Profile - Substance Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation in Canada

Glossary of treatment definitions

Assessment: Systematic procedures for the identification of a client's major strengths and problem areas, culminating in a treatment plan and referral for assistance.

Client Satisfaction: Formal survey of clients on level of satisfaction with various aspects of service.

Continuing Care (aftercare): Resources or services that provide continuing encouragement and additional services as needed following a client's completion of a treatment plan.

Day/ Evening Treatment: Intensive, structured non-residential treatment, typically provided five days a week (e.g. 3-4 hours per day). Such programs may also be provided in institutional settings (e.g. Corrections).

Family/Marital Therapy: Involvement of spouse, family members and/or significant others in the therapeutic process in order to improve communication, problem-solving and other skills in the family, thereby modifying alcohol and other drug use by the client and providing support to the family. In some programs, family members are clients in their own right.

HIV Prevention: Activities targeted at clients to educate them about the risk factors associated with the transmission of HIV infection and/or to provide supportive counselling to those identified as HIV positive.

Home Detoxification: Individuals are assisted through withdrawal at home by trained community personnel.

Medical Detoxification: The use of drugs such as diazepam or chlormethiazole to assist in the withdrawal from alcohol and other drugs.

Methadone Maintenance Treatment: The use of methadone in a prescribed and systematic fashion as a substitute for opiates in order to stabilize the user while lifestyle and interpersonal changes are attempted.

Methadone Maintenance Treatment - high dose: Average dosage of 60-100 mg/ d

Methadone Maintenance Treatment - low dose: Average dosage of 30-50 mg/ d .

Needle Exchange Program: The free exchange of used or clean needles and other material required for the safer injection of drugs (i.e. bleach kits).

Outcome Evaluation: Investigates the impact of the delivered services on the client (e.g. percentage of clients that reduce alcohol use by 80% for 12 months following treatment).

Outpatient Treatment: Treatment provided on a non-residential basis, usually in regularly scheduled sessions (e.g. 1-2 hours per week).

Outreach: A service that reaches out beyond the usual boundaries of agency activity to identify and engage individuals known to have, or to be at risk of having, alcohol or drug problems.

Problem Drinking: Drinking that results in health or social problems that are usually considered to be less severe than those associated with alcohol dependence.

Quality Assurance: Systematic process designed to maintain satisfactory levels of service delivery and to improve quality of care.

Residential Treatment (long-term): Treatment and/or rehabilitation services provided for a period of time typically longer than 40 days. These programs include recovery homes, halfway houses, three-quarter-way houses and therapeutic communities.

Residential Treatment (short-term): Treatment provided for an intensive, structured period of time while the client resides in-house. The length of stay is typically less than 40 days.

Social Detoxification: Assistance with the withdrawal from alcohol or drugs without the aid of drug therapy.

Social-Medical Detoxification: An approach combining elements of both approaches.

Twelve Step Self-help: Treatment activities based on the disease perspective of alcoholism and other chemical dependencies, and the 12-step approach of AA or similar self-help groups.

Walk-in and Crisis Service: A service which emphasizes ease and immediacy of access and which provides assistance, support, advice or attention to urgent medical, psycho-social and basic needs.