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windhavencounselingcenter-blog · 9 years ago

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“You work only with women, that’s gotta be tough!”

I had the pleasure of attending the DFW Behavioral Health Symposium last week. It was a great event and filled with some of my favorite people in this industry. Even more important, I had the opportunity to meet so many new people and to talk about Windhaven Counseling Center. When talking about Windhaven and our commitment to serving women, I inevitably get the look of shock and the comment, “Wow, women only, that’s gotta be tough!” This comment is usually followed up by “God bless you” or another expression of empathy.

The truth is women are tough, but in my experience, they aren’t any more difficult to help than any other person with addictive illness. They just have different needs and different experiences in the world. (The same is true for men) The difficulty in treating women comes when we don’t acknowledge these differences and attempt to paint everyone with the same broad brush stroke. While we all share a common solution born of the 12-Steps, the issues that bring women to treatment (and those that distract us from fully engaging in the recovery process) are vastly different than those of men.

Women are more likely to have experienced sexual trauma, to be the victims of domestic violence, or to have engaged in prostitution to support their addiction. They are more likely to be homeless, to be dependent on another person for financial resources, and to have child care needs. Overall, women are less likely to stay in a treatment program for extended periods of time due to household responsibilities and financial strain. In addition, detoxification issues are complicated by pregnancy and many women do not seek help when pregnant due to stigma and the challenge of navigating Family Protective Services.

While the industry is quick to acknowledge these differences, very few programs are actually using these differences to inform their models of care. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only 33% of all treatment programs operating in the United States report gender-responsive or gender-separate treatment offerings. This lack of gender-informed care continues to persist despite research suggesting that women are more likely to have greater reductions in post-treatment use, less recidivism with the criminal justice system, and longer lengths of treatment stay (when in enrolled in women’s only programs).

Sure! Women can be tough! The barriers to treatment are difficult to navigate and the level of abuse and trauma that I see women experiencing both before and during their addictions can appear insurmountable. They show up with a myriad of coping and survival mechanisms that are challenging to unravel. But what I know when they walk through the door of my treatment facility (or any of the others doing this work) is that they are survivors. The women walking in off the streets are tough, they are smart, and they are incredibly resilient – because they have to be! And that’s why I love working with them and with their families. It’s challenging and it’s never the same day twice. They are my greatest teachers, day in and day out! And I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their journey to recovery.

#womeninrecovery #windhavencounseling windhavenhouse #12steps #DFWBehavioralHealthSymposium

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