Helping Women Recover

Preface vii

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Introduction to Addiction Treatment for Women 1

Historical Background: Why a Woman's Treatment Program? 1

What We Have Learned 5

Fundamentals of Gender-Responsive Services 12

Integration 30 The Value of Twelve Step Programs and Other Mutual-Help Groups 31

Research on Helping Women Recover 33

2 Facilitating the Program 37

Organization and Content of the Program 38

Principles of an Effective Treatment Program 44

The Role of the Facilitator 50

Module A: Self 57

1. Defining Self 63

2. Sense of Self 81

3. Self-Esteem 91

4. Sexism, Racism, and Stigma 101

Module B: Relationships 117

5. Family of Origin 121

6. Mothers 145

7. Mother Myths 153

8. Interpersonal Violence 167

9. Creating Healthy Relationships and Support Systems 183

10. Sexuality and Addiction 205

Module C: Sexuality 199

11. Body Image 227

12. Sexual Identity 241

13. Sexual Abuse 255

14. Fear of Sex While Clean and Sober 273

Module D: Spirituality 283

15. What Is Spirituality? 287

16. Prayer and Meditation 299

17. Creating a Vision 309

Appendix: Additional Recovery Resources 319

I. Five Primary Practices of the Oxford Group 320

II. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous 321

III. A.A. Slogans 322

IV. A Letter from Carl Jung to Bill Wilson 323

V. The Serenity Prayer 325

VI. The Synanon Prayer 326

VII. The Sixteen Steps for Discovery and Empowerment (Charlotte Kasl) 327

VIII. A New Version of the Twelve Steps (David Berenson) 329

IX. Thirteen Statements of Affirmation or Acceptance (Women For Sobriety) 330

X. SMART Recovery® 331

XI. Save Our Selves/(SOS) 332

References 333

Gender-Responsive Resource Materials 341

The Author 345

Index 347

Feedback Form 357

Praise for Helping Women Recover, 3rd Edition

"Since its first publication in 1998, Stephanie Covington's Helping Women Recovery has been an invaluable resource in the treatment of women recovering from addiction and trauma. The 2019 update will find appreciative audiences across a broad spectrum of addiction treatment and recovery support arenas. There exists no other resource combining historical insight, rigorous scientific research, clinical treatment, and the lived experiences of women in recovery. This revised edition is filled with step-by-step facilitator instructions, scripts, materials, and delivery tips. Helping Women Recovery is a landmark work that will leave a lasting legacy of transformed lives."

-William L. White , Author, Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America

"How lucky we are that Stephanie Covington is continuing and updating her pioneering work on women and addiction. A leader in the field for decades, she is a national treasure."

-Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D., Media Critic, Pioneering Activist, Author

"Helping Women Recover by Dr. Stephanie Covington is another major contribution to the field of women's addiction treatment. The first part of the book contains vital knowledge for any clinician who works with women. She puts the history of women's treatment into perspective and then provides information that clearly differentiates the differences between substance abuse treatment of women and of men. The experience and wisdom embedded in this text is long overdue."

-Sandra L. Bloom, M.D., Associate Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University

"Helping Women Recover is vital to our work with the chemically dependent female - and there is no one who understands gender-specific work better than Stephanie Covington!"

-Claudia Black, Ph.D., Addiction Specialist and Author of Unspoken Legacy: Addressing the Impact of Trauma and Addiction Within the Family

"With the debut of Helping Women Recover: A Program for Treating Addiction, Stephanie Covington demonstrated her innovative style in an evidence-based program by integrating theories of the psychology of women, trauma, and addiction. This revised edition builds on her internationally-recognized knowledge in the field of women's issues, addiction, trauma and recovery. It is exciting to see some of the new sessions that have been added. The updated resources and citations add additional value to this already useful body of work."

-Colette Anderson, LCSW, Executive Director, The Connecticut Women's Consortium

"Helping Women Recover provides a holistic woman-centered treatment programme with social-justice goals that is based on evidenced based knowledge and decades of practical experience. This new version has a thorough introduction to the best recent knowledge on addiction treatment and women and updated programme with new material on trauma and sexuality that we, in the Root look forward to presenting to our women participants."

-Kristín I. Pálsdóttir, Spokeswoman for The Root - Association on Women, Addiction and Mental Health in Iceland.

Stephanie S. Covington, PhD, LCSW, is an internationally recognized clinician, organizational consultant, and lecturer. For more than thirty-five years her work has focused on the creation of gender-responsive and trauma-informed services. Her extensive experience includes designing women's services at the Betty Ford Center, developing programs for women in criminal justice settings, and being the featured therapist on the Oprah Winfrey Network TV show entitled Breaking Down the Bars. She has also served as a consultant to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna and was selected for SAMHSA's Advisory Committee for Women's Services (ACWS). Educated at Columbia University and the Union Institute, Dr. Covington has conducted seminars for behavioral health professionals, community organizations, criminal justice professionals, and recovery groups in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico, Europe, Africa, Iceland, Brazil, and New Zealand. She has served on the faculties of the University of Southern California, San Diego State University, and the California School of Professional Psychology. She has published extensively, including ten gender-responsive, trauma-informed treatment curricula. Dr. Covington is based in La Jolla, California, where she is co-director of both the Institute for Relational Development and the Center for Gender & Justice.