs
    3. Short-term stabilization program for former graduates
  • Age – Adults 19 +
  • Continuous intake
  • Admission process - Call or email Cedars Admission team.  Application and Assessment is done via phone. Further assessments may be required, all arranged virtually.
  • Initial contact can also be made through their website at: Treatment Admissions — Cedars Recovery

*Northwest Territories Facility-based Addictions Treatment Application Package to be completed with an NWT Mental Health Provider, Counsellor, Wellness Worker, Social Worker, or Health Professional

Fresh Start Recovery Centre 

Fresh Start Recovery Centre is a gender-specific facility-based centre that provides alcohol and drug treatment for men. It is located in Calgary, Alberta.   Fresh Start employs the 12- step abstinence model of recovery as the base for treatment and this is supported within a bio-psycho-social model of therapy.  The program begins the process of holistic treatment through physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing including individual and group counselling.

Programs Available to Northwest Territories Residents:

  • Gender-specific programming- men only
  • Individualized intake process
  • 12-step approach
  • Daily individual and group counselling sessions
  • Recreational and therapeutic activities conducted in an atmosphere conducive to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual growth.
  • Interdisciplinary approach to treating addiction
  • Peer support component
  • Counsellors available
  • Concurrent Capable 

FRESH START RECOVERY CENTRE

Calgary, Alberta
Phone: (403) 387-6266
Toll Free: 1-844-768-6266
Fax: (403) 235-1532
  • Male Only Treatment Centre

    1. Detox partnership with Renfrew Recovery Centre  (if required, should be pre-arranged by NWT counsellor)   

    2. 12-16 Week Program
    3. Option to extend treatment program
  • Age – Adults 18 +
  • 5 days abstinence required (please see detox information above)
  • Continuous intake
  • Admission process – pre-treatment assessment/interview

*Northwest Territories Facility-based Addictions Treatment Application Package to be completed with an NWT Mental Health Provider, Counsellor, Wellness Worker, Social Worker, or Health Professional

Renascent 

 

* Please note that escorts are not approved for Renascent.

Renascent offers person-centred, gender-supportive addiction treatment, with live-in facilities located in Toronto and Whitby, Ontario. Renascent applies an abstinence-based model, using evidence-informed best practices, including 12-Step facilitation.

Facility Based Treatment available to Northwest Territories Residents:

  1. Renascent Graham Munro Centre for Women
    • 35-day residential treatment program located in Toronto, ON
    • 20 Weeks of Virtual Continuing Care
  2. Renascent Paul J. Sullivan Centre for Men
    • 35-day residential treatment program located in Whitby, ON
    • 20 Weeks of Virtual Continuing Care
  3. Renascent Madison Avenue Centre for Men
    • 35-day residential treatment program located in Toronto, ON
    • 20 Weeks of Virtual Continuing Care

Programs Available to Northwest Territories Residents:

  • Gender-supportive programs and facilities

  • Trauma-informed and concurrent capable practice

  • Seeking Safety Program

  • Abstinence-based programming, blending 12-step methodology with mindfulness principles and evidenced based psychotherapeutic modalities

RENASCENT 

Toronto, Ontario
Phone: 1-866-232-1212
  • Gender-supportive Services

    1. Detox partnership with Unity Health (if required, should be pre-arranged by NWT counsellor)       

    2. Residential Treatment
    3. Continuing Care
  • Age – Adults 18 +
  • 3-8 days abstinence required depending on the substance of misuse (please see detox information above) 
  • Admission Process – Pre-treatment intake/screenings/assessments via the telephone. After an admission date is established, a pre-treatment medical consult with the facility medical director is coordinated via an online platform.

*Northwest Territories Facility-based Addictions Treatment Application Package to be completed with an NWT Mental Health Provider, Counsellor, Wellness Worker, Social Worker, or Health Professional

Sunrise Healing Lodge Society

Sunrise Healing Lodge Society is a co-ed facility-based centre that provides alcohol, drug and gambling treatment through Indigenous Culture and the 12-step program of recovery to people of all walks of life. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Sunrise‘s program allows clients to work through all 12 steps while in treatment using cultural practices to connect with their spirituality.

Facility Based Treatment available to Northwest Territories Residents

  • 14-week program

Programs Available to Northwest Territories Residents:

  • 12-step approach
  • Enriched healing experience with Indigenous teachings and Sharing Circles
  • Traditional Medicines, Sweat Lodge and Ceremonies
  • Indigenous Elders meet with clients individually for spiritual teachings
  • Incorporation of the Medicine Wheel into all recovery teachings
  • Trauma-informed
  • Educational teachings on resume writing, job skills and social boundaries

SUNRISE HEALING LODGE Calgary, Alberta
Phone: (403) 269-5567
Fax: (403) 269-5578
  • CO-ED Treatment Centre

    1. Detox partnership with Renfrew Recovery Centre (if required, should be pre-arranged by NWT counsellor)

    2. 14-week program

  • Age - Adults 18+
  • Continuous intake
  • 3 days abstinence required (please see detox information above)
  • Admission process – application and medical

*Northwest Territories Facility-based Addictions Treatment Application Package to be completed with an NWT Mental Health Provider, Counsellor, Wellness Worker, Social Worker, or Health Professional

Thorpe Recovery Centre 

Thorpe Recovery Centre is a co-ed facility-based centre whose goal is to provide a holistic experience for each person to heal in a way that is meaningful to them within the therapeutic community model. Thorpe is located in Blackfoot, AB on 34 acres in a rural setting with ponds, a serenity garden, fire pits, sports courts and a large gymnasium.

Programs Available to Northwest Territories Residents:

  • Community/group model for peer recovery support with individual counselling
  • 12 Step, Smart Recovery, Wellbriety
  • Trauma-informed care
  • Seeking Safety Program
  • Specialty Groups for process addictions: gambling, sex addiction, disordered eating, spending addictions concurrent with polysubstance abuse
  • Optional spiritual and cultural support offered along with smudging in the facility and access to sweats, and Elders in Residence
  • Online Family Support Program for individuals age 16+ affected by someone's addictive behaviours. Led by certified addiction counsellors, the two-day online Family Intensive provides information and techniques that promote recovery for both the family and the client

Thorpe Recovery Centre

Blackfoot, AB
Phone: 877-875-8890
Fax: (780) 875-2161
  • CO-ED Treatment Centre

    1. On-site medical detox program  

    2. 42 – 90-day programs
  • Age – Adults 18 +
  • Continuous intake
  • Admission process – application, medical assessment, and phone interview

*Northwest Territories Facility-based Addictions Treatment Application Package to be completed with an NWT Mental Health Provider, Counsellor, Wellness Worker, Social Worker, or Health Professional