Guidelines & Boundaries

Healing and recovery are your number one priority. Clients are responsible to be on time and participate in all phases of the program. After 3 weeks of residency, your progress is reviewed. Your attitude in treatment will determine the outcome. Clients who are asked to leave or voluntarily leave the program cannot visit or return to the Lodge for a period of 6 months.

Clients are required to work with their assigned counselor throughout their treatment. Please go through your assigned counselor for any of your needs, do not ask the other staff. Clients do not refer themselves to see the Director or the Program Manager. While in treatment, the Administration office, the secretarial window and doors to the entrance foyer are off limits.

Any drug paraphernalia found during intake will be discarded immediately and the client will be asked to explain the incident.

Clients will inform their caseload counsellor if there is information you require from your cellphone and any impending professional calls you are waiting for.

Cell phones are not permitted while in treatment. Cell phones will be put in safe keeping until your program completion. Withholding any cellphones will result in you leaving Wah Pow Healing Lodge. While on outings, clients are not to use phones in town or borrow cell phones from people including staff.

Upon arrival, the following items will be placed in safe keeping; pocket knives, scissors and hair clippers.  Also, all electronic devices including iPod, iPad, lap tops and clock radios. These items will be returned to you upon departure from the Healing Lodge.

Upon Intake, prescribed asthma inhalers, eye drops, foot creams, foot spray, gels, creams and ointments properly labelled can be kept in your room. ALL prescribed medications taken orally will be stored in a locked medicine bin. All medications must be newly prescribed and outdated prescribed medications will be discarded.

Razors, shavers, colognes, perfumes, hair spray, nail polish & nail polish remover will be stored in your personal bin.  In the morning, you can access your item for daily use from the residence security office.  Please return these items back to the office when you are finished using them.

Clients must be appropriately dressed at all times; no low cut or revealing clothing, such as tank tops, spaghetti strap shirts, muscle shirts, short shorts and short skirts. Please remove hats during meals, smudge and prayers. No covering the head with hoodies, bandanas or sunglasses while indoors. Accessories and clothing that promote the use of drugs, alcohol and pornographic material will be taken upon intake and stored until completion of program.  Any items left behind upon your discharge, will be discarded after two weeks.

Profanity, street language, inappropriate hand gestures, inappropriate sexual comments, racist jokes and disruptive behavior are not appropriate in the healing process. A Verbal Warning will be given should this occur. If a client continues these actions a Behavioral Change Contract will follow. Should the actions continue, a Breach of Contract; resulting in leaving the healing lodge would be the ending result.

There will be no hair coloring, tattoos or piercing allowed during your program. Braiding of hair is only permitted by same gender or by cohabitating partner. Clients are not to give other clients hair cut or buzz cuts.

For safety reasons, clients, couples and staff are not allowed to wrestle, horseplay, or play pranks on each other. Couples are allowed to hold hands, kiss each other goodnight, however couples cannot rest heads on each other, nor snuggle while sitting together.

Clients are to stay in their assigned bedrooms for the duration of their program.  Please do not switch rooms nor ask other staff members to let you switch rooms. Your caseload counsellor will determine if a different assigned room is necessary. Clients are not allowed in the bedrooms not assigned to them.

Monday to Friday:

• Morning wake-up call is at 7:00 am. Coffee is provided for morning consumption in the residence common area. Please do not
take coffee to your bedroom.  Wash your cup after use and do not remove them from the residence building.
• Bedroom and common area cleanup must be completed before morning breakfast.
• Morning medication is between 7:00 am - 8:00 am.
• Lunch medication is 12:45pm-1:15pm.
• Supper Medication 5:30pm-6:30pm.
• Bed time Medication 9:00pm-10:30pm.
• Breakfast in main building is at 8:00 am.
• Morning prayer, smudging and meditation for the day is at 9:00am in the session room located near the dining area in the main
building.
• Weekends and holidays, the main building will be open for meals, sessions and Sunday visiting hours.

