Aftercare

Recovery does not end when treatment finishes. For many people, it is the structure, connection, and accountability that follow treatment that help recovery take hold in everyday life.

Aftercare at EHN Canada is designed to support clients after completing inpatient or virtual treatment. It helps maintain progress, navigate challenges as they arise, and stay connected to recovery support as life continues to change.

How Aftercare fits into recovery

Aftercare is part of EHN Canada’s broader continuum of care and provides support beyond primary treatment as recovery evolves.

Clients typically participate in ongoing Aftercare groups, with the ability to transition into short term specialty groups during periods when additional structure or focus is needed. Specialty groups temporarily replace ongoing Aftercare for a set period. Once completed, clients return to ongoing Aftercare with added skills and support in place.

This flexible approach allows Aftercare to offer different levels of support over time while helping clients remain consistently engaged in recovery.

Ongoing Aftercare groups

Ongoing Aftercare provides structured, weekly group support that helps clients apply recovery skills in everyday life after treatment. It is designed to offer consistency, connection, and accountability as recovery continues outside of an inpatient or virtual program.

As part of ongoing Aftercare, clients can expect:

• Weekly group sessions, each lasting approximately 2 hours
• Support for up to 12 months following inpatient treatment or 10 months following virtual intensive treatment, with the option to continue if additional support is helpful
• Clinician-led groups focused on coping skills, relapse prevention, and navigating real life challenges
• Access to over 60 Aftercare groups, including population specific groups for mood and anxiety, substance use and occupational stress injury and our EHN Guardians clients.
• Connection to community and peer supports, including AA, NA, SMART Recovery, and other recovery resources
• Access to the Wagon app to support goal setting, progress tracking, and skill practice between sessions

Optional drug and alcohol monitoring may be included as part of Aftercare when appropriate. Monitoring is used as an added layer of accountability and safety for some clients, and is coordinated by the care team based on individual needs and availability.

Many clients choose to remain engaged in Aftercare beyond the standard timeframe because they find the ongoing structure and support helpful for maintaining long-term recovery.

Specialty groups within Aftercare

At times, additional structure or more focused support may be needed to maintain stability or reduce risk. In these situations, clients may transition into a short term specialty group as part of Aftercare.

Specialty groups are skills based programs that temporarily replace ongoing Aftercare and provide more targeted support during periods of increased risk or instability.

Specialty groups typically:

• Run for 8 weeks
• Are included as part of Aftercare for eligible clients at no additional cost
• Support stabilization or relapse prevention before returning to ongoing Aftercare

Transitions into and out of specialty groups are coordinated by the care team.

Support between sessions

Recovery support continues between group sessions.

Through the Wagon app, clients can set and track recovery goals, monitor patterns and progress, access guided exercises and practical recovery tools, and stay connected to their recovery plan throughout the week.

Getting started with Aftercare

Aftercare eligibility and access depend on the treatment program completed and how treatment was funded. Your care team will help determine whether Aftercare is included with your program, which Aftercare or specialty groups may be appropriate, and how and when to begin.

In some cases, Aftercare may also be available outside of a primary treatment program. Our team can help explain available options and next steps.