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:

• Poundmaker’s Lodge
• Fresh Start Recovery
• Aventa Centre of Excellence for Women with Addictions
• Thorpe Recovery Centre
• Edgewood (Pre-approval ONLY)
• Renascent (Pre-approval ONLY)

Thorpe Recovery Centre

Thorpe Recovery Centre is a recovery-focused, addiction treatment facility located near Lloydminster, Alberta/Saskatchewan in the rural hamlet of Blackfoot, Alberta.  Thorpe welcomes anyone over 18 with the desire to improve their wellness, and employs its holistic, community treatment model to help each person build a solid foundation in recovery.

Facility Based Treatment available to Northwest Territories Residents

1. 7+ day Medically Supported Detox
2. 42 day Residential Treatment Program
3. Option to extend up to 90 days

Programs Available:

• Co-ed & Gender-specific programming
• LGBTQ+ friendly
• Trauma-informed approaches
• Concurrent capable
• 24/7 medical team (RPN, LPN, NP)
• Smoking cessation tools offered
• Gambling addiction and sexual addiction treatment tracks offered
• Disordered eating support
• Introduction to 12-Step and SMART Recovery

Poundmaker’s Lodge

This is a co-ed addiction treatment centre in St. Albert, Alberta (near Edmonton). Poundmaker’s Lodge offers an Aboriginal holistic treatment experience that focuses on the root causes of addiction and empowers people in their recovery.

Facility Based Treatment available to Northwest Territories Residents

1. 42 day facility based treatment program at Poundmaker’s Lodge
2. Iskwew Healing Lodge is a program for women who have completed the 42-day program and wish to extend their treatment. 

The Iskwew Healing Lodge Program Includes:

• Clients from all cultures, traditions and faiths are welcome at Poundmakers.
• Concurrent care
• On site medical clinic
• Accessible to women with high risk pregnancies
• Group counselling, lectures, workshops, and self-help meetings
• Ability to extend the treatment period in collaboration with counsellor
• Psychologist on site to provide oversight, assessment
• Tele-mental health - aftercare counselling extends beyond the treatment facility
• Elders are involved in the support program.
• Traditional smudging and sweat lodges alongside classroom style education and group therapy
• Clients stabilized on a current methadone/suboxone program are approved on a case-by-case basis

* Northwest Territories Facility Based Addictions Treatment Package to be completed with a NWT Counsellor, Wellness Worker or health professional

Fresh Start Recovery

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.

Fresh Start has an 84 % completion rate and a 51% success rate of continuous abstinence-based recovery at one year.

Facility Based Treatment available to Northwest Territories Residents

1. 12 to 16 week program
2. Option to extend treatment 

Programs Available:

• 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

* Northwest Territories Facility Based Addictions Treatment Package to be completed with a NWT Counsellor, Wellness Worker or health professional

If you are interested in attending Fresh Start Recovery Centre, please contact your local Community Counselling Program to begin the process.

Aventa Centre of Excellence for Women with Addictions 

Aventa  is a gender-specific facility located in Calgary, Alberta.   Aventa provides a holistic approach to recovery and is a respected leader in the field of addiction treatment for women.    Aventa offers a place of safety, hope, insight and information to overcome the effects of addiction and trauma. 

85% of women accessing treatment services at Aventa have experienced trauma

Facility Based Treatment available to Northwest Territories Residents

• Phase II is a six week intensive facility based program that provides therapeutic individual and group counselling. The program focuses on the following four key areas: sexual, spiritual, relationships and self.
• Phase III is a three month facility based treatment program for women who have completed Aventa’s Phase II and require additional treatment to support their recovery. The program offers individual and group counselling with a strong educational and skill building component.

Programs Available:

• Gender-specific programming- women only
• Trauma-informed approaches
• Counsellors available
• Psychologist available to NWT residents
• Registered Nurses available
• Concurrent Capable
• Women on Methadone or Suboxone treatment for opioid addictions are eligible to attend
• Parenting in Recovery program offered
• Smoking Cessation Group offered
• Gambling Addiction Treatment Program offered

* Northwest Territories Facility Based Addictions Treatment Package to be completed with a NWT Counsellor, Wellness Worker or health professional.

Edgewood (Pre-approval ONLY)

Edgewood is a co-ed addiction treatment centre located in Nanaimo, British Columbia.  Edgewood’s treatment approach creates therapeutic communities in which patients, clients, families and staff alike contribute to the healing process. Their continuum of care is tailor-made for each individual.

Facility Based Treatment available to Northwest Territories Residents

1. Medically Supported Detox
2. 50 day Residential Treatment Program
3. 60 day Extended Care Program

Programs Available:

• Detox and withdrawal management
• 24/7 medical care and nursing support
• Alcohol, drug and sex addiction
• Psychotherapy including CBT and DBT
• Trauma-informed care
• Relapse prevention and extended care

Pre-approval from the Department of Health and Social Services must be obtained prior to referral. Approval requests must be made in writing from the referral source to Manager, Mental Health and Addictions Strategic Programs, at resaddictionstx@gov.nt.ca.

Renascent (Pre-approval ONLY)

Renascent offers person-centred, gender-specific addiction treatment facilities in Toronto, Ontario.  Renascent integrates evidence informed best practice guidelines with clinical expertise, in consideration of the client’s values and unique circumstances.

Facility Based Treatment available to Northwest Territories Residents

1. Graham Munro Centre for Women
   • 35 day residential treatment program located in downtown Toronto
   • 28 Inpatient Beds
   • Continuing Care
2. Punanai Centre for Men
   • 35 day residential treatment program located in Toronto
   • 28 Inpatient Beds
   • Continuing Care

Programs Available:

• Gender-specific programs and facilities
• Pre-admission support group
• Trauma-informed and concurrent capable practice
• Abstinence-based programming, blending 12-step methodology with mindfulness principles and evidenced based psychotherapeutic modalities

Pre-approval from the Department of Health and Social Services must be obtained prior to referral. Approval requests must be made in writing from the referral source to Manager, Manager, Mental Health and Addictions Strategic Programs, at resaddictionstx@gov.nt.ca.