NCJ Number
209133
Journal
Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly Volume: 22 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2004 Pages: 19-39
Date Published
2004
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Franklin County Women’s Research Project, which offers a comprehensive program for women including alcohol and other drug treatment, as well as trauma and mental health services.
Abstract
A collaborative program offered by the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium, the Franklin Medical Center, three Women’s Resource Centers, and local consumer/survivor/recovering women (CSR's), the Franklin County Women’s Research Project is designed to offer comprehensive, integrated, gender-specific, and trauma-informed alcohol and other drug treatment and mental health services to women within this resource-poor rural community. The project integrated services at both the person level and the system level. The Women’s Resource Centers focus on the person level services integration involving peer support, trauma recovery groups, peer advocates, writing, art, and body awareness programs, as well as a variety of opportunities. These Centers collaborate with formal treatment services that focus on the system level services, including mental health and drug treatment, domestic violence assistance, and trauma support services. The focus on peer support and CSR involvement in the development and implementation of the project are unique and provide an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the peer-driven model for healing and recovery. Although the project has yet to be evaluated, it is hoped that the integrated, multidisciplinary, trauma-informed services that are mindful of women’s unique contexts will be used as a model for other communities. Figure, references