In the early 1990's, the Calgary downtown Rotary Club discovered that adolescents who were going to treatment in the USA were coming back to Canada and relapsing at an alarming rate. The Alberta Government was in the process of cutting of access to US treatment programs citing costs and ineffectiveness as well as possible abuse. The Rotary club took it upon themselves to ask two psychologist Rotarians to look into the Kids of Bergen County Program. These two professionals traveled to NJ for several days of observation. They were treated to a "dog and pony show" where the best and brightest Kids clients were seen in Raps and parents and star clients and staff were interviewed. The two gentlemen were not totally fooled by this performance, and were determined to take the parts that worked from Kids and make sure none of the harmful aspects were included in a possible new program.
After much research the initial board of directors was formed and Dr. Vause a Masters graduate was hired to put together the a framework for adolescent treatment in Calgary. Working with a core of Kids returnees from various parts of Canada and the US, and Aftercare program was established. Some of the Kids kids new Dr. Vause from his brief stint in NJ. Some ended up becoming the first peer councilors. The Rotary Club raised an initial amount of just over $100,000 and this was used as operating capital once a building was found. Dr. Vause was supervised by a board of Directors including the Clinical Chair, a noted psychologist.
Moral inventories at AARC were used occaisionally, used in conjucnction with individual treatment plans, set up by the clients priamry peer and clinical. They were never rigidly enforced, except when a fourth level client was at step 10 and would go over there day to see what they had done that was positive or negative. It was merely a tool to get one in the habit of reviewing their day. By the time I got to level 3 and was working and going to school, it was up to me to go for help, talk about any obstacles I was encountering. The transition from level 2 to 3was looked forward to, one could smoke, go to meetings, go to school, drive etc.
I personally was very unsure of myself coming into AARC, and was built up to realize I could do anything I chose to do. I was encouraged to set goals, within treatment and also for the future. I had no idea how to have a healthy relationship with a partner, I learned from some of the greatest parent couples how to do this.
