History

For more than 50 years, McDougall House has helped women struggling with substance misuse to find their way from hopelessness to hope. The treatment program offered by McDougall House is unlike any other. It is designed to meet the needs of the women we serve.

The essence of McDougall House is a home that offers dignity, respect, and above all, safety for women embarking on their personal journey of recovery. We provide a comprehensive assessment and individualized treatment plans. The program is abstinence-based with a focus on the individual core issues which often serve to maintain the cycle of addiction.

Offering a gender-specific program is a requisite to the needs of women seeking treatment. Learning to trust and respect other women is significant in recovery.

The in-house program provides individual and group counselling as well as workshops that cover many topics, offering both knowledge and awareness of the potential for change. There is structure in the program schedule, consistency in behaviour, and a pervasive expectation of personal responsibility.

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John A. McDougall (1854-1928) built the McDougall Mansion, which remained in the family until 1946 when it was sold to the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire. In 1969 the YWCA took possession of the mansion to operate a program for homeless women with addictions, and for those who had been incarcerated and had nowhere to go upon release.

The McDougall House Association was formed in 1969. It was then that the McDougall family granted the Board the use of the family name. The Board purchased a house, located on the corner of 111 Avenue and 108 Street. In 1999, that house was demolished and a larger house was built to house up to 12 women in recovery.

McDougall House is Licensed

The McDougall House Association is licensed with the Alberta Government as an inpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment centre.

The Mental Health Services Protection Act (MHSPA), Statutes of Alberta, 2018 Chapter M-13.2:

This Act provides a foundation to ensure safe, quality addiction and mental health care. The Act also provides authority to licence residential addiction treatment facilities and outlines core requirements that must be met. It also enables creation of a professional college to regulate Counsellors.