Claresholm Centre for Mental Health & Addictions - Claresholm, Alberta

Peter H

This place saved my life! I was an inpatient in the Concurrent Disorders Program, just discharged! This program is absolutely excellent, I have no words... except to say it's head and shoulders above any other recovery program I've yet encountered! Because of the genuine care and authenticity that was shown to me, and the true effectiveness of the skills taught to me during my stay at the Centre, I feel I can finally move forward in my life and build it into the life I know I deserve!

At the Claresholm Centre, they dig deep, both into the material they are teaching and also deep inside of yourself, if you are open to it, that is... If the time is right for you to grab hold of change, then there is no better place for you to be! The staff are amazing! They truly care and you can tell each and every one of them are there because they really WANT to be there, not because its an obligation. The doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, everyone! They are all a cut above!

Living at the centre is a vibrant experience! It's a far cry from being an inpatient at other inpatient treatment programs. Here they treat you like an adult, and do what they can to prepare you for the works outside instead of shelter you from it! You are allowed your phone and electronics outside of program hours, you can earn the trust to leave the grounds and venture into town on your own, and you can even eventually have leaves of absence on the weekends to leave the centre overnight!

There is a plethora of activities to do each day, they have excellent recreation therapists! They even have a huge pool and wonderful hot tub (see pictures)! The other clients are not there to screw around, they are there to work on themselves and it leads to a positive atmosphere. They were all very friendly, welcoming and helpful, putting me at ease from day one.

Overall I'll remember this as a turning point in my life. The skills I learned here I'll take with me for the rest of my life. They are so powerful and effective, I'd be lost without them. Thank you to everyone who made my journey of healing possible at the Claresholm Centre!

Joseph Vallejo

Claresholm Mental Health & Addiction Centre has been an amazing time for me. The staff was amazing and always friendly. You will get teased in a friendly manner from them, I kid you not! The food was out of this world too. The skills learned was another factor in having me educated with my stress. The gym was where I found joy as I was provided opportunity to use good coping skills. I had tons of fun in a foreseen hobby for myself- swimming. So I plan to do swimming now that I am out. Additionally, we had trips such as going to the Movie Mill in Lethbridge, Waterton, Tim Hortons, Park Place Mall, and Home of the Birds (I forgot the name but it deals with birds…). I am not sure if these trips happen monthly or yearly. Though it was nice. Of course, I had my ups and downs such as, not attending the gym and the pool, and maybe eating too much as well as snacking. Despite it all I know that the Claresholm Centre was truly memorable. The schedules were there if I may add. To anyone reading this, I hope your journey of ups and downs end with success. God bless and let’s keep on going! 💯

coco 1

I have been here for over two months and I can confidently say that this is the best place I have ever been. some nurses might be a little challenging but most of the other staff are so kind and compassionate towards helping us and the programs or activities are really fun like crafts, and swimming and much more. I was really anxious about coming here but I got settled pretty quickly and also the wilderness is amazing u see deers and squirrels and birds almost everyday it really is an amazing and beautiful sight as well. The patients are kind as well they mostly mind their own business as long as u don’t bother anyone no one will bother you. Your needs and concerns are heard which is a big thing for me. I really appreciate everyone in here and hope that my stay is as positive as this. Totally will recommend this place any time.

Gareth Burke

The program is amazing the doctors nurses counsolers kitchenette staff night supervisors security are all top nothing friendly and extremly knowledgable they rewire your brain for success and change your Outlook on life including but not limited to cbt lésions and exercices as well as heartfelt one on one sessions with counsers doctors of various feild and compasionate staff who really do care I was a patient there due to my to OxyContin dependency and alcohol addiction.i discoved that bi polar played à part in my struggle with both and have been clean and sober since.i highly recommend applying and attending giving it your all if you are at à dead end or rock button or if you just need help. It will change your life thank you everyone

Alexandra McDonald

Politics and small town mentality. Rule enforcing outweighs the clients recovery. I was bullied by a staff member and the situation was covered up, and then reinforced by the management. Great program. Great staff. However at the end of the day...it’s a business. Facilitators are excellent. Middle Management needs to step it up tho.
Footnote: although I stand by my original comment. I will add, 5 treatment centres, 20 years. And by the grace if God, and the skills I learned there. I am still SOBER! The Promises are evident in my life. 835 days of continuous sobriety. ODAT!

oh, and I will also add. I literally had them write me a discharge letter stating.
Asked to leave for calling someone... Nurse Ratchet. Soooooo. I’ll leave that right there. 🥴 progress not perfection.

