Province launching recovery coaching program to help people dealing with addictions
Dressed in bright blue jackets, volunteers will soon be hitting Calgary streets looking to connect vulnerable Calgarians struggling with addictions with support and resources.
“They’re going to work with people that are beginning or in their journey of recovery or even curious about recovery,” said Steve Gaspar, executive director of Recovery Coaches Alberta. “They’re going to work with that individual to help them achieve their own personal goals, whatever that looks like for them.”
Recovery coaches will engage with people around city parks, shelters, hospital emergency rooms, jails and correctional facilities.
15 people have just completed five weeks of training. Another group is set to start training this month.
HELP SETTING GOALS
The recovery coaches are in long-term recovery. They will guide those dealing with addictions to supports which could include finding a sponsor, accessing treatment options and making connections with community partners that help with housing and employment.
“It’s different in the way that we are not therapists, we’re not there to judge people. We’re there to meet on their level and help guide them, help set their own goals and achieve those goals,” said Sierra Hanson, who has just completed training.
Hanson said a program like this would have been beneficial to her when she was struggling with mental health issues and an addiction to crystal meth.
“I was in and out of the hospitals quite a bit and I think if I had someone really meet me on my level who had shared experience, I probably would have gotten to recovery a lot sooner,” said Hanson.
The coaches will remain in contact with the clients through their journey.
PATHWAY TO RECOVERY
The province said this is another tool to help people on the pathway to recovery.
“It won’t be just as simple as taking somebody to a shelter, taking them to Alpha House, Drop In Centre as an example, but really helping guide them to a path of detox, treatment, recovery, again trying to stop that cycle of abuse,” said Mike Ellis, Associate Minister, Mental Health and Addictions.
Ellis said the program is about connecting those struggling with addictions to multiple resources with the goal of ultimately helping someone be on a path to a better life.
The Alberta Addiction Service Providers Association has received nearly $1 million to train the recovery coaches in Calgary. The group represents over 30 detox, treatment, harm reduction, peer supportive housing and recovery operators in Alberta.
A mix of staff and volunteer coaches will be out starting in October. The province said the goal is to expand the coaching program throughout Alberta.
NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED TO FIND PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
The province has also launched a one-stop-shop website for Albertans to find information about addiction-related programs and services.
RecoveryAccessAlberta.ca will help people find a list of services including detox or treatment centres, harm reduction services or peer supportive housing.
The website launch comes ahead of International Overdose Awareness day on Tuesday.
According to data from the province, from January to May of this year, 624 Albertans have died from an accidental overdose.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.