Virtual and Residential Programs

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 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 with single rooms.

BridgePoint does not offer continuous residential programming. The 2023 BridgePoint Program Calendar can be downloaded here and the 2024 program schedule is found here.

Available Programs

Why Choose Us?

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:

Participants must complete the full application package. Participants will receive verbal and/or written confirmation from BridgePoint team to secure a bed.
Participants must be medically and psychiatrically stable and able to function in, and benefit from a holistic group-based recovery program is required.
Participants are eligible to self-refer for retreats if there are no concerns with medical or psychiatric stability.
Relationships and support from a doctor and counsellor are required for Modules 1 & 2 and special programming; and as determined by BridgePoint team once applications are reviewed. An intake interview may be scheduled to determine suitability.
Participants are required to fill out their own application package with full transparency.
Virtual program options may exist for applicants while on the waiting list or during periods where a participant requires acute care or has concerns of stability.

BOOKING:

The program may be suitable for those with a DSM-5 diagnosis or on the continuum of disordered eating behaviors.
Participants must complete an application for assessment and review prior to confirmation of a bed. Intake interviews may be set up to determine fit for the program.
Applications may be self-referral for the initial stages of the program (retreats).
Medical stability is required to participate in onsite programming as approved in conjunction with your primary care team.
All BridgePoint Clients will provide consents and SHA Terms of Service prior to admission.

ADMISSIONS:

Admissions are coordinated based on scheduled program intake dates.
Participant intake is typically at 3:00pm unless otherwise scheduled. Due to reduced access to the BridgePoint Client’s family physician and to accommodate staffing scheduling, a participant may be denied admission if they are considerably late and miss the intake process.
Admission may be refused if the participant is under the influence of drugs or alcohol or there is risk of detoxing or deemed medically unstable by nursing staff.

PARTICIPANT CRITERIA:

The BridgePoint Participant must demonstrate the following upon admission:

Is attending voluntarily and is a resident of Saskatchewan or has a valid Saskatchewan Health Card and must be at least 16 years of age;
Must be fewer than twenty (20) weeks pregnant for the duration of stay;
Must be able to carry out adequate basic personal hygiene; be ambulant and must remain medically stable for the duration of programming;
Cannot be using the center as respite or to detox of any kind;
Cannot be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Participants will not be cleared for admission until they are capable of understanding all directions that are given, as deemed by staff; including medication compliance as prescribed by their primary care team. A review of PIPs will be completed upon admission.
Does not display any abusive, violent or aggressive behaviours;
Must not breach any legal orders (e.g., restraining order against staff);
Medical marijuana usage and attendance of service animals must have preapproval and with support of primary care team documentation.
Approval must be provided by the primary BridgePoint care team by completion of Part B and Part C of the intake package to confirm stability and support participation in the program; including review and signoff of requested labs.
Assessed as medically stable at intake, in that the BridgePoint Client is not:

1. detoxing from psychiatric prescribed medication or PRNs without a physician’s direction;

2. at acute risk of self-harm or harm to others; and/or

3. at risk of refeeding syndrome

DISCHARGE CRITERIA

The BridgePoint Client will be discharged in the following situations:

Medical or psychiatric instability, including self-harm requiring emergency treatment;
Failure to sign-in medication for self-administration, including PRNs and sharps;
Non-compliance to medical advice or self-administration of medication;
Custody of alcohol or drug substances in their room, on their person, or consumed during their stay;
Leaves the grounds without prior approval of staff;
Smokes or vapes inside the building;
Engages in violent or abusive acts;
Steals from BridgePoint, staff, external partners or participants;
Does not abide by provincial public health orders or other federal laws;
Threatens the safety or well-being of team or other participants;
Is written up for breaching BridgePoint Walls and Boundaries and has been given final warning by the BridgePoint leadership team;
BridgePoint will arrange for a ride home to facilitate discharge as timely as possible and may include use of taxi, ambulance, or RCMP;

The Client may be discharged in the following situations:

A breach or consistent breach of terms, commitments, consents and BridgePoint’s Walls and Boundaries as signed during the application and admission process for any reason that may jeopardize the safety of the group;
Practices self-harming or inability to maintain medical stability, in which a medical transfer may occur;
Assessment of suicidal ideation that requires triage to a medical facility;
Breaches anonymity and confidentiality of other BridgePoint Clients, staff BridgePoint members or participants without their explicit consent;
A pattern of failing to attend or participate in group sessions;
Program unsuitability due to philosophy, cognition levels, motivation, etc.;
Frequent cancellations, previous discharges or no-shows to programs may impact future admissions.
Breach of public health order or COVID-19 safety protocols.

Admission Criteria

Before you arrive and after you leave programming, you will continue to have the support of the BridgePoint team. Participants are supported through telephone calls with the team, with availability at our Recovery Support Line on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the afternoon and evenings. To access, please call (306) 935-2240. This service is paused while we have onsite programs.
We encourage alumni to also participate in our online "Deep Dive" groups sessions for a weekly dose of connection, experiences and learning to foster their recovery journey!

Continuing Care Program

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.

What's My Next Step

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 MODULE 3

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.

Application Process

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.

Approach

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.

Diet Paradigm

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.

Non-Diet Paradigm

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.

Group Therapy

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.

Creative Expressions Therapy

Forms

Virtual and Residential Programs

Available Programs

Why Choose Us?

Testimonials

I trust everyone and the confidentiality and the trust here. It's difficult at times, very emotional and it's hard dealing with a lot of feelings but it's what you have to do and it feels so better much and so supportive.

There's no comparison to anything else I've tried and it’s a real blessing and an opportunity to be able to come here and an opportunity not to be taken lightly. It's a privilege to be here and I know that I will leave here a different person.

I can identify the issues and accept them and be able to learn how to work with that. I think over time we can say goodbye to the eating disorder. There is freedom at the end of the tunnel, but it takes work.

It's not about being broken and getting fixed, it's that we are all individuals who have pain and we're learning how to cope in a very healthy way.

The fact that BridgePoint operates so differently than the traditional medical model was very refreshing, and proved to be vital to my experience and healing.