Due to health and sanitization reasons, food and juices are not to be in the bedrooms. Cleaning supplies are accessible in the janitorial room and to be returned after usage. When leaving your bedroom, please turn off all lights, remember to unplug any hair appliances. Any hair appliances found plugged in during room checks will be taken and stored in your personal bin. Clients’ rooms and units are checked daily by staff.

During your stay in the Residence building, any type of bedding or pillows are not to be removed from your bedroom.  Throw blankets are to be kept in your room. Please do not bring your throw blanket to the main building or TV room.

Laundry is NOT to be done during program hours. The laundry schedule is posted on the laundry window. Clean sheets will be provided by the support staff every week. The schedule is Tuesday for women and Wednesday for men. Please place your used sheets in the yellow bin provided in the laundry room.

Closed shoes are to be worn in the kitchen. You will be assigned breakfast, lunch, and supper dishes plus general cleanup of the kitchen, dining and session area. Please do not take it upon yourself to alter the assigned therapeutic duties list posted on the kitchen door.

Daily group walks are scheduled for 9:30 am (weather permitting) after morning smudge ceremony, after lunch dish duties are completed by clients, and after all supper duties have been completed.

PLEASE HAVE PROPER FOOTWEAR ON AT ALL TIMES. For safety reasons, do not wear slippers, flip flops or crocks outdoors during the rainy and winter season.

Water in clear containers is permitted in session room, bedroom and residence television room and the recreation area. Coffee and juices are not allowed in the session room.

Do not bring beading, board games, cards, puzzles and non-program books to the main building. These items are to stay in the residence building. Only program material allowed in main building.

Monday to Friday, ceremonial smudging is at 9:00 am in the group session room. Smudge is optional however all clients must be present during the morning prayer and daily reflection readings. Clients are asked to share the responsibility of performing smudging ceremony. Weekend and evening smudge is available in the Residence Building.

On culture day, clients must be at the sweat lodge ceremony, unless a caseload counselor approves non-participation. The women are asked to wear capped sleeves with the ceremonial skirt to the Sweat-lodge. The teaching of the Elder is to be respected and followed.

Emergency medical appointments are made by your caseload counsellor. Clients do not fill their own prescriptions. The van driver has them filled out and delivers them to the lodge. When at medical appointment, clients are not to leave the clinic nor the van when appointment is finished. Clients with serious medical issues will be taken to the hospital. DO not leave the hospital until Wah Pow van driver is there to pick you up.

Any food allergies or health hazards must be reported to a case load counsellor. The kitchen staff will be informed of food allergies. ABSOLUTELY no shelled nuts, seeds and energy drinks during your stay.
Bins with your name will be provided and can be placed in the dining room cupboards. You can store pop, chips and popcorn for your personal snacks, these snacks are to be consumed in the dining area only.

Smoking, Vaping and chewing tobacco allowed only in designated areas. People utilizing the smoking area are responsible for keeping it clean, this includes using the ashtrays and garbage cans provided. Please refrain from spitting on the sidewalks or in the building. Do not smoke near any entrance doors to any buildings.

Fire drills are held periodically. Please have proper footwear by your bed at all times. Please leave through the nearest exit as quickly as possible for roll call at the MUSTER POINT. The Muster Point is located in the Parking Lot.

FIRE EXITS ARE TO BE USED FOR EMERGENCY PURPOSES ONLY.

Report any property damages to staff. Do not attempt to make any repairs yourself. Periodic inspections will be done in client rooms to check for any damages. You will be liable in case of willful damage. Please report mice droppings or what you might suspect is a bedbug.

Clients will thoroughly clean their bedroom & unit prior to departure. Staff will complete an inventory; bedding to be placed in basket and left in laundry room.

All 12 step meetings are mandatory.

All 12-step books and self-help books on loan must be returned to your case load counsellor upon discharge.

If client leaves the Healing Lodge, it is the responsibility of caseload counsellor or support worker to make transportation arrangements with the client.

Clients are allowed 3 days bereavement leave; emergency leave is at the discretion of the assigned caseload counselor. All clients are responsible for their transportation to and from the Wah Pow Healing Lodge.