Day Treatment Services

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School Program

The School Program offers academic programming to 24 youth through three Section 23 classrooms. The youth who attend the School Program reside in the Boys House, Libby's Place and the community. Which class they attend is determined by individual needs, chronological age and academic functioning.

The youth who attend the school exhibit acute or chronic behavioural, emotional, learning or developmental difficulties. The purpose of the program is academic achievement and the development of cognitive, social and linguistic skills which are necessary for successful adjustment at home, school and in the community.

The Secondary Class is a partnership program with the Toronto Catholic District School Board and has a capacity for 8 adolescents. The Adolescent and Youth Classes are partnership programs with the Toronto District School Board and together have a capacity of 16 adolescents. The staff in each classroom includes one full time child and youth worker and one full time teacher.

Parents and families of all youth who attend the School Program are involved with a clinician from the Centre. Parents and families are involved with the School Program through regular parent\teacher interviews, special celebrations and events such as graduation ceremonies.

Teachers and school staff are fully integrated into the residential teams and attend all clinical meetings in the residential programs. Comprehensive ‘homework’ and study plans are developed for each student and supported in the residential programs through regular, scheduled homework time and the use of tutors.

Teachers in the School and Clear Directions Programs have been trained in a program called Schools Attuned. The approach, based on Mel Levine’s teaching methods, offers educators methods for recognizing, understanding, and managing students with differences in learning and is based on many years of research. The training offers additional ongoing on line support and week-end workshops.

All youth who attend the School Program have a full psychological assessment provided by the Centre’s psychologist. In addition to individual testing, the psychologist, as a member of the multidisciplinary team, participates in all school team meetings and consults to each teacher and staff regarding specific strategies that support each student’s learning and the integration of the ‘Schools Attuned’ approach.

All youth who attend the School Program have access to psychiatric assessment. The consultant psychiatrist provides individual assessments, cognitive behaviour therapy groups, program and team consultation and staff development seminars.

The curriculum in the three classes is credit based and delivered within Ministry of Education guidelines. Subjects offered include English, Media, Mathematics, Physical Education, History, Geography, Science, Dramatic Arts, Visual Arts, Individual and Family Studies, Woodworking, Health and Career Studies. In addition to the regular course load, students can choose from a number of elective subjects. Electives have included creative writing, co-operative educational games, art and mural work, drama, wellness and nutrition. Therapeutic and educational groups are integrated into the curriculum. A girls group, boys group, life skills group, self awareness and personal skills group are some of the groups offered.

Regular field trips into the community include trips to the theatre, sporting events and musical performances. The School Program also offers opportunity for students to meet academic requirements for Community Work hours. All students have the opportunity to participate on the track and field and basketball teams.

In order to meet the varied individual needs of the students, the School Program places considerable emphasis on career studies. This emphasis grows out of recognition that many students who are discharged from Section 20 classrooms have limited information about their options for the future. Placement in the School Program provides an opportunity to educate the student on educational and career options. Students, youth workers, and teachers attend job fairs that focus on specific fields such as construction, information technology, health care. Guest speakers are invited to provide seminars that focus on apprenticeship programs, job training programs, alternative schools. At point of discharge our students will have come into contact with representatives of various educational and career programs.

The program also recognizes the artistic talents of many of the students and supports these ‘young artists’ by organizing visual art exhibitions and musical performances. The School Program has involved an established writer to meet with aspiring student writers to discuss techniques and publishing possibilities. Several students have entered poetry contests and have had their work published.

A Student Council with representatives from each classroom and the Clear Directions program assists the staff in the planning of monthly school assemblies, guest speakers, school events. Guest speakers enrich academic programming and address current issues. Recent topics have included anti-bullying strategies, black history month, sexual health and homophobia.

Teachers and staff work closely with community schools upon a student’s admission and prior to discharge to facilitate a smooth transition and integration back into the community. One staff is identified as a Transitional Support Worker and is available to meet with students and/or guidance counsellors in community schools following discharge.

Clear Directions

Clear Directions is a collaborative program provided by The George Hull Centre for Children and Families, Breakaway and The Toronto District School Board. The program is designed to assist youth, 18 years and under, who are struggling with serious substance abuse and mental health issues and who live in the Greater Toronto Area.

A multidisciplinary team working within a harm reduction philosophy engages youth by acknowledging and building on strength, instilling hope and inviting family and friends into the classroom and therapy room. A continuum of care encompassing outreach, individual, family and group therapy, day treatment, psychiatric consultation, residential care, case management and follow up is offered.

