CBC Interview with Murray Brohman: Dunham House’s New Building
Murray Brohman's CBC Interview with Peter Tardif
Murray Brohman, General Manager of Dunham House, was interviewed by Peter Tardif of the CBC on October 3. Murray answered questions about Dunham House, its mission to help individuals suffering from mental health and concurrent disorders, including addiction, and the recent opening of Dunham House's new building.
Interview Transcript
Peter Tardif
Dunham House is one of only a handful of mental health and addiction resources in Quebec that offer services to the English-speaking population. The residential treatment center is located near Townsville in the townships, and they recently announced the opening of a brand-new building. Joining us now to talk more about the significance of this, especially for the region, is general manager, Murray Brohman. Good morning.
Murray Brohman
Good morning.
Peter Tardif
What is the focus of Dunham House?
Murray Brohman
We help people with mental health issues concurrent with addiction.
Peter Tardif
And your programs?
Murray Brohman
Our programs are specifically designed to help people with these difficulties.
Peter Tardif
When we're talking about addiction and mental health, how are you able to help people with their addiction and address the core issues linked to mental health problems?
Murray Brohman
Addiction is now recognized as a mental health issue in the diagnostic guidelines that psychiatrists use. Mental health issues, from schizophrenia to bipolar disorder to borderline personality disorder, often lead people toward addiction as they try to quell the voices and reduce their suffering.
Peter Tardif
How has the focus of Dunham House changed over the years leading to this latest addition?
Murray Brohman
In the past, addiction and rehabilitation services ignored the mental health component, focusing solely on addiction with methods like the 12-step variety (AA system or the Minnesota model). We focus on scientific evidence using cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, and relapse prevention. These four pillars help people get to the root of the cause and deal with it using evidence-based results.
Peter Tardif
Could you expand on the significance of providing services for English speakers?
Murray Brohman
There are very few services for English speakers in the province, most of which follow the 12-step model. We aimed to offer something different and help people in ways beyond the 12-step program. We opened in 2017 with a maximum capacity of 28 and have now increased our capacity to 40 by adding 12 new beds.
Peter Tardif
Some might think that 12 extra beds aren't significantly more, but in terms of day-to-day resources, it's quite remarkable.
Murray Brohman
It is. Adding 12 new beds means extra staffing, a new building, and more counselors and administrative people. We've been able to do all these things to help a larger part of the population. Many of our residents come through the hospital system, including referrals from the McGill system, Jewish General, Douglas Hospital, and Geoffrey Hale in Quebec City, because we offer something other than the 12-step program.
Peter Tardif
Your 6-month program includes mandatory activities every day. You've been quoted as saying, "This is not summer camp; this is work." Could you tell us more about your philosophy?
Murray Brohman
When someone comes to us, they’ve often made difficult choices and can no longer manage. We start by reinvesting them in daily life skills, like making their bed and being downstairs by 8 o’clock. Routine is crucial. We then involve them in workshops and classes on cognitive behavior therapy, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and more. These components help people manage their lives and become more autonomous, giving them a better chance at leading the life they want.
Peter Tardif
How do you decide who to take in given the limited space?
Murray Brohman
We receive applications and do video conference interviews with each potential resident. If we believe we can help them and have the capacity, we bring them in.
Peter Tardif
Staff shortages have affected many aspects of life. How have you managed to fill the gap, increase the number of beds, and what can other institutions learn from your experience?
Murray Brohman
Staffing is one of the most challenging parts of this job. Most of our team comes from Montreal, commuting 4-5 days a week, which is a hardship. However, people committed to this work go to extraordinary measures. I live on-site with some administrative staff, but all the clinicians travel in. Finding new staff is difficult, but we advertise on platforms like Indeed and have been lucky so far.
Peter Tardif
Murray Brohman, congratulations on this new addition to Dunham House. Thank you for speaking with us this morning.
Murray Brohman
My pleasure. Thanks for calling.
Peter Tardif
That was Murray Brohman, general manager of Dunham House in the townships.