Building Bridges in Recovery

Your support is helping recovery participants access holistic care

They say change is constant, and nowhere is that truer than at UGM. We see transformation daily, as community members adapt, grow, and take their next steps into well-being. Thanks to donors like you, there are exciting changes happening in Men’s Recovery programming as well! 

When current Counselling Supervisor Jesse arrived at UGM three years ago as a counsellor, there were already several counsellors in place to support men in recovery — and they were busy. “Each counsellor had their own caseload, and were solely responsible for their clients’ care,” he says.

While the team worked hard to connect with the men in programming, it was obvious that everyone would benefit from some additional help. So, in 2021, recovery coaches were added to the mix. “Recovery coaching looks at where a person is today,” explains Recovery Coaching Supervisor Nicole. “They identify the roadblocks in front of people, and then act as a cheerleader to help them navigate that.”

The sharing of care for Men’s Recovery has meant men have more options — and more support. For the first time, thanks to more schedule availability, men have someone they can reach out to on evenings or weekends.

“We're not reinventing the wheel, we're taking the whole continuum of care and adding bridges, which is really cool.” — Nicole, Recovery Coaching Supervisor

Counsellors and coaches are in place for men in the first and second stages of recovery. But what happens as men go further into their aftercare journeys? Thanks to a new partnership with Lower-Mainland-based counselling group No Fear Counselling, they can still access support.

No Fear Counselling will make counsellors available to UGM Recovery graduates — both men and women who have moved into aftercare — at accessible rates. “We’re in this field to help people,” says Founder and Clinical Director Ofir. “The more people we can help heal, the better their individual lives are, and the better the lives of people close to them. And that permeates out into the community and the world at large.”

For men in recovery at UGM, change is underway. “Having people in your corner who can help you sift through circumstances and see ahead is such a special opportunity,” says Nicole. “We’re so grateful we can provide men in recovery with more support during their time here.” 

Learn more about our Men’s Recovery Program and how men are transforming their lives at UGM.