Clear Directions Staff:

• 3 full-time Child and Youth Workers provided by The George Hull Centre

• 1 Manager of Day Programs provided by The George Hull Centre

• 1 Consultant Psychiatrist (one half day weekly) provided by The George Hull Centre

• 1 Teacher provided by the Toronto District School Board

• 1 Social Worker provided by Breakaway

• 1 half-time Administrative Assistant (Intake)provided by Breakaway

• Psychological services on an as-needed basis provided by The George Hull Centre

The program provides learning and professional practice experience to the disciplines of Social Work, Psychiatry, Child and Youth Work and Addictions Counselling.

Individual and Family Therapy: The family is considered to be an essential part of the treatment team and required in order to move the youth from a disengaged or ‘drop out position’ to an engaged ‘involved’ position both at home and at school. Families and significant people in the youths’ lives are involved throughout treatment.

Day Treatment: Designated as a Section 23 classroom, the academic program is offered in partnership with The Toronto District School Board. All youth admitted to the classroom are between the ages of 13 –18 and have a history of serious substance use, family difficulties and school failure.

The day program has 8 - 10 spaces with a staff to youth ratio of one to four. The daily program offers a wide range of activity and modes of learning and provides students with opportunity for success and achievement. All curriculum is credit based and delivered within Ministry of Education guidelines.

The Physical Education, Dramatic and Visual Arts credits are offered through our Elective Programs and include students from both Clear Directions and the School Program. Electives provide students with choices and valuable opportunities to work with other teachers and students.

The Physical Education elective includes a track and field and basketball team. The “Hurricanes” compete with other community school program basketball teams. These teams bring an energy and ‘spirit’ to the school, facilitate connections with community schools and reduce the stigma that youth sometimes feel in a Section 23 classroom.

Clear Directions students who suffer from depression and anxiety participate in a 12-week Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Group. The program is based on a model developed by Dr. Cathy MacDonald of Chedoke Hospital and is led by the Clear Directions’ psychiatrist and Program staff.

All Clear Directions students participate in the DAWN Program, an early intervention program for substance using youths developed by the Pinewood Centre in Oshawa. This program consists of four, two-hour sessions that take place over a one-month period. The clinical objectives of the DAWN Program are to motivate clients toward self-evaluation and consideration of change related to current substance use practices. Motivational interventions are employed to reduce client resistance and to foster an environment that is conducive to exploring various aspects of substance use.

Students review their substance use and goals each morning and participate in daily groups that focus on giving them the facts on the effects of specific drugs, identifying triggers and relapse prevention.

The Clear Directions summer program is flexible and organized with student input. Depending on interest and needs, students have participated in camping and wilderness canoe trips, art programs, credit based summer school, youth leadership and job readiness programs.

Beginning in July 2005, the Clear Directions program will offer “First Contact: A Brief Treatment for Young Substance Users”. The brief contact program consists of four sessions. It was designed by Elsbeth Tupker and the Youth & Drugs and Mental Health Team at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Parents are involved in parent/teacher interviews every 6 to 8 weeks. Parents are encouraged to attend the various parent groups and seminars offered by the clinicians in the Centre’s Community Clinic and Breakaway.

Psychiatry Consultation: The consultant provides individual and family assessments, cognitive behaviour therapy groups, program and team consultation, educational seminars and supervision of psychiatry residents.

Psychology Consultation: Psychological assessments are completed on all Clear Directions students.

Residential Care: Youth who require intensive support are able to access the Centre’s residential programs. Decisions to admit an adolescent with a serious substance abuse problem to one of our residential programs is made carefully because of the contagion of substance use and the vulnerability of the youth in the residence. Youth requiring residential treatment and not experiencing other severe mental health symptoms are referred to the Sister Margaret Smith Centre, a five-week inpatient rehabilitation program in Thunder Bay. The standardized drug and alcohol assessments that are required for most residential programs are completed by Breakaway.

Follow up: Due to the nature of ‘addiction’ problems and the high rate of ‘relapse’, the follow up and ongoing community care component of the program is significant. It is offered to all youth and families for as long as they find it useful. They are assured that they may return to the program at any time and there will be no wait for service.

Specific follow up plans are designed in consultation with the youth, their family, the Clear Directions team and outside professionals involved. A follow up treatment plan might include continued individual and family therapy, community support, a part time academic program or continued attendance in one of the substance abuse or therapeutic groups.