Our admission process and criteria

Who do we serve?

The Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre (DSYTC) residential treatment program provides services to adolescents and young adults 13-21 years of age who have substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions and who, typically, have been unsuccessful in overcoming substance misuse  in less intensive treatment environments.

Who is eligible for admission?

Entrance criteria consist of 4 key considerations:

1.    Symptoms or a diagnosis of substance abuse/dependency.
2.    Inability to control substance use in a treatment environment of lesser intensity.
3.    Significant functional impairment as a result of substance use.
4.    Substance use within the past 30 days.

Who is not eligible for admission?

Exclusion criteria include but may not be limited to the following considerations:

1.  Actively homicidal and/or suicidal.
2.  Significant intellectual challenges precluding meaningful participation.

Please Note:

The residential treatment program is voluntary, therefore, only youth who are willing to attend and participate in the program are eligible to apply.

For safety reasons, youth under 16 years of age whose caregivers live at a driving distance greater than 2 hours from our sites are ineligible to apply.

Families and/or caregivers who reside within the 2 hour driving radius must agree to pick up their child in the event of an unplanned discharge.

Who can refer a youth for admission?

Referrals to the DSYTC come from a variety of sources including:

- Adolescents or young adults with addiction problems (self-referral);
- Parents, caregivers or family members;
- Private practitioners, physicians or clergy;
- Addiction  and mental health assessment/treatment agencies;
- Community-based programs, services and partners (e.g. Children’s Aid Society, Youth Service Bureau);
- Institutional partners (e.g. Royal Ottawa Hospital/CHEO, teaching and community hospitals).

 
What is the application process?

The multi-step application process includes an initial contact with the Intake Coordinator, the scheduling of an intake telephone interview and consent for the collection of relevant medical, legal and academic documents.

Admission decisions will be based on the established eligibility criteria and other relevant information.

While we are committed to reducing barriers to admission and understand the urgency of each youth’s needs, this application process is designed to ensure that our program and services are an appropriate fit for each potential client. As such, a waiting period can be expected.