• What is Addiction?
• Relapse Prevention: The Science of Relapse
• Identifying Triggers and Warning Signs
Life Skills and Daily Workshops covering the following topics:
• Cognitive Distortions
• Effective Communication
• Setting Limits and Boundaries
• Emotion Regulation
• Distress Tolerance
• Interpersonal Effectiveness
• Anger Management
• Time Management
• Building Recovery Network
• Stress management
• Home Management
• Relaxation/meditation
• Daily exercise, rotation of exercise, weights
• Participation in the stable program
• Team development / fun activities
• Seasonal outdoor activities (horseback riding, tobogganing, skiing, snowshoeing, zip lining, gardening / landscaping, swimming, volleyball... )
• Weekly/monthly social gatherings which include visiting musicians (jam night)
• Attendance of 12 Step meetings
• Excursions (Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, St. Joseph’s Oratory, Indoor Skating...)
• Assessment of interest/skills
• Career/vocational exploration
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy
• Administration of formal assessments and screeners to identify co-occurring disorders
• Individual follow up
• Evaluation of home environments
• Develop safety plans
• Support/referrals for family members
Based on cognitive behavioural therapy the Life Skills Workshops are a set of workshops that teach clients techniques/tools to help them remain clean and sober. Additionally, these techniques improve their coping skills so they may better manage their lives.
The workshops are scheduled. There is a rotation of 12 workshops in Life Science’s program.
The skills are initially practiced within the workshop setting; then clients practice their new skills with staff and other clients within the facility.
Eventually, by using a general transfer of skills, the clients practice their new techniques when they go into the community and/or when they return to their own environments.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a set of techniques that help you to look, as well as change how you think and how you behave. It explores how your thoughts and behaviour impact how you feel, how you react. C.B.T. teaches that your thoughts drive/control your behaviour/actions (i.e. if you are experiencing negative thinking you will display negative behaviour. Positive thinking results in positive behavior). In therapy and workshops the goal is to reframe your thinking and consequently change your behaviour from negative (destructive) to positive (constructive).
CBT training can help you to change how you think ("Cognitive") and what you do ("Behaviour)". Unlike some other treatments, it focuses on the "here and now," dealing with problems and difficulties of the present day. C.B.T. looks for ways to improve your state of mind now.
Evidence now supports the effectiveness of CBT for many common mental disorders, specifically substance abuse and dependence. Research has identified CBT as the “treatment of choice”, “best practices treatment” and “evidence based treatment” for addictions. (Volkow Nora, N.I.D.A. 2009 Addiction)
Our program aims to rehabilitate individuals by teaching skills that will restore confidence, and the ability to function in life without the use of drugs or alcohol.
Life Science empowers clients by:
• teaching a repertoire of life skills
• coaching the development of personal growth
• assisting clients in identifying their strengths
The purpose and objectives of the program is to help individuals obtain and maintain sobriety by:
• teaching individuals about the facts of addiction and dependence as a chronic disease
• teaching individuals new coping skills so they can better manage their behaviour
• teaching clients to identify the negative thoughts and responses which prompt destructive behaviours
We also work with clients to address the many health and social problems associated with substance use.
The program at Life Science is designed to do more than simply reduce or remove alcohol/drug use, we focus on getting people to change their lifestyle; even their core life values as a way of preventing a return to substance use and the problems associated with use.