AAC – Associate Addiction Counsellor. A certification offered by CCPC (see below).

ACOA – Adult Children of Alcoholics

ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. A psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies mixed in different ways with commitment and behaviour-change strategies.

Addiction - Addiction is a disorder that leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual disruption. Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioural control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one's behaviours and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission.

Addiction Medicine (or ‘Addictionology’) – a specialised field of medicine where physicians are required to have knowledge of pharmacology, psychiatry, general medicine, and psychology, as well as an understanding of the interaction of these disciplines. A referral from your family doctor is required. For more information see the Medical Programs section.

ADTR – Academy of Dance Therapists certified by the American Dance Therapy Association

AGC – Associate Gambling Counsellor. A certification offered by CCPC (see below).

Alano Clubs – provide a safe, positive environment in which recovering addicts and alcoholics may achieve freedom from substance abuse, by helping each other in accordance with 12-step principles of spiritual development. For more information visit www.alanoclubs.com .

ASAM – American Society of Addiction Medicine. A certifying body for physicians specialising in addiction medicine (see Addiction Medicine above). For more information refer to the ASAM website.

BCATR – British Columbia Art Therapist Registered

BHSc. - Bachelor of Health Sciences

BPHE – Bachelors of Physical Education

BRI – Board Registered Interventionist certified by Association of Intervention Specialist Credentialing Board

BScN – Bachelor of Science in Nursing

CAC (and CAC II) – Certified Addictions Counsellor certified by Canadian Council of Professional Certification.

CACCF – Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation.  An alcohol and drug counsellor certifying body headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario. CACCF is the Canadian body of the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

CARN – Certified Addictions Registered Nurse. For more information see the International Nurses Society on Addictions website.

CARN-AP – Certified Addictions Registered Nurse – Advanced Practice

CBT – Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

CCC – Canadian Certified Counsellor certified by Canadian Counselling Association (CCA)

CCFP – Certificant of the College of Family Practice of Canada

CCPC – Canadian Council of Professional Certification. Offers certifications for qualified applicants in counselling for addiction, including gambling.

CEAP – Certified Employee Assistance Professional certified by Employee Assistance Professionals Association

CGC – Certified Gambling Counsellor certified by Canadian Council of Professional Certification

CHt – Certified Hypnotherapist certified by the Professional Board of Hypnotherapy

CMAT – Certified Eating Disorder Therapist certified by International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Therapists (IITAP)

CSAC – Certified Substance Abuse Counsellor

CSAM – Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine.

CSAT – Certified Sex Addiction Therapist certified by International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Therapists (IITAP)

CSCP – Certified Spiritual Care Professional. For more information contact the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education.

CSFP- Certified Solution-Focused Practitioner.  A designation for healthcare providers, teachers, and other helping professionals. Requirements usually consist of a relevant undergraduate degree or professional designation (e.g., RN, B.Ed., RT) and related work experience. This certification is offered by CCPC (see above).

CSFT – Certified Solution-Focused Therapist.  A counsellor certification offered by CCPC (see above). Restricted to those who have relevant graduate degrees (e.g., MA, Med, MSW, PhD).

CTS – Certified Trauma Specialist certified by the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ASTSS)

DBT – Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

Detoxification (detox) - a program designed to medically stabilize individuals who have consumed mood-altering substances to toxic levels. The length of stay in an alcohol and drug detox program varies but is typically less than 7 days. For more information see the Medical Programs section.

DH – Diploma in Hypnotherapy

DKATI – Diploma of Kootnai Art Therapy Institute

D.Min. – Doctor of Ministry

DSW – Doctor of Social Work

DTR – Dance Therapists Registered certified by the American Dance Therapy Association

EAP – Employee Assistance Program

EdD – Doctor of Education

EFAP – Employee and Family Assistance Program

EFT – Emotion Focused Therapy

EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique

EFT-ADV – Certified Emotional Freedom Technique certified by the Gary Craig Foundation

EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

FASAM – Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

FIPA – Fellow of the International Psychoanalytic Association

FRCP (c)  – Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Canada)

Harm Reduction - programs designed to minimize the spread of disease associated with drug and alcohol. Examples include methadone maintenance programs, needle or crack pipe exchanges and supervised injection sites.

Home Detox (or daytox) − detoxification done at home which may include a visit from a nurse.

Hospital Detox (or Inpatient Detox) − medical detoxification provided in an inpatient (hospital) setting.

ICADC – International Certified Alcohol and Drug Counsellor certified by Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation (CACCF)

LHIN – Local Health Integration Networks. A network of regional health care authorities created by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. For more information visit the LHIN website.

MA – Master of Arts

Marriage and Family Therapists - mental health professionals with a minimum of a master’s degree and two years supervised clinical experience. Marriage and family therapy is based on the research and theory that mental illness and family problems are best treated in a family context. For more information visit the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) website.

MPH - Master of Public Health

MBChB – Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery/Chirurgery

MC – Master of Counselling

MCFD - Ministry of Children and Family Development is responsible for government programs targeting children and youth in the province of BC

M.Div. – Master of Divinity. For more information contact the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education.

MD – Doctor of Medicine

Medical Detox – a type of detoxification provided in a residential setting with the assistance of a nurse and physician. Medical detox may be combined with residential treatment or as a separate service.