Note. Just celebrated 4 years. 🙏❤️

And now 5 !!
And 8!!

Natasha M

I have been here twice. First time I was clean 6 years before relapsing. I went back during the pandemic. I was a very sick individual & I have changed so much since. I had a short slip after discharge but got right back on the horse & by the grace of God I will have been sober 2 years on May. 28/23. Many of the staff are extraordinarily kind & helpful & really do care. Because of the authenticity & genuine care & concern I felt from those staff members who sat, talked, listened & spent time with me, I felt heard, understood & validated at a time in life where I believed myself to be worthless & ineffective at life. however for the majority of the staff members in leadership roles, I found them to be less understanding & often would take things I said completely out of context. I was penalized for saying that I felt they were not being supportive of 12 Step recovery. Our NA/AA meetings were completely client directed. We were not encouraged to do online meetings as a group or individually, in fact we were told we could NOT participate as a group in a structured online meeting because of "confidentiality" although each person in our small group of 4 agreed we wanted to participate in a "real" meeting & even asked if we could do so with our cameras turned off to get around the "confidentiality" issue. There were people who had never attended a 12 step meeting & were nervous to do so on their own but still, we weren't allowed. They were very strict on our phone time & weren't allowed extra time with our devices to attend meetings outside the 2 or so hours we were allowed for personal use on weekends & no such time was permitted during the weekdays. Keep in mind that usually we were permitted a weekend pass but since it was a pandemic we could not leave the property for the entire duration of our 12 week stay. When I voiced my concern to the "man in charge" it became quite evident to me (and many others) that I had made an unintended enemy. There seem to be 2 camps among the staff. The staff who are there for the clients versus staff who are there for the pay cheque. The latter are staff who will & DID use personal information against me & was told I could not stay for the 2nd phase. Smh...it's too bad about the politics because the program, the doctors and 75% of the staff are AMAZING! If the other 25% would recall that we are sick addicts with undiagnosed mental health issues that are attempting to learn how to have human interactions all over again & have some compassion instead of taking things personally & holding grudges, this place would be 5☆...Do I recommend Claresholm? Yes I do, BUT I strongly recommend that you go into the place realizing you need to get to know the staff b4 pouring your heart out. Realize that even seemingly harmless jokes can be read as something malicious or "trouble making" by certain staff members, particularly the ones in charge. If you can keep your lip zipped (which I obviously didn't) & focus on the program instead of the politics, you can walk out of there with some very effective, life changing skills that will help you maintain your sobriety for life - so long as you keep using them PAIRED WITH A 12 STEP PROGRAM that u will need to seek outside of the Claresholm dual diagnosis program.

I have much gratitude for Claresholm as a whole experience, not changing a thing for we can't change our past & many great & hard lessons have been won from my experience.
Please do consider this program, this review is meant as information, not slander or any attempt to try to convince a person to not seek the help they so desperately need at this facility. If u read the other reviews, good & bad alike, you should start to note a pattern of these reviewers holding a good amount of clean time. At the end of the day, is this not what we are seeking? Is not sobriety/living clean the point?

*UPDATE: I made it over 3 years clean & sober!*

Joesph Sansome

Although I refused to take any drugs to help me sleep and therefore my stay was cut short. The staff, facilities, food, programs, and overall help that I experienced there were excellent! Truly couldn't have ended up in a better facility. It helped truly turn my life around and I picked up some activities that I still participate in today. Coming up on a year to the day I checked myself into treatment. No regrets!

RedStarr

I enjoyed my experience here for the most part.
I met some interesting people while working through difficult problems.

They have wonderful people working there from housekeeping & kitchen as well as Medical staff.
Most are very passionate about their careers and the people they serve.

While there you will learn new ways, healthy ways to achieve better outcomes in seemingly impossible situations.
Coping with dark thoughts and traumas, your life traps, how to self regulate & communicate your needs assertively.

Try to be open, honest and Kind.

Be patient
It’s a hard journey
Just know that if you put in the work
Things do change
You will change
Life gets better

❤️