Treatment Philosophy
"Addiction is like being in a black hole and not being able to get out. Instead of pulling me out, WRA gave me a ladder, so I could climb out on my own." - Needa F, Residential Alumnae
To address women's gender-specific treatment needs, WRA uses a holistic approach and provides state-of-the-art, intensive outpatient and residential substance abuse treatment for women and girls. Our treatment philosophy is based on the following principles:
- Utilize non-confrontational, advocacy-based and strength-based approaches
- Encourage relationship and community building among women and girls
- Provide programs and treatment services that are trauma-informed and culturally competent
- Promote strong female leadership and positive role modeling from staff
- Strive to meet the daily needs of women and address barriers to access in all modalities of treatment
- Create a therapeutic milieu that is structured, supportive, caring, and involves larger systems of care as needed
- Offer services to women, children and their families; and support women with learning appropriate parenting skills
- Develop long term recovery plans that incorporate multiple and complex issues
- Include and employ a variety of therapeutic approaches and evidence-based practices
Principles for Creating Gender-Responsive Services
- Women-only groups
- Safety
- Empowerment
- Develop and use a variety of therapeutic approaches (psycho-education, expressive, relational)
- Focus on women’s competencies and strengths
- Individualize treatment plans and match treatment to identified strengths and issues
Social Model Treatment Milieu
WRA’s therapeutic milieu consists of the treatment community, as well as the larger 12 step community. It is peer-based and guided by the belief that recovery doesn’t happen in isolation. Our peer mentorship program allows new clients to be welcomed into the WRA community in a ritualized, systemic and meaningful way.
The treatment milieu is guided by a number of principles:
- Develop a culture of belonging, safety, communication, participation and ownership in citizenship
- Teach, honor, and respect cultural values, beliefs, and differences
- Provide a highly structured daily regimen
- Rely on a support network or community for both support and healing
- Regard all interactions as opportunities for change
- Foster positive growth and development
- Promote changes in behavior, attitudes, values, and lifestyle
Integrated Clinical Program
- Diagnostic complexity is an expectation, not an exception; therefore WRA offers co-occurring treatment at all levels and stages of treatment.
- The clinical program provides a rigorous and comprehensive treatment schedule that includes psycho-educational and didactic treatment groups, process groups, specialized treatment groups, individual sessions, family treatment, skills-building groups, restorative body practices such as yoga and hypnotherapy, and art and drama therapy.
- We have developed our own curriculum as well as integrating a number of evidence-based practices, including Nurturing Parent Program, Seeking Safety, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) principals.
Treatment is:
- Thematic: Recovery based cognitive/behavioral learning themes connect the content and structure of the groups each week.
- Holistic: Approaching healing as a ‘whole-self’ experience: body, mind, emotion and spirit. Connections between self, community and recovery are emphasized.
- Developmental: Building on a foundation of core recovery principles by providing opportunities for practice, personal integration, community bonding and creative expression.
Addressing Trauma in Treatment: Creating Safety
- Curriculum based upon the work of Dr. Lisa Najavits in Seeking Safety
- Six week Psycho-education group for women with both Chemical Dependency and PTSD
- Additional somatic and expressive art techniques incorporated