Arcadia House

Arcadia House is a Therapeutic Community nestled in a bushland setting within the grounds of North Canberra Hospital in Bruce, ACT. As a therapeutic community, the house community itself, through self-help and mutual support, is the principal means for promoting personal change. This is the “community as method” approach.

Arcadia is a 12 bed facility which offers a range of rehabilitation programs, including a 1-2 week withdrawal program, a 12 week day program and a 12 week residential program with additional ‘step-down’ 4 week day program. Those living in NSW can complete the 4 week ‘step-down’ stage of the program online. Continuum of Care support is provided to clients prior to admission and on discharge.

Arcadia supports clients to abstain from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and develop positive life skills that can be utilised to achieve personal goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Clients are supported with individual case management and counselling, therapeutic groups and relapse prevention, with the therapeutic community providing opportunities for personal growth and peer support.

Participation

It’s a condition of admission to Arcadia House that clients participate in all aspects of the program. This includes:

• Individual case management

• Therapeutic group work

• Relapse prevention

• SMART Recovery, Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings

• Exercise and wellbeing activities

• Cooking and other household chores

Case Management

As well as participating in other aspects of the program, clients work with a Case Manager throughout their time at Arcadia House to identify goals, address individual issues and establish ongoing community supports. Every client has an individual treatment and support plan, and exit plan tailored to suit their needs and support them in their treatment journey.

Clients may be linked with other services to address health, housing, financial, legal, employment, education and relationship issues, depending on individual needs.

Eligibility

The program is designed for people aged 18 years and over, including people experiencing mental health issues, people on opioid replacement therapy and other medications. People under the age of 18 are encouraged to contact the Ted Noffs Foundation on 1800 151 045.

Wait List

Demand for Arcadia House programs is high and there is often a waiting list. If you are on a waiting list, you will be asked to maintain contact with us and offered support, groups and/or counselling in the interim.

Admission

An assessment is required to gain admission to Arcadia House. Following an initial intake assessment, if it’s identified that one of Arcadia’s programs will meet your needs, you will receive a more comprehensive assessment specific to the program. You may also be referred for assessment by your current counsellor or case manager. The phone or face to face assessment will take approximately one hour.

All residential participants of Arcadia House programs are required to pay a weekly fee for accommodation and meals. Day Program participants pay a smaller fee for catering and other consumables.