Treatment Models

Women need a gender specific approach to substance abuse treatment because the substance abuse experience for women is totally different than the experience for men. A 1998 research report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, indicates that there are certain predisposing psychological, family, and social risk factors that are more common in the substance-abusing woman. The psychological factors are, disorders of mood such as, depression, anxiety, negative self-identity, low self-esteem, poor self-conflict, lack of adequate coping skills, and poor social support systems. In the family risk factors, women are more likely to have childhood abuse, especially sexual, greater incidence of parental addiction, parental mental illness, and parental deprivation or rejection, early separation from parents through divorce or death, and greater incidence of family violence. In the social risk factors, women are more likely to have been socially isolated as children, come from low-income households, have experienced discrimination as adults, and be caring for their children alone.

AODA issues are affecting the ability of some women to engage in W-2 and/or find and keep a job. These women also have many other barriers to employment (e.g. low level of education, poor work history, physical and mental illness, homelessness, physical and sexual abuse, and have history of trauma, other violence and chaotic relationships.) Low level of education and minimal job skills reinforce AODA and its relapse. AODA treatment and employment need to be integrated for the success of both. Therefore, it is necessary to engage women in a fully integrated treatment program with employment as the desired outcome. Treatment should provide programming that addresses education and job skill enhancement, and philosophically view work as treatment and treatment as work by weaving the principles of recovery into all areas of life. Equally as necessary is including the woman's family in treatment services and providing flexible and extended treatment options to families (family as defined by the woman.)

• Across all components in the continuum of care treatment providers should strive for the following:
• Engender hope and empowerment in their clients,
• Ensure safe, secure, and supportive environments,
• Establish trusting relationships between female clients and staff,
• Provide advocacy in accessing all services needed,
• Promote self-responsibility, self-sufficiency, and interdependence,
• Strive for gender specific and culturally relevant client driven services,
• Eliminate labeling of women and their children in all respects, and
• Build the effective linkages and networking required for model women's programs.
• Gender specific treatment and services that are needed for women in recovery:
• On-site Child Care or Referral Sources
• Transportation Referral
• Comprehensive Case Management
• Chemical Dependency Education
• Safe and Affordable Housing Assistance
• Psychological Evaluation
• Crisis Intervention
• Group Therapy
• Women's Issues Group
• Individual Sessions
• Education and Literacy Activities
• Parenting Education
• In-home Parenting Support
• On-going In-home Support
• Legal Advocacy
• Family Counseling
• Life Skills Management
• Medication Management
• Random Drug Screening
• Supervised Visitation
• Coordination with Children's Schools
• Aftercare
• Job Readiness Activities
• Transitional Employment
• Spirituality
• Cultural Education/Awareness back to the table of contents