COMPASS

Intended For

People with addiction/concurrent disorders seeking assessment and/or outpatient treatment involving medical and/or psychotherapy interventions

Referral Requirements:

Self-referral accepted through Access CAMH, call 416-535-8501 press 2

Additional Referral Details

The Interprofessional Pain and Addiction Recovery Clinic (IPARC) works in collaboration with the Toronto Academic Pain Management Institute  and referrals are managed by their hub. 

Services Offered As:

Outpatient

Location:

Queen Street Site - 100 Stokes Street

Additional Location Details:

3rd floor for 100 Stokes; Various floors at 60 White Squirrel Way

Contact Phone Number:

Access CAMH: 416 535-8501, press 2

Types of Treatment and Services Offered

• Addiction Information Session (a one-time session for new clients offered 5 days/week; family members welcome); Includes Opioid Overdose Prevention Education (and Naloxone training + distribution by a clinical pharmacist)
• Comprehensive medical and psychosocial assessment
• Medication therapy options for alcohol, opioids, tobacco and benzodiazepine substance use disorder
• Maintenance pharmacotherapies for opioid addiction (methadone and Suboxone/buprenorphine)
• Medications for outpatient alcohol withdrawal on an outpatient basis to prevent relapse to alcohol use, including assessment for Day Detox and/or Inpatient Medical Withdrawal
• Management of Benzodiazepine Use Disorder with pharmacological management/ tapering
• Medical assessment regarding problematic use of psycho-stimulants (crystal meth, cocaine, crack)
• Medical assessment regarding problematic use of cannabis
• Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinic: provides walk-in access, 5 days a week for individuals with urgent addiction concerns. Clients will be seen by a COMPASS nurse and/or physician at this visit for assessment and will recommend treatment options which may include: Prescribing medications (including anti-craving medications for alcohol and buprenorphine/naloxone for opiate use disorder), brief counselling, referral to CAMH or community treatment programs
• Treatment of concomitant pain and addiction is offered through the Interprofessional Pain and Addiction Recovery Clinic (IPARC)
• Comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, medical/psychiatric management and group therapy for concurrent Addiction and Eating Disorder
• Group Therapy: a wide variety of groups with gender-specific and some evening programming available offered along a phased approach to care
• Individual Psychotherapy
• Resource Room which provides (which provides emergency food supply, housing and employment support; harm reduction supplies and education, and skills groups)
• Comprehensive urine drug testing
• Education and training for health professional students and practicing health professionals interested in learning more about addiction medicine and/or psychotherapies for addiction/concurrent disorders.

Program Overview

• Client entry into COMPASS is through a streamlined referral to our Addiction Information Session (AIS) followed by a comprehensive, collaborative assessment involving various disciplines, which may further include psychiatric consultation
• With a continuous intake model, the COMPASS Service offers ease of access for new clients
• Care is provided by a diverse and dedicated interprofessional team of physicians, nurses, and other allied staff who are committed to providing the highest quality of care possible, delivered in a spirit of dignity, respect and compassion
• COMPASS is designed along a 3-phased approach to the care journey, with a wide array of group therapy streams available including: women, men, mixed gender, evening programs and stimulants
• There is limited individual therapy available as resources allow
• The evidence-based approaches of motivational enhancement therapy and cognitive behavior therapy form the basis of the psychosocial interventions offered within a harm reduction philosophy of care
• The team practices from a trauma-informed lens, and embraces clinical complexity inherent to clients with concurrent disorders
• Addressing each client's needs as a whole person, the COMPASS team takes a collaborative approach with the client as a partner in care, welcomes family inclusion, and strives to collaborate with community providers for coordinated care
• COMPASS functions as an integrated clinical research environment continuously exploring treatment innovations so as to offer the best and latest treatments available. As CAMH is a teaching hospital, COMPASS also serves as a hub for trainees across a wide variety of health disciplines.