We find many of our clients have turned to addiction in response to feeling separated or disconnected from others. This seems to hold true regardless of age, income, or drug of choice. As a result, we have intentionally designed our program to emphasize connection with others.

For example, our clients benefit from the intimacy of an all-male peer group. Daily recreation and social events reinforce the importance of friendship. Family is emphasized through our complementary Family & Couples Program. Finally, our staff is valued as much (if not more) for their ability to relate to clients than their job skills.

Throughout their stay with us, clients are encouraged to take control of their treatment plan. Clients have shown us that when we involve them in designing their treatment plan, they have a greater sense of ownership, not only in their plan, but in their long-term recovery. As a result, no two treatment plans at Sunshine Coast are the same because we recognize that no two clients are the same. Fortunately, staffing and programming are sufficiently flexible to allow clients multiple paths to recovery.

Philosophically, our approach at Sunshine Coast emphasizes the capacities of clients to take control of their lives, regardless of circumstances or personal and social limitations. Clients learn that control is possible when they, as human beings, take existential responsibility for their situation, their suffering, and their destiny. This is wholly different than moral responsibility, or blame, which only leads to a sense of guilt for past wrongdoings and a reinforced sense of hopelessness. In other words, our version of responsibility means that clients are the author of their lives, able to "rewrite" their story and go forward with a sense of possibility for the future.

It is important to recognize that most treatment centres resist the idea of giving clients control over their treatment. Sunshine Coast is decidedly non-12 Step in this respect, preferring that clients be free to solve their own problems rather than be directed by a counsellor acting as "expert authority figure." Ultimately, Sunshine Coast assumes that that clients are the best experts on themselves and, given the right conditions, can realize their potential.

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

At Sunshine Coast, we recognize that clients must first have a reason to stop using drugs or alcohol. Without a reason, clients are likely to simply go through the motions, struggle with boredom and, eventually, relapse. Furthermore, Sunshine Coast recognizes that reasons that focus on fear are only effective in the short-term.

Instead, our meaning-centered approach focuses on long-term aspirations such as intimate relatedness with friends and family and a fulfilling career. In other words, clients at Sunshine Coast explore recovery from the perspective of a life of possibility over avoidance. Once a client finds his purpose, we have noticed that the motivation to go to meetings, eat healthy and exercise regularly comes naturally.

Sunshine Coast has designed a program that helps clients manage their lives more effectively. Like other programs, clients at Sunshine Coast learn to deal with immediate concerns (for example, alcohol cravings), environmental issues (for example, dealing with drug-using friends), and personal issues (anger, depression, and anxiety). Furthermore, our therapy provides avoidance strategies, such as techniques for decreasing anger or anxiety.

We believe, however, that effective treatment is not just about coping, or even just healing, but also about growth. The staff at Sunshine Coast know that successful recovery is more than just a life free of problems. Instead, our program is designed to help clients overcome personal barriers that are keeping them from realizing their full potential.