FAQs: Intensive Residential and Day Treatment Services

A: The Thompson Centre’s Intensive OCD Treatment Program model integrates psychological and psychopharmacology interventions to provide a comprehensive approach to care for people with severe and impairing OCD. The model includes medication management, individual CBT and group treatment. The key modality is Exposure and Response (or Ritual) Prevention (ERP), the gold standard for treatment of OCD, which will occupy a significant portion of treatment time each day. Additionally, participants in the program will benefit from occupational therapy, family therapy, recreational activities, and comprehensive discharge planning.

A: Not all people are suited for this type of treatment program. To determine if our treatment program will meet a patient’s needs, we conduct a thorough assessment including patient self-reports, and a physician’s referral package. Patients coming to the program must have a primary diagnosis of OCD, and these symptoms should be what most interfere with their functioning. Patients who tend to do well in our program are those who show a willingness and ability to engage in treatment, but whose symptoms are significantly severe such that outpatient treatment is not sufficient. Conversely, patients who tend not to do well in our program are often unable or unwilling to participate in an active, intensive treatment setting.

A: We recommend that patients who have comorbidities which will interfere with their ability to do CBT should have those conditions treated first. For this reason, patients with active or recent psychosis, active substance use disorders, self-injurious behaviors, or active eating disorders may not be appropriate. People coming to the program must be able to participate in both group and individual therapy daily (with assistance), be able to take care of their activities of daily living (ADLs) at least with coaching, and cannot be disruptive to the patient milieu such that they are interfering with others’ care. We also recommend that patients have a stable living situation to which they can return after discharge to support the gains that they have made within the treatment program. Please note that this is not an inpatient setting and patients must be able to manage in the residential setting with limited supervision at night.

A: Learn more by going to our Eligibility Criteria, Referral Process & Forms section.

A: The Intensive Residential and Day Treatment Program is available to all people across Canada and the United States. Day hospital spots may also be available to individuals who can find their own accommodations. We would encourage anyone interested to fill out our client and physician referral package and speak more with our team regarding these issues.

A: Due to the high volume of submissions we receive, our staff cannot confirm the receipt of applications. The client will, however, be contacted by phone or email to notify them about the status of their application within 3-6 weeks from the date of submission.

A: Once you are accepted into the program there are expectations and rules patients must abide by. Here are some of the expectations that we have of our patients:

• Respect other group members; NO aggression towards others
• Information learned about others within group sessions remains confidential within that group session
• NO substance use or alcohol use; these items are not allowed on the premises of the Bellwood property
• NO romantic relationships between group members or other members within the Bellwood facility
• Patients admitted to our residential program are only allowed to use mobile devices within their room after program hours. Cell phones and other electronic devices cannot be used in the common areas as other patients within the Bellwood facility are not allowed to have these types of devices during their stay. Mobile devices should never be used to take pictures of other individuals. Mobile devices should never be used for treatment interfering behavior (i.e., texting family members or friends for reassurance). Use of these devices will be monitored by program staff.

A: Bellwood is located in midtown Toronto, Ontario: 175 Brentcliffe Road (near Bayview and Eglinton Avenue).

A: The average length of stay in the program is 6-8 weeks, but can be up to 12 weeks or more and is determined by the patient’s progress, engagement in the program, and adherence to program policies/guidelines.

A: Sample daily schedule.

A: Family and support people are certainly welcome to visit, outside of scheduled program hours, ie evenings, and afternoons on the weekend. There are designated visiting times within the Bellwood community, which you will learn more about upon admission. Outside of this time, you can arrange to visit with family and support people off of the Bellwood premises, as agreed upon by your clinical care team. As well, if there are family members closely involved in your care, our team social worker and others will want to meet with them to better develop your care plan and to ensure that your recovery continues successfully upon your return home.

A: The Bellwood facilities serve breakfast, lunch and dinner for our residential clients. Our day treatment clients can purchase lunches each day for $5. Snacks, coffee and tea are also available throughout the day. Lunch options include a choice of soup, salad bar, main course and dessert. Should you have any dietary restrictions, please let our team know before arrival.