The Dave Smith Centre provides intensive addiction treatment services by way of a medium term, gender-segregated residential treatment environment for youth aged 13 to 21. Treatment services are currently provided from 2 separate campuses. DSYTC is a non-profit, residential community-based agency that provides youth with a comprehensive assessment of their needs, 3-month residential treatment and 3-month post-residential continuing care. Clients are able to access academic programming, by way of M.F. McHugh Education Centre, individual and group counselling, as well as therapeutic support for themselves and their families. Professional referral is not required for the DSYTC. Students and their families can self-refer and the youth must be interested in attending and engaging in treatment.
This DSYTC Campus, located in Carp is a 12-bed facility for females. There is a McHugh teacher at this campus with academic class time from 9 – 12:30 each day. The teacher is supported by clinical staff in the classroom at both sites. The teacher offers students a broad range of courses at all academic levels in multiple disciplines. Students can also be supported to maintain progress in courses from their community schools, and are eligible to earn credits that are co-facilitated with the treatment centre, such as Food and Nutrition, Learning Strategies and Health for Life.
A McHugh Itinerant Technology Teacher spends time at this site as well and teaches woodworking, small engine repair, communications technology and photography. Students participate in weekly activities to learn a variety of useful life skills tech lessons such as plumbing, basic electrical, drywall repair, fasteners, tools, measurement, and they have the option to earn tech credits, should they choose to extend their weekly lessons to fully developed course expectations. The itinerant teacher has also facilitated a music credit for a student who wanted to improve their guitar playing.
There are weekly teacher-led opportunities to develop pro-social skills such as knitting, sewing, crochet, arts, crafts, photography, video-making, and clay. Youth who have skills are encouraged to share with their peers; workshops have included making dream catchers and painted book covers. All the youth who come in have an opportunity to exercise their self-expression through our on-going Voices of Change project where they are able to take photos and find an inspirational quote and use Photoshop to create posters.
Referrals to this program are made through self-referral, where a student can contact the Centre directly.
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