By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer
On May 2, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) of North and West Vancouver hosted a Consumer Involvement and Initiatives Program at the Segal Centre to celebrate the opening of the Recovery College YVR. This community centre offers free courses surrounding mental health and substance use. It is the first of its kind in the Lower Mainland to focus on inpatient care and outpatient rehab.
Inpatient care consists of the individual admitting themselves into a program with a “controlled environment to address substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health conditions, and other behaviors that may be causing them difficulty,” according to Addiction Center. This program offers the individual residence in a treatment centre and constant medical or emotional support.
In comparison, “Outpatient treatment is generally considered to be less restrictive than inpatient programs.” These programs involve the indivudal attending short daily treatment sessions, multiple times a week. This type of care “allows more flexibility for work and life needs, as well as an opportunity to readjust into the world with support.”
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), most mental health services specifically focus on individuals with severe and continuing mental health problems. This leaves 20% of Canadians unaddressed when they face mild to moderate mental health and substance use issues. CAMH reported, “People with mental illness and substance use disorders are more likely to die prematurely than the general population. Mental illness can cut 10 to 20 years from a person’s life expectancy.”
Speakers who attended the event included Julia Kaisla, the executive director of the North and West Vancouver CMHA brand, the honourable Jennifer Whiteside, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Andrew MacFarlane, the Regional Director of Mental Health and Substance Use of Vancouver Coastal Health as well as MJ, a recovery college peer support worker with lived experience.
The Recovery College YVR classes include art therapy, pet therapy, mediation and self-management for addiction. They also offer specialized language sessions, such as the Farsi speaking women’s group.
For more information on the Recovery College YVR programs, visit their website at recoverycollegeyvr.ca/.
