Credit Valley Hospital - START Program

Description

START Day Hospital Program

Based on the Recovery Model, the START Program is a group and individual therapy program for individuals who have been diagnosed with mood disorders, adjustment disorders and anxiety disorders. The program helps individuals move through the recovery process by providing hope, decreasing the duration/frequency of symptoms, improving coping skills and empowering them to take personal responsibility for their mental health and overall well-being. The ultimate aim of the Program is to prevent future relapse/recurrence and/or to manage the threat of relapse with more skill and less fear.

Services

The START Program is a client-centred, psychoeducational program which involves mainly group therapy and which focuses on mindful cognitive-behavioural strategies, using a solution-focused, goal directed treatment approach. The program emphasizes finding solutions, enhancing coping strategies, increasing supports and striving for a healthy balance in the areas of self-care, productivity and leisure. It has been found that helping clients to prepare to return to employment and other forms of meaningful activity is key to the recovery process and helps them regain a positive identity and rebuild a sense of purpose and value. Regular individual appointments with the prime therapist focus on monitoring progress and discussing issues of concern.

Recovery is:

Rediscovering hope, commitment and taking responsibility. It’s about taking ownership for transformation, for making choices, for focusing on strengths, for being actively engaged in treatment and support decisions.
Accepting limitations, thereby allowing individuals to pursue and discover talents, gifts and possibilities.
Managing mood and anxiety symptoms in a more healthy and adaptive manner, which in turn, decreases the duration and frequency of symptoms.
Not a linear process. Even though symptoms may re-occur, because mental illness is episodic by nature, recovery involves periods of good and difficult times, set backs and accomplishments; a relapse does not mean progress is suddenly undone.
About recovering from the consequences of mental illness as well, which can be more difficult than recovering from the illness itself: increasing one’s resilience to stigma and increasing one’s self-esteem.
About REDEFINING oneself – it’s about accepting the illness as only one part of a multi-dimensional identity.
Reference: www.heretohelp.bc.ca/

Duration (how long the procedure will usually take):
A minimum commitment of 2 weeks is required. The program runs for a maximum of 12 weeks.
Recovery Time: Varies
Cost: Covered by OHIP, parking excepted.
Schedule: Clients attend an average of 10 groups per week, 3 – 5 days per week.

Program hours are 9 am – 4 pm
Secretarial coverage from 8 am – 5 pm

How do I get referred?
A referral by a physician or psychiatrist is required. A psychiatric consultation will be arranged if necessary. Upon receipt of the referral, an appointment will be arranged with one of the multidisciplinary team members for an assessment.

What types of topics/issues do you address?
Many clients benefit from working on issues such as increasing motivation, self-esteem, assertiveness, mood management (depression, anger, and anxiety), work-life balance, leisure and self-care.

Who could benefit?
Individuals with a history of recurrent episodes of mental health deterioration.
Individuals on disability insurance who require a structured rehabilitation program to enhance health and wellness.
Individuals who have mental health deterioration and require a day program to prevent hospitalization.
Individuals who have recently been discharged from an inpatient psychiatric admission.

What can I expect?
Clients are expected to be able to make a significant time commitment and to set program goals in collaboration with their prime therapist. Progress often depends on the individual’s ability to take an active role in their own recovery.

How big are the groups?
The average group size is typically 8 – 10 members.

What if I’m shy or anxious to talk in groups?
Some individuals do experience anxiety in group situations. However we find this diminishes significantly within the first 1 – 2 weeks once familiar with the environment.

Phone: 905-813-4029
Fax: 905-813-4284

Location:

The program is accessible via the reception desk for Outpatient Mental Health Services, just outside of 2D [see map]

Testimonials:

“The START Program taught me effective strategies that I can put to use daily, to cope and to channel my feelings constructively.”
“I definitely gained a lot of wisdom from this program and I am determined to use the strategies I learned to always give me confidence and peace of mind.”
“I just did not go back to my old self but I felt I became a much better individual.”
“I now have more self-confidence and gained back my self-esteem.”
“Going to this course helped me see that I am not alone and I am not the only one suffering with this disease [depression].”
“The skills and literature from START have made a tremendous difference to my life and I continue to use them on a daily basis.”
“Coming to the START Program was the best decision I made in my life.”
“Overall this is the very effective program for people who suffer in depression. Depression is one of the illnesses people can’t understand. But by the family information session the staff made the other family members clear about the illness and made them support us with care. Thank you for giving me my healthy life back.”

Links:

www.cmhapeel.ca
www.camh.net
www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/#
www.mhrecovery.com
http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/