Medical Monitoring – a term used to describe the practice of having an individual who is in recovery from drugs or alcohol submit to random or scheduled checks designed to ensure abstinence. Procedures can include one-on-one interviews, drug testing, calling in to a voice mail recording device, etc. Medical monitoring may be facilitated by a physician, nurse or counsellor. Licensure bodies for physicians or air pilots or employers of individuals in safety-sensitive occupations are typical users of medical monitoring.

Methadone – a member of the opioid family of drugs. Since the 1960s, methadone has been used to help people who are dependent on or addicted to other drugs from the same family, particularly heroin.
Methadone is available through specialized drug treatment clinics or it may be prescribed by family physicians and dispensed by community pharmacists, in accordance with Canadian regulations (Source: Canadian Public Health Association). Methadone maintenance treatment or therapy priority is usually given to dependent users who are pregnant or who have HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C to reduce the risk to themselves and to others. For more information visit the methadone page on the Sunshine Coast Health Center website.

M.Ed. – Master of Education

MI – Motivational Interviewing

MNLP – Master of Neuro Linguistic Programming

MOH – BC Ministry of Health

MPCP – Master Practitioner of Counselling Psychology certified by Canadian Professional Counsellors Association.

MRPC – Registered Master Professional Counsellor certified by Canadian Professional Counsellors Association.

M.Sc. – Master of Science

MSW – Master of Social Work

MTSC – Masters of Theological Studies & Counselling

National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program (NNADAP) – a Health Canada program administered by First Nations communities and organizations aimed at reducing alcohol and drug abuse among on-reserve populations. For more information refer to the NNADAP section on Health Canada.

NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming

OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Outpatient Program - a counselling service offered once or twice a week with, typically, one to three hours per session. The number of sessions may vary depending on progress of client. Outpatient treatment can be provided on a one-on-one or group basis. For more information see the Outpatient Program section.

PACS – Peace Arch Community Services

Pastoral Counsellor – a professional trained in both psychology and theology and, thus, is qualified to address psychological and spiritual issues. For more information visit the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education website.

Ph.D. – Doctor of Philosophy.

Primary Care – a term used in Canada to denote access to a medical doctor for individuals who do not have a family doctor.

Primary Treatment – a form of residential treatment that is typically short-term in duration that can be up to 90 days in length but is typically 30 days. Compared to Sober Living (see below), Primary Treatment is intensive therapy, has more structure and more supervision of clients.

Psychiatrist - medical doctors (MD), who, after completing medical school, receive an additional five years of clinical training in mental health specialties. Psychiatrists in Canada need to be certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Psychiatrists are licensed to prescribe medication. Your family doctor will need to make a referral before making an appointment with a psychiatrist.

Psychologist – a health professional that studies the mind and behaviour. Psychologists with a Ph.D. are fully trained in the assessment and treatment of all behavioural conditions. Psychologists are not to be confused with psychiatrists as the latter is licensed to prescribed medications. For more information on psychologists in Canada refer to the Canadian Psychological Association website. There are 56 different divisions of the American Psychological Association, reflecting the many different types of psychology.

Psy.D. – Doctor of Psychology

Rapid Detox − detox performed under anaesthesia by an addiction medicine specialist on an outpatient basis. Performed on individuals requiring opiate detoxification. This program is not covered by provincial insurance.

Rapid Opiate Detox Under Anaesthesia (or RODA) – see Rapid Detox above.

RAS – Registered Addictions Specialist certified by Breining Institute in California.

RCC – Registered Clinical Counsellor certified by British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors

RCSW – Registered Clinical Social Worker

Registered Professional Counsellor (RPC) – counselling professionals that are required to have completed a minimum of two years of counselling and/or psychotherapy practice under supervision and submit two letters of recommendation from counselling / psychotherapy professionals.

RMFT – Registered Marriage and Family Therapist certified by American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

RMT – Registered Massage Therapist certified by the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC)

RN – Registered Nurse

RODA – Rapid Opiate Detox Under Anaesthesia (see Rapid Detox).

R.Psych. – Registered Psychologist

RPC – Registered Professional Counsellor certified by Canadian Professional Counsellors Association.

RPN – Registered Psychiatric Nurse.

RPT – Registered Play Therapist certified by Association for Play Therapy

RRP – Registered Rehabilitation Professional certified by Vocational Rehabilitation Association

RSW – Registered Social Worker certified by British Columbia Association of Social Workers

SAP – Substance Abuse Professional certified by United States Department of Transportation (DOT)

SFBT – Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Social Detox − detoxification provided in a residential setting but without the assistance of a nurse or physician. Social detox is not actually a medical service since medical personnel do not monitor the patient.

Social Worker - works with an individual in the context of the wider community. They often provide services as members of a multidisciplinary team or on a one-to-one basis with the client. For more information on social workers in Canada refer to the Canadian Association of Social Workers which also has links to provincial organizations.

SRT – Self Regulation Therapy certified by Canadian Foundation for Trauma Research and Education

Sober Living – a form of residential addiction treatment that is generally longer term and less intensive than primary treatment (see above). Sober Living is normally started after primary treatment is completed. Also known as Support Recovery.

Stage 2 Housing – see Sober Living.

Support Recovery – see Sober Living.

TAT – Tapas Acupressure Technique

TFT – Thought Field Therapy

TIR – Traumatic Incident Reduction