Your treatment at Ashnola includes the following:

The care team at Ashnola includes counsellors, recreation workers, Indigenous Elders, youth workers, teachers and family therapists. Physicians and psychiatrists are available for consultation via telehealth. 

Ashnola’s approach to treating substance use addiction is based on research evidence. Staff members will be sensitive to various backgrounds, including Indigenous cultures. All care is trauma-informed, which means staff will keep in mind any trauma in your background and work to ensure you feel safe and supported.  

The treatment program has several levels based on your goals. Most people will finish treatment within three to six months.

If you are accepted into the program, you will go through withdrawal management and detox before beginning your treatment. It’s important to understand that Ashnola does not provide a stabilization program. It is also not designed for people who need other kinds of medical treatment in a hospital setting.

Ashnola at the Crossing, the only program of its kind in British Columbia, is a specialized substance addiction treatment program for youth and young adults across the province. It’s meant for youth whose primary concern is substance addiction, who have experienced several relapses, and whose treatment needs for substance use or addiction are beyond what their local community health resources or health authority can offer.  While mental health supports will be provided, Ashnola is not designed for mental health diagnosis. Treatment is voluntary. 

To receive treatment at Ashnola, you need a referral from a health care professional.

BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services provides leadership, expertise, and oversight to a number of specialized provincial programs that are delivered by carefully selected contractors. We have partnered with the Pacific Community Resources Society to deliver Ashnola at the Crossing. The facility is provided by the Central City Foundation.