This blog is a forum for Discussion among faculty and students from Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work and Vytautas Magnus University, Schools of Social Work and Public Administration.
Here is the initial post by Emily: Substance Abuse Treatment for Women and Children: The Women's Treatment Center Chicago, IL.
AGENCY MISSION: The mission of The Women's Treatment Center is to provide women with a continuum of care, recovery tools, and parenting skills to maintain a sober lifestyle as they rebuild their lives and mend the bonds with their families
The scope of this treatment includes social services, medical care and mental health services, which are offered without regard to race, creed, color, sexual orientation, disability, national origin or ability to pay.
The Women's Treatment Center is designed to provide a variety of treatment services to women, eliminating the common barriers they typically face. It is one of the few substance abuse programs in the nation that can accommodate children in residential treatment, making TWTC particularly responsive to the needs of chemically dependent mothers.
I am honored to be a part of a facility that practices a one-stop model. This one-stop model gives women and their children to feel safe and be able to get the treatment without leaving the building where vulnerability is at its peak. I currently work with women and their children on a residential unit. The program asks for the women to abstain for 90-days. However, patients do have the right to leave the treatment center at anytime unless they are mandated.
The majority (approx. 85%) of funds come from the state of Illinois and the rest miscellaneously (proprietors and private donations). There is not much research going on with the agency however, gathering from staff meetings, almost all of the staff members are eager to explore and mold a new treatment approach.
This sounds like an amazing program, especially sine like you mentioned, there are so few programs like this that allow children to reside with their mother for the duration of treatment! I imagine that this program is very popular and I was wondering how women are screened for services. Since space is likely limited, are people regularly turned away?
I also think it's great that the women's children are allowed to live with them during the program. I wonder more specifically about what services are provided for these women? What does treatment look like? Do they use medications along with therapy? Is it more group or individual therapy?
On the unit that I am interning this semester at the Women's Treatment Center is the inpatient unit. Women on this unit are encouraged (unless mandated by the court or DCFS) to complete a 90-day treatment. During their 90-day stay, the women have 3-4 group therapy sessions per day. The women stick to a strict regimen in order to assert boundaries and structure. Also, the women are to attend parenting groups daily. Every woman on the unit has a primary counselor and has 1:1 therapy once a week. The only medications that the agency focuses on giving is methadone maintenance, prenatal, and postnatal medication. Unfortunately psych medication is not given nor is it offered because the agency is not a MISA agency. The agency model is great and the philosophy behind its services are well intended. Usually people are not turned away from services. More than often, the women who break their 90-day contract usually come back. So far in the 3 weeks that I have been on the unit, 2 women are wanting to come back.
Chani said... In 1993 and 1995, the government awarded 27 five year grants for residential treatment for pregnant and postpartum substance abusing women and their children. These grants were awarded based on ongoing research that proved the importance of such residential treatment agencies. Research was conducted on how effective these treatment centers were, and findings proved that “…comprehensive residential treatment in which infants and young children live with their mothers is a promising approach for alleviating the women’s substance abuse and other problems, improving birth outcomes, and helping these mothers become more competent parents” (Clark, 2001). The programs helped the women recover from their abuse, learn valuable parenting skills, give children the services the need to develop emotionally and physically, and help women find jobs and become responsible mothers. TWTC differs from other agencies in that it strives to avoid the trauma of children being separated from their parents who are in recovery. Therefore, the agency is set up in a way to keep families together. Children live with their mothers in a residential setting, up until the age of five. This helps mothers learn valuable parenting skills, and children stay together with their mothers so as not to bring unnecessary separation anxiety into their lives.
It sounds like this program has a lot to offer the women and children that it serves. I was curious about the 90-day stay. Are women allowed to stay longer than that? Are there services to help women secure housing once they leave the program? As I am thinking about this program, I can also think of 2 other programs in Chicago who use this same model for substance abuse treatment. Since this is not a MISA site, what is the criteria for accepting a woman to this program? Can someone with a mental illness participate? Some of the women that I come into contact with at the Cook County Department of Corrections have been through this program and report great things. Somewhere along the way, they return to using. This may be a wider issue regarding a continuum of care once they return to the community. Does this program offer any follow-up care or services?
This sounds like a very ambitious and desperately needed institution. However, I cannot help but wonder what the relapse rate is among these women , and what the outcomes are for their children and the types of continuing care that is offered after they leave the facility.
