"Friends in need": designing and implementing a psychoeducational group for school children from drug-involved families.

Despite widespread recognition of the risks that parental drug use pose to children, few resources are available to help such children. Using a developmental intervention approach, the authors designed and tested a model curriculum for use with groups of latency-aged children in schools located in communities where drug use is pervasive. In implementing this curriculum, the authors documented the need that children affected by family drug use have for workable strategies and skills for coping with aversive environments. The responsiveness of group participants to structure, predictability, and affirmation in the groups was remarkable. Measurable changes occurred in classroom behavior and feelings of self-worth. Obstacles to implementing and testing such an intervention are discussed.

Women in recovery. Their perceptions of treatment effectiveness.

Research with chemically dependent women over the past two decades indicates that women substance abusers have special characteristics and needs that warrant gender-sensitive drug-treatment approaches. While the potential benefit of such treatment seems clear, little empirical data is available on how women perceive the effectiveness of gender-sensitive specialized drug treatment. This article presents findings from an exploratory study of the present and past treatment experiences of 24 women in recovery. Results indicate that while some specialized services such as child care and women-only therapy groups are increasingly available, many drug-treatment programs fail to provide these services in a context which supports and promotes women. As a result, women in drug treatment continue to experience negative stereotyping and sexual harassment as their gender-specific needs remain ignored, silenced, or deemed pathological. Major gaps in drug treatment for women are discussed as are implications for the provision of effective gender-sensitive treatment.

The role of women's therapy groups in the treatment of chemical dependence.

The distinctive needs of chemically dependent women are contrasted with those of men and discussed in relationship to traditional mixed-gender therapy groups. A qualitative study of the contrasting experiences of women in mixed-gender and women-only treatment groups confirmed the hypothesis that their treatment needs are better met in the latter, and that these groups are an essential component of programs treating chemically dependent women.

Gender differences in drug addiction and treatment: implications for social work intervention with substance-abusing women.

This article draws on current addiction research to describe the unique characteristics and treatment needs of chemically dependent women and how they differ from those of chemically dependent men. It explores similarities between women who are drug addicted and all women who experience gender-based oppression. The authors suggest that drug use is a coping strategy that some women adopt to manage this oppression. Finally, the article looks at traditional drug treatment programs, which have been designed to treat male addicts and fail to address the treatment needs of women. The authors offer an alternative treatment model designed to meet those needs. Parallels between characteristics of this alternative treatment model and social work practice are drawn, and opportunities and strategies for social workers to intervene with female addicts are identified.

Impediments to comprehensive treatment models for substance-dependent women: treatment and research questions.

A number of factors need to be addressed in order to provide efficacious treatment for drug-dependent women, particularly those who are opioid dependent. If left unaddressed, these factors may reduce the effectiveness of treatment. In addition, evaluation research frequently overlooks the impact of these factors in methodological approaches examining treatment outcomes. This article discusses several of the problems brought to treatment settings by women, considers how these problems impact on current treatment models, examines alternative research approaches to evaluating treatment for women, and focuses on three critical factors regularly overlooked in treatment provision and in research related to women: (1) broader issues of dependency in women; (2) the impact of chaotic early interpersonal relationships on developmental levels; and (3) diagnostic criteria and treatment goals appropriate for women. It attempts to provide an understanding of the impact of these three elements on treatment and on research methodologies in order to provide and evaluate comprehensive and effective treatment for drug-dependent women.