Pathways

I was recently in Toronto for an event and travelled two different ways to get there and back. My wife had dropped me at the Calgary airport on the way there. I flew to Kitchener, Ontario, where my son met me. It was a relatively uneventful trip and took about four hours.

While I was attending the event, my wife began a journey of her own, driving to Toronto to pick up some stained glass that required safe auto transport to make it back to Calgary in one piece. Upon her arrival at my son’s home, we spent some wonderful quality time with our grandkids before making the return drive to Calgary together.

We limited our stops to fuel, food, and washrooms – mainly driving straight through on the return trip. It was fun. We had Sirius radio playing and took turns sleeping and driving. We were home in 35 hours.

This experience really made me consider how we get to Toronto from Calgary and all the ways to make that journey. You can fly, drive a car or motorcycle, take a bus (maybe!) or a train. All different methods, but they all achieve the same result. They all achieve the desired goal of getting to Toronto.

This made me think about our work here at Simon House. The end goal, like getting to Toronto, is very clear. We desire to graduate our people so that they achieve their next goal —a lifetime of recovery. And just like the drive to Toronto, while the goal is the same, the routes are different. There are many addiction programs. Ours is 12-step based, there is SMART recovery, there are residential and day programs, some are 30 days, others are 12 weeks, and some are a year or more. We know about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, and Contingency Management.

After treatment, there are various groups like AA and NA that can provide further support. Here at Simon House, we talk about our Individualized Program Plans, which are so important because no one is the same. Everyone who comes for treatment has a different background, different traumas, and different triggers. Everyone needs to find the way that works for them, just like we find our way to Toronto. If I fear flying, air travel is not an option for me. If I am indigenous, my cultural interventions will be different than if I’m not. Sweats, smudging, and being grounded to the Creator are important routes to the end goal, but they may not work for everyone.

So here at Simon House, understanding that one size does not fit all, we respectfully want to find a variety of modalities that will support client differences, leading to the ultimate goal. That is why we have developed the Indigenous track. That is why we are developing the LGBTQ track. Let’s commit to keeping our focus on the prize of recovery and support people with the best way to reach their goals!

— Dr. John R.