Here is the initial post by Emily:
ReplyDeleteSubstance Abuse Treatment for Women and Children:
The Women's Treatment Center
Chicago, IL.
AGENCY MISSION: The mission of The Women's Treatment Center is to provide women with a continuum of care, recovery tools, and parenting skills to maintain a sober lifestyle as they rebuild their lives and mend the bonds with their families
The scope of this treatment includes social services, medical care and mental health services, which are offered without regard to race, creed, color, sexual orientation, disability, national origin or ability to pay.
The Women's Treatment Center is designed to provide a variety of treatment services to women, eliminating the common barriers they typically face. It is one of the few substance abuse programs in the nation that can accommodate children in residential treatment, making TWTC particularly responsive to the needs of chemically dependent mothers.
I am honored to be a part of a facility that practices a one-stop model. This one-stop model gives women and their children to feel safe and be able to get the treatment without leaving the building where vulnerability is at its peak. I currently work with women and their children on a residential unit. The program asks for the women to abstain for 90-days. However, patients do have the right to leave the treatment center at anytime unless they are mandated.
The majority (approx. 85%) of funds come from the state of Illinois and the rest miscellaneously (proprietors and private donations). There is not much research going on with the agency however, gathering from staff meetings, almost all of the staff members are eager to explore and mold a new treatment approach.
This sounds like an amazing program, especially sine like you mentioned, there are so few programs like this that allow children to reside with their mother for the duration of treatment! I imagine that this program is very popular and I was wondering how women are screened for services. Since space is likely limited, are people regularly turned away?
ReplyDeleteI also think it's great that the women's children are allowed to live with them during the program. I wonder more specifically about what services are provided for these women? What does treatment look like? Do they use medications along with therapy? Is it more group or individual therapy?
ReplyDeleteOn the unit that I am interning this semester at the Women's Treatment Center is the inpatient unit. Women on this unit are encouraged (unless mandated by the court or DCFS) to complete a 90-day treatment. During their 90-day stay, the women have 3-4 group therapy sessions per day. The women stick to a strict regimen in order to assert boundaries and structure. Also, the women are to attend parenting groups daily. Every woman on the unit has a primary counselor and has 1:1 therapy once a week.
ReplyDeleteThe only medications that the agency focuses on giving is methadone maintenance, prenatal, and postnatal medication. Unfortunately psych medication is not given nor is it offered because the agency is not a MISA agency.
The agency model is great and the philosophy behind its services are well intended. Usually people are not turned away from services. More than often, the women who break their 90-day contract usually come back. So far in the 3 weeks that I have been on the unit, 2 women are wanting to come back.
Chani said...
ReplyDeleteIn 1993 and 1995, the government awarded 27 five year grants for residential treatment for pregnant and postpartum substance abusing women and their children. These grants were awarded based on ongoing research that proved the importance of such residential treatment agencies. Research was conducted on how effective these treatment centers were, and findings proved that “…comprehensive residential treatment in which infants and young children live with their mothers is a promising approach for alleviating the women’s substance abuse and other problems, improving birth outcomes, and helping these mothers become more competent parents” (Clark, 2001). The programs helped the women recover from their abuse, learn valuable parenting skills, give children the services the need to develop emotionally and physically, and help women find jobs and become responsible mothers.
TWTC differs from other agencies in that it strives to avoid the trauma of children being separated from their parents who are in recovery. Therefore, the agency is set up in a way to keep families together. Children live with their mothers in a residential setting, up until the age of five. This helps mothers learn valuable parenting skills, and children stay together with their mothers so as not to bring unnecessary separation anxiety into their lives.
It sounds like this program has a lot to offer the women and children that it serves. I was curious about the 90-day stay. Are women allowed to stay longer than that? Are there services to help women secure housing once they leave the program? As I am thinking about this program, I can also think of 2 other programs in Chicago who use this same model for substance abuse treatment. Since this is not a MISA site, what is the criteria for accepting a woman to this program? Can someone with a mental illness participate? Some of the women that I come into contact with at the Cook County Department of Corrections have been through this program and report great things. Somewhere along the way, they return to using. This may be a wider issue regarding a continuum of care once they return to the community. Does this program offer any follow-up care or services?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very ambitious and desperately needed institution. However, I cannot help but wonder what the relapse rate is among these women , and what the outcomes are for their children and the types of continuing care that is offered after they leave the facility.
ReplyDelete