Dunham House - Dunham, Québec

Robert E.

Dont waste your time. Never even made it to are team meeting. I hade issues logging in to team meeting. Made it in for a split second and saw person on other meeting. Got back in to find out he left team meeting. All this happend with in 10 min. Call dunham house. to tell them, I had issues logging in. They replied that they would speak to the person responsible and Them know that I had a issues logging in. Had to call back 3-4 minutes later. For the person on the line to tell me that the person I’m having a meeting with left the chat with no explanation why without even trying to contact me Transfer me over to the Director, which was Patricia, which went straight to voicemail Left a voicemail saying that it was not very professional how this was handled. That was Friday today’s Monday never got a callback yet. What a waste of time Complete disregard of anyone reaching out for help

Melissa S.

What follows is only a portion of the concerns with Dunham House. First and foremost, the administration, with the exception of Murray, demonstrates a blatant lack of empathy, professionalism, and genuine concern for the well-being of their clients. Instead, what is on display is a dangerous and irresponsible power trip that puts vulnerable individuals at risk. The culture fostered by this leadership is not one of rehabilitation, but one of manipulation, judgment, and incompetence.
While some members of the support staff are well-meaning, many lack the basic training required to safely and responsibly do their jobs. A prime example: my ex received conflicting drug test results, first positive, then negative in the same sitting. This happened on more than one occasion. Instead of following proper testing procedures, staff consistently mishandled the process. The test strips were dipped for mere seconds instead of the required ten, and results were read prematurely at the two-minute mark, rather than the full five minutes necessary for accuracy. Even Anthony, the clinical supervisor, administered tests incorrectly. Not following the directions on the label and despite a visible negative result line (documented by photo), Anthony disregarded, as his decision was already made. He then sent him to leave for the weekend and told him to prove his sobriety through a third-party test, arrogantly offering a refund “if it comes back negative.” My ex, under immense stress, was sent alone to Berri Metro, an environment that could easily trigger relapse for any individual in recovery. I paid $185 out of pocket at LifeLabs for a proper test, which unsurprisingly came back negative. Upon returning Sunday evening, he was again tested and behind closed doors and with the same incompetent staff worker, they claimed it was positive once more. Victoria then intervened, giving him an ultimatum to stay with a now “positive baseline” under the condition that he would lose all visitation rights from his 9-year-old son and be barred from group walks or any offsite privilege for the duration of his stay (5 months). This is illogical. If they truly believed he was using, how could they justify keeping him in close proximity to other residents? And staying under those conditions would drive someone to relapse. It's clear: they knew he was not using but were determined to force him out for reasons unknown. Her conduct is not only unprofessional but deeply unethical. I attempted to contact Victoria directly to speak to her about the situation. Unsurprisingly, she has not returned my call. Her evasiveness speaks volumes. To this day, there has been no reimbursement for the $185 spent on the LifeLabs test, evidence that clearly contradicted their claims. Her behavior is dishonest, authoritarian, and completely devoid of compassion. She is not fit to work in a helping profession. When my ex was forced to leave, yes, forced, despite what they may claim, he left in tears. Victoria, on the other hand, smiled and wished him luck. That alone speaks to the toxicity of this environment. Ironically it was Anthony, despite his shocking incompetence, who showed more humanity in that moment than Victoria ever did. Again she will claim they are following protocol but are lying about it all and they will claim it was his choice to leave. Let me be clear: he had no choice. To add insult to injury, they dropped him at a bus station with no money and nowhere to go. Victoria targets individuals she dislikes and methodically pushes them out. She does not foster healing, she obstructs it. Her personal vendettas and misuse of authority are reprehensible.
Its a dysfunctional and mismanaged facility that is failing the very people it claims to help. They advertised six-month structured program and failed to deliver. The equestrian program was “on hold,” yoga was limited to YouTube videos, the pond was locked, weekend and holiday programming was nonexistent and there is so much more. The excessive unstructured downtime fostered failure and despair. Shameful.

Alex J.

In the last two weeks, Dunham House showed an extreme lack of professionalism and care for those struggling with addiction. We had contacted Dunham House recently about admitting a family member to their facility and we were told they would have an opening the following week but they would need to go through an interview process with the director as well as a counselor. Standard procedure for addiction treatment facilities so no problem. This family member went through the interview process and we were told that we would hear back very shortly. The director even said that he is always available for a call if need be. However, it has been crickets since then and we are now nearly two weeks since the interview. We called the facility and were told the director was on vacation but will be returning the following day and we would promptly hear back from them then. Still no call, even after three messages left. This is unprofessional, disrespectul, and absolutely careless behavior for an addiction treatment facility.

Andrew S.

Dunham House was an absolutely unique place in my experience, and my only regret after having spent time there is that I hadn’t found them sooner. The staff and administration are not only knowledgeable, friendly, compassionate and experienced but altogether phenomenal. The program was immensely helpful for me (after my having experimented with several others), and words simply can’t do justice to the help I received while under their care. I highly recommend this therapy for anyone seeking proper professional guidance to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills to transform their lives in the most meaningful of ways. The food is great, the schedule is very laid back, the classes are engaging and there are numerous enriching activities available to keep occupied. Anyone with the right attitude and a willingness to commit themselves to true, lasting and positive change won’t be disappointed.

Emilie M.

Staff work very hard to help introducing life skills and tools to help deal with functioning a new lifestyle. I did not leave on the best note but I do thank Murray, the staff and the therapy everyday of my life as I still use all the tools and skills I was taught also they introduce you to new hobbies like art. Because of this therapy I can proudly say that i am now 5 years sober

John K.

Full marks for the 30 day intensive program. Murray and the staff of counsellors are all very good. Pros are the literature content, group sessions and one on one counselling sessions. Mona (Yoga), Andre (Fitness), Qita (Pottery) and Kristina (Music Therapy) all are very good at what they instruct. Fitness Center was adequate.
No real cons as the food was healthy and good (Chefs John & Cody). Could serve more salads and vegetables. All in all it was a worthwhile experience and worked for me.

Luis D.

Amazing counselling , feels a little like a detention center with the bunkbeds and all the restrictions about the rooms and what you can and cant have .

I was an outpatient so i paid about 8k for a month intensive program and after care follow up with lighthouse . The experience was weird since some residents paid and some
Are there on well fair. It cant be challenging sometimes about whos there for what reason .

They hire old resident which is in my opinion a bit of a conflict of interest as these peoples tend to look down on actual resident ( cook , front office , groundskeeper and such )

It is a very difficult environment to be in at times . It either makes you or break you.

Overall the program / the counselling is A+

The rest is definitely not the peaceful oasis they show online .

Recovery is not supposed to be confortable , but the way the place is run can definitely be an extra layer of unnecessary stress on the already vulnerable residents.

But i insist on how qualified the counseling is and the program works .

Brian B.

Like most rehab centres (especially those located in Quebec) there seems to be some evil lurking in the background. This places particular black spot is the fact that it’s basically a medical testing ground. At the time the Dr. that the therapy used was also on the board of directors. Can someone say “conflict of interest!” Every single client was quickly diagnosed with some severe mental disorder! Michael Moore could do a documentary on this place and his number one question would be “why are people coming here to get off drugs and being prescribed narcotics?” Another corrupt place in Canada’s most corrupt province!