A general description of the Portage Atlantic substance abuse treatment program for youth in New Brunswick. www.portage.ca

1. Portage Atlantic
at Cassidy Lake, NB

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
“I had nothing before I went to Portage and today I
have contentment. It may not seem like a lot, but for
someone who lived in total hopelessness and misery
for years, to wake up happy is a big thing.”
- Stephanie, Portage Atlantic Graduate

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
• Drug addiction in Atlantic Canada
• Portage rehabilitation programs
• Therapeutic Community Approach
• Video – Portage Atlantic
• 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
• Average age a person’s uses first cannabis:
13.5 years old1
• 44% of students in grade 12 reported being a
passenger in a vehicle driven by a person who
had used cannabis1
• In 2007, approximately 40% of youth between
12 and 17 years old were accused of drug-
related offences2
[1] Student Drug Use Survey in the Atlantic provinces, 2007
[2] Statistic Canada, 2007

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
• 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

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
• 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.

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
• 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

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

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
• 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

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
• Residential drug rehabilitation centre
• Residential program – up to 6 months
• Aftercare follow-up – 2 years
• For youth (14-21 years of age) from NB, NL, NS, PEI
• Gender-specific programming
• Portage Academy
• On-site school programming through the New Brunswick
Ministry of Education, School District 6
• Family-type setting within the therapeutic community
• Structured and safe residential environment

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
• 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
• Therapy groups
• Activities and workshops
• Lunch
• On-site school programming at Portage Academy
• Dinner
• 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
• Bi-weekly support groups offered in Moncton, Saint
John, Fredericton, Charlottetown, and Summerside
• 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
• Family support groups available in Fredericton,
Moncton, and Saint John, NB
• Co-joint groups with parents and youth throughout
treatment and into the Aftercare phase
• 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 relation-
ships 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
“During my time at Portage, I have learned a lot about
myself and about the issues that led to my drug use in the
first place. Portage has provided me with the opportunity
to get my life on track and re-connect with my family.
Without Portage I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I
have a sound mind, I am healthy and happier then I have
been in a very long time. I can never thank Portage
enough for all they have done for my family and I.”
- Brandon, Portage Cassidy Lake resident

24. Portage Atlantic
at Cassidy Lake
506.839.1200
www.portage.ca