The Beacon Program is a voluntary growth and recovery program offered to adults in Nova Scotia who have a severe and persistent mental illness. The program assists individuals to make choices, to gain skills and to find a more satisfying life in the community with the greatest amount of independence possible. The Beacon Program, located in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, opened in 1992 and is funded by the Department of Health.

The Beacon consists of three components:

1. The Beacon Unit

The Beacon Unit is a 10 bed residential unit located within Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre, Waterville. It is the base of a multidisciplinary team of Nursing, Psychiatry, Social Work, Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Residential Rehabilitation Workers. Team members act as client coordinators, trained in the Growth and Recovery technology, to work individually with clients in identifying their strengths, needs, values and goals through detailed assessment. Through Growth and Recovery Work clients are given the opportunity to increase self-esteem, self-awareness and community awareness and develop a sense of hope and empowerment. Skill assessment, teaching and development are key practices that contribute to client growth. Comprehensive discharge planning (which generally includes follow-up by the Community Integration Team) is a critical component of the program.

2. Community Integration Team (CIT)

The Community Integration Team (CIT) is responsible for Growth and Recovery work with the client in his/her own community. Growth and Recovery work is supplemented by advocacy, community resource development and 24-hour on-call crisis intervention. Beacon staff work in partnership with local and existing community resources in order to meet individual client needs. The intensity of CIT support is flexible depending on individual client need at any given time. Clients may be referred directly to the CIT.

3. Changing Tides

Changing Tides is a staff supported day program that is comprehensive in addressing skills development of unit and CIT clients.

Education

The Beacon Program offers a variety of educational opportunities to organizations throughout the province:

Two Beacon staff provide formal training in the Growth and Recovery technology to Health Care workers throughout Nova Scotia. Interested parties should contact Donna Pineo, Program Manager, for additional information.

Beacon staff are available to provide a more informal and less intensive overview of the concept of Growth and Recovery, with an emphasis on how Growth and Recovery serves as the foundation of the Beacon Program. This presentation is not limited to Health Care workers.

Sessions aimed at educating employees or participants of varied organizations about mental illness can be provided upon request. Topics for discussion can be designed to meet the needs of the organization making the request.