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Lesson Three - Types of Therapeutic Environments

Site: MoodleHUB.ca 🍁
Course: Mental Health & Wellness [1 cr] - AB Ed copy 1
Book: Lesson Three - Types of Therapeutic Environments
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Sunday, 7 September 2025, 6:46 PM

Table of contents

Information


  • This lesson is designed to take approximately 2 hours.
  • You have the following tasks and assignments to complete in this lesson:
    • Read all Lesson 3 content, including videos, supplementary links, etc.
    • Lesson 3 Journal


Lesson Outcomes

  • Describe the various types of therapeutic environments available in the community for people requiring help with mental health conditions including:
    • acute care or active treatment units
    • regional psychiatric centres
    • rehabilitation centres
    • community mental health or guidance centres
    • community group homes

Different Types of Therapeutic Environments


There are different options for care depending on the severity and type of mental illness a person is diagnosed with. This final lesson will explore the different settings and provisions for each option.

Active/Acute Therapy


Active or acute therapy is the most extreme form of therapy for a mental illness. There are private treatment centres that people can pay to attend to help with mental illness, but there are also public facilities available. The only caveat with the public facilities is that the majority of people need a referral to get into them since they are usually at capacity. For more information on these facilities, check out the Inform Alberta website.

You can see that this page is from the Central zone for child and youth in-patient facilities. Notice on the right-hand side the note about referrals and eligibility requirements. Feel free to change the AHS zone to whichever zone you live in and see what services are available in your area.
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The two main adult facilities in central Alberta are the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre and the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury (located in Ponoka).

There is one main child and youth facility located at the Red Deer Regional Hospital.
There are three main child and youth in-patient facilities located within Calgary. These facilities are the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Foothills Medical Centre, and South Health Campus.
There is an adult in-patient facility located in Edmonton, but this facility is reserved mainly for people who have committed a violent crime and also have a mental illness.
The two main adult in-patient facilities in southern Alberta are the Chinook Regional Hospital (located in Lethbridge) and the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.

Different Types of Therapeutic Environments


Rehabilitation Centres


The majority of people automatically think of alcohol or drugs when they see the word rehabilitation; however, according to the American Psychological Association, a rehabilitation centre is a “facility devoted to restoring individuals with mental or physical disorders or impairments, including those with multiple problems, to an adequate level of functioning. Rehabilitation centers provide services such as vocational training, occupational and physical training, educational therapy, recreational therapy, and psychological therapy and counselling”.
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Rehabilitation can be required with mental or physical injuries.The cognitive injuries can be the result of internal (diagnosed mental illness) or external (drugs or alcohol) reasons.

There are many different options in most communities throughout Alberta for rehabilitation. In order to see what is available in your community, go to AHS and read information about Adult Community Rehabilitation.

Different Types of Therapeutic Environments


Community Mental Health


The American Psychological Association defines community mental health as “activities undertaken in the community, rather than in institutional settings, to promote mental health”.

The main elements of community mental health include:

  • Focusing on the entire population of a geographic area.
  • Involving overall planning and analysis of the mental health needs of the geographic area.
  • Emphasizing preventative services.
  • Approaching mental health indirectly through consultation and education.
  • Emphasizing brief psychology and crisis intervention.
  • Seeking to provide a continuous, comprehensive system of services to meet mental health needs in the community.
    American Psychological Association

To find community mental health centres close to you, check out the AHS website. You will need to remember what zone you live in and click on that zone in the middle of the page. Scroll down to the bottom of the next page and choose “Children and Adolescent Services”.

Different Types of Therapeutic Environments


Community Group Home


A group home can also be referred to as a group residence. According to the American Psychological Association, a group home is a “residential facility that offers housing and personal care services, such as meals, supervision, and transportation”.

A group home is an environment where someone can live and have their psychological and physical needs met so that they can recover from whatever is ailing them. Group homes are a bit more intensive than community mental health centres because supervision is required. There is often a maximum number of people allowed in the house at one time (usually six) so that each person can receive the care they need. Group homes can also be utilized for different populations, ranging from youth to senior citizens.
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There are many different group homes in Alberta and referrals are required, so a list will not be provided. However, if you want to take a look at the different options that Alberta has to offer for adults and youth, click on the links below: