John Volken Academy
John Volken is the founder of the John Volken Academy, a treatment centre for people with addictions. I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing John this past summer in order to gain more knowledge of his own beginnings and his program. Today I was further blessed with a fantastic tour of the entire facility by Darren Phillips, one of the Program Directors at John Volken Academy.
As part of the tour we were able to join the students at the 5:00 pm dinner sitting, which was more than I bargained for. The residents were exceptionally polite, with excellent eye contact and impeccable manners. They were also extremely open with their personal stories and eager to answer any questions they could. This is all a direct result of the program mandate and John Volken himself. Strict rules of conduct. Break any of the explicit rules, you may find yourself under the terms of a “learning experience” which can include loss of privileges, loss of time gained, continuous work or expulsion. Students are given learning experiences so that they can do just that, learn through their mistakes and understand why they need to change the behaviours and determine a plan on how to do so.
Some could criticize that perhaps the rules and expectations are too stringent here, but it is the foundation of the program’s success. Once accepted, the programs starts with a blackout period with no contact with the outside world. It follows with two letters in and two letters out allowed per month (monitored), and then eventually two phone calls and two letters in and out per month (also monitored). Further on in the program they also have monitored visits, leading to unsupervised visits and finally furloughs in the last portion of their program. All of these levels of communication are introduced during stages of the program as students are able to re-integrate relationships in a healthy manner into their lives and have healthy boundaries. Much more strict than the typical programs available.
Aside from the rules, another basic expectation is learning work skills in a real workplace setting — the Price Pro store located at 6911 King George Boulevard in Surrey. They also have other locations in Mesa Arizona and Kent Washington. Paid professionals work side-by-side the student to provide them work place training. The store sells food and furniture . . . and everything in between. A great place to do your shopping, especially if you would like to support the program. The store is subsidized by the John Volken Foundation and the purposes of working in the store is to keep students productively busy and to provide a safe environment to build work skills and life-skills. This model of working in the store and the Foundation funding is what makes this program free. Yes, aside from a one-time intake fee, the program is free. Not easy, but free.
Additional components of the program include shadowing new students, teaching others, becoming a family leader in your dorm, or being on Student Council. Therapeutic components include Encounter Groups twice a week, attending workshops, and weekly Neurofeedback sessions. There is also the possibility of attending post secondary if desired and eventual job acquisition as your time put into the program increases toward graduation. Graduating from the program takes typically at least two years. Two years of living full time at the facility with very limited contact with the outside world. A very tall order.
One of the students that was at my dinner table explained that he had been through three other programs prior: 3 weeks, 3 months, and a 6 month program. None of them stuck. He explained to me that it takes time to heal your brain. Time here is what you get.
Darren Phillips, my tour guide, happens to be a long time friend of mine and one of Volken’s success stories himself. He battled most of his life with his own substance abuse problems. Darren entered the program (at that time called Welcome Home) on April 13, 2011 and completed the program June 1, 2013. When he entered the program his life included a partner, a daughter, and step-kids. They are all still a part of his life today.
After graduation, Darren decided to stay on as the Manager of Frozen Foods and Dairy, and accepted a recent promotion to Program Director. It is not unusual for him to put in 65 hours in a week. Everyone at Volken works hard. Darren told me that “conformity in uniformity” is another one of their pillars. No one is better. No one is worse. No one is special. Level playing field for all.
John Volken is a 74 year old man who came to Canada from Germany when he was 18. He had spent some time in an orphanage (from about 10–12) and told me that it was there that perhaps he himself learned the value in caring and helping others. He had a good experience there and was very well cared for. Now he wants to give back.
In John’s own words, this is the “hardest program out there”. Indeed it would not be for everyone. As my esteemed Counselling Group colleague George Passmore aptly put it (also Manager of Substance Use Services at Sources Community Resources):
In treating problematic substance use we need a menu of options to offer people. There are many pathways into addiction and there are many pathways out of it. It is about finding the right fit.
If you would like to support the Volken Academy, shop at their store or make a donation. You can also go for a tour yourself if you are interested. It is a very worthy cause. You can donate online at http://www.volken.org/make-a-donation or they can write a cheque to the John Volken Academy and mail it to: 6911 King George Boulevard, Surrey, B.C. V3W 5A1
