The role of BridgePoint is to support self-discovery, as well as skill-building, in the transition from letting go of old, harmful life patterns to discovering a variety of new and empowering tools to use when responding to the challenges of life.
BridgePoint operates in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority as a community-based organization as part of the continuum of healthcare in Saskatchewan. BridgePoint is not an acute care or medical facility, and as such, participants are required to be medically and psychiatrically stable at the time of application, upon admission, and for the duration of the program. Our program is not a replacement for medical or acute care.
Our biopsychosocial model of care is recovery-based sequential programming... coming to a retreat is the first step! This support is provided in a program with three sequential modules that symbolize the process of building a bridge to recovery. Programs are available free of charge for Saskatchewan residents. Each program includes intensive experiential learning and teaching sessions within a group-based model, individual discussions, and processing of personal experiences. Individuals are encouraged to progress at their own rate toward their personal or optimal level of wellness. We offer both virtual and onsite programs throughout the year. We can now accommodate up to 8 participants during each onsite program to comply with our COVID-19 resumption plan and to allow for diversity and connection as a group. Check out our new program options as we respond to the increased demand during COVID-19.
BridgePoint does not offer continuous residential programming. The 2023 BridgePoint Program Calendar can be downloaded here.
For over 25 years, BridgePoint has helped individuals and families heal from disordered eating. Saskatchewan residents with a valid Saskatchewan Health Card can access programming and support for free of charge as part of the Saskatchewan healthcare continuum.
BRIDGEPOINT CENTER FOR EATING DISORDER RECOVERY
Intake & Admission Guidelines for Residential Care
APPLICATIONS:
BOOKING:
ADMISSIONS:
PARTICIPANT CRITERIA:
The BridgePoint Participant must demonstrate the following upon admission:
DISCHARGE CRITERIA
The BridgePoint Client will be discharged in the following situations:
The Client may be discharged in the following situations:
A good starting point to learn if this program is right for you is to call us at (306) 935-2240 and speak with one of the team to determine if onsite or virtual programming would be the best place for your to start. They can help you identify your needs and discuss your options and next steps. Your phone consultation is free of judgment and IS confidential.
You are also welcome to download the registration package to complete and send it back to us via email.
BridgePoint is not an acute care or medical facility. All participants need to be medically and psychiatrically stable upon admission.
All the intake forms you must fill out can be found below. Please read all information carefully and ensure you complete all sections. Once completed, please fax, email or mail your paperwork in. Your spot cannot be confirmed without having the appropriate paperwork submitted.
FORMS REQUIRED FOR VIRTUAL INTENSIVE RETREATS
FORMS REQUIRED FOR ONSITE RETREATS
FORMS REQUIRED FOR MODULES 1 & 2
FORMS REQUIRED FOR YOUTH PROGRAM
If you have an active application and you are looking for links to apply for subsequent virtual programs, please email.
BridgePoint incorporates the non-diet approach into programming. In non-diet approaches, the typical dieting behaviours of weighing and measuring food and body, recording detailed food diaries, extensive forward planning and timing of meals, concrete energy intake, specific weight loss goals and the use of ‘diet’ foods are firmly discouraged.
It is instead a much more gentle approach, allowing the client to build skills and confidence in their own innate ability to select appropriate foods for their body in appropriate amounts.
We, along with many researchers, believe that dieting doesn’t work for the long term. Frequent dieting disrupts our body’s natural relationship with food, tends to lead to weight gain rather than loss, and stands as one of the primary predictors of eating disorders.
What is the diet paradigm?
Inflexible, quantitative, prescriptive, rigid, perfection-seeking, good or bad foods, rules, deprivation, time-based, fear-driven, guilt-inducing, shaming, body hatred, hunger, struggle, rationalizing, temptation, thought-consuming, punishing.
What is the non-diet paradigm?? BridgePoint embraces a non-diet paradigm that supports participants in learning how their use of food is one of many coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and emotional upset. This paradigm can be described as .... Flexible, accepting, welcomes all foods, intuitive, qualitative, supporting, enjoyable, life balance, appreciating, comfort, confidence, variety, freedom, natural, calm, pleasurable, kindness, nurturing, grateful, nourishing, forgiving, satisfaction, trust-building.
"95% of people fail diets… or 95% of diets fail people." – Yoni Freedhoff
Throughout our modules, we work through a supportive dietary program including educational and supportive group sessions, experimental activities, as well as individual one-on-one nutrition counselling. Our program focuses heavily on mindful eating, as we introduce and practice this concept throughout the module. Individuals struggling with eating disorders often lose touch with their body’s natural hunger and fullness cues. A person’s metabolism, ability to process foods, or enjoy foods may all be affected by the eating disorder. The staff at BridgePoint help individuals discover past negative experiences and become aware of their personal triggers and fears around food. Throughout the program, we will support the individual in meeting the body’s daily nutritional needs and developing a healthy new food experience including variety and moderation. We help them develop a balanced and sustainable relationship with food. Our hopes in introducing mindful eating are to guide individuals in listening to and trusting their body’s ability to know what is best. Our focus is not on food. We normalize food in a supportive and community setting where participants have the opportunity to have a safe and comfortable place to eat their meals.
Group building is emphasized in each module in order to provide an environment for personal sharing. A variety of concepts are presented in order to facilitate and enhance personal growth and learning. These concepts build upon one another to assist in the integration of information within and across modules. However, flexibility in content and experiences are maintained in each module in order to be responsive to the needs of the participants as issues arise rather than adhering to a strict curriculum.
Group therapy is an opportunity to work in the presence and connection of others recovering from eating disorders. This is a chance to gain insights from others, practice your personal skills, give and receive support/feedback, feel connected, and share openly about your life, personal challenges, and victories.
Body awareness activities are an integral part of the program in order to emphasize the mind-body relationship. These activities combined with personal learning bring awareness to the importance of physical and emotional vitality and energy for improving health and facilitating recovery.
Integrating this into the modules is a healing experience using breathing, stories and bodywork. The purpose of this is to give participants a safe, self-controlled, facilitated opportunity to experience somatic integration. This is done in a wholesome, gentle, and validating manner that supports the participant's current comfort level while encouraging, strengthening, and integrating healing.
We honor the importance of creative expression in the recovery process.
Inherent in all of us, creativity is a quality to be explored, expanded, and new learning integrated by the individual who becomes his/her own teacher.
Some participants entering the Creative Expressions component of the program for the first time label themselves as “not creative”, forgetting that everyone has talent and that self-discovery is a process not of control, but of surrender into uncertainty.
Creative Expressions is an integral part of the teaching and experiential sessions that flow through the programs.
Each activity is timed and aligned with other module components so that participants experience the holistic nature of the work that is offered.
This approach encourages clients to stay connected to themselves by expressing themselves in forms that promote individual creativity and to provide an expressive outlet for our participants that aligns with our unique recovery philosophy.