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How our programs work

STG runs focused, condition-specific programs delivered by secure video across Saskatchewan. Whichever program you enter, the same clinical spine holds: a safe intake, evidence-based sessions, and measurement-based follow-through. Here is exactly what happens at each stage — and why.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Clinician-led care, then supported practice

The first phase is clinician-led sessions by secure video. They create the frame, teach the core tools, and help you practise them with guidance.

The second phase is structured practice and individual check-ins — so the skills keep developing after the live foundation is in place.

The goal is never a promised cure. It is less distress, steadier routines, more flexible attention, and real re-engagement with daily life.

ENTRY

Intake & matching

Free, from any device. Reviewed personally before any placement — the front door to every STG program.

PHASE 1

Your program sessions

Clinician-led, skills-first sessions by secure video. The foundation for everything that follows.

PHASE 2

Check-ins & measurement

Structured practice and individual check-ins through your private workspace — for as long as you need.

IN SESSION

What your sessions look like

Live by secure video, clinician-led. Each session pairs clear teaching with guided practice, brief reflection, and a home practice — so you leave with tools, not just information.

01 · ORIENTATION

Safety, expectations, and the treatment frame

How the program works, clear boundaries, what the work targets — and what it honestly doesn’t. You leave knowing exactly what to expect.

02 · MAPPING

Understanding what keeps it going

Map how thoughts, body alarm, attention, checking, reassurance, and avoidance reinforce each other — and find where your own pattern is strongest.

03 · REGULATION

Body-first regulation and sleep foundations

Lower urgency in the body, build a plan for hard nights, and stop turning sleep into a performance test.

04 · ATTENTION

Attention, habits, and avoidance

Loosen checking, comparison, and monitoring whether today is worse than yesterday — without trying to force the feeling away.

05 · TRANSITION

Skills, thinking, and the road ahead

Test catastrophic predictions, practise flexible thinking, and prepare for the follow-through phase with a personal plan.

Clear boundaries — and they are part of the treatment

Confidentiality, respectful participation, no recording, no symptom comparison, no graphic storytelling, no reassurance loops, and no medical advice between participants. Unstructured discussion can accidentally reinforce scanning, comparison, and fear — this structure interrupts those loops instead of feeding them. You’ll be invited to participate, but never forced to disclose more than you want.

FOLLOW-THROUGH · CHECK-INS

After the sessions, the work continues

Your private between-session workspace opens during the program and stays open after — nothing you enter is shared with anyone else in the program.

Self-study modules

Structured work on skills, coping with setbacks, re-engagement, and maintenance — at your own pace.

Daily check-in

A few minutes a day: how things went, plus an exercise matched to where you are. Progress builds a clear picture over time.

Individual check-ins

Your therapist reviews your check-in data and meets with you to personalise the work, spot where you’re stuck, and catch anything needing closer attention.

The transition is intentional: real change is not only about what happens during sessions — it is about what you practise during ordinary days and difficult moments. If you need more individual support, check-ins provide the pathway to step up.

THE FRONT DOOR

Why we screen first — and what we screen for

Mental-health concerns can overlap with medical issues, severe sleep disruption, anxiety, depression, and safety risk. Screening protects you and the clinical integrity of the program. The intention is honest routing, not gatekeeping — a good program should say “yes” only when the format is likely to fit.

Validated measures, used carefully

The core battery — the purpose is not to over-assess, but to place you in the right level of care:

Medical red-flag screenCondition-specific measuresInsomnia Severity Index (ISI)PHQ-9GAD-7C-SSRS suicide-risk screenProgram-readiness questionsDistress & function ratings

Add-on screens are used only when indicated — e.g. health anxiety, checking patterns, trauma, substance use, or sound tolerance.

Where screening can route you

Completing the screening never obligates you to join. Anxiety, low mood, or poor sleep don’t automatically rule you out — severity and safety guide the decision.

When a program isn’t the right first step

Active suicidal intent or recent attempt, unmanaged crisis, psychosis, mania, intoxication, acute medical red flags, inability to participate safely by video, or a strong demand for a cure or guarantee. That is not rejection — it means a different level of care should come first, and we help you get there.

Medical care comes first if…

Once the medical issue is appropriately addressed, an STG program may still be a good fit for the distress. In immediate danger? Call or text 9-8-8 or emergency services now.

THE EVIDENCE FRAME

Evidence-based protocols, matched to each condition

Our programs use the therapies research actually supports — CBT, ACT, and DBT — with defined session pathways for each condition. Stated carefully: these are gold-standard treatments for the distress and its impact, not guarantees.

Many people find symptoms feel less intrusive once distress reduces. But constant self-measurement can itself become part of the loop — so the outcome targets are coping, sleep, attention flexibility, and quality of life.

Our programs are evidence-led, not narrow: acceptance, defusion, attention training, values-based action, behavioural experiments, and exposure to avoided situations all fit within the framework. Acceptance doesn’t mean liking the problem or giving up — it means reducing the exhausting fight so you can act more freely.

What CBT actually changes

The thoughts, predictions, safety behaviours, checking patterns, avoidance, and body-alarm responses that make a problem feel more threatening and central.

Why structured programs

Structured, skills-based programs teach evidence-based principles clearly, normalise the experience, and reduce isolation — without becoming symptom comparison. Sessions are the foundation, not the whole treatment.

What you can expect from STG

Clear intake, honest routing, ethical claims, structured sessions, practical tools, and careful boundaries. No cure promises, no fear-based marketing. If a program isn’t the right fit, you’ll be told before you’re placed into it.

What you need

A private space where you won’t be overheard, stable internet, working audio, and ideally a camera. No attending from public spaces, work within earshot, or while driving.

Privacy

This is clinical care: no recording, screenshots, or sharing of session content. Your check-in entries stay private.

Alongside other care

Our programs can sit beside medical care — they never replace assessment, medication management, or other treatment your doctor provides. Mention concurrent care during intake.

Start with an intake

Intake is the front door. Free, no referral — and no obligation to join once it’s reviewed.

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Administration

Contact us

Phone: (306) 518 – 8701