Women Embracing Life and Living (WELL) Project: Using the Relational Model to Develop Integrated Systems of Care for Women with Alcohol/Drug Use and Mental Health Disorders with Histories of Violence

• NCJ Number: 209135
• Journal: Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly Volume: 22 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2004 Pages: 63-80
• Author(s): Norma Finkelstein Ph.D.; Laurie S. Markoff Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes the Women Embracing Life and Living (WELL) Project designed to provide integrated services to women with alcohol and drug dependencies, mental health disorders, and histories of violence.

Abstract

The WELL Project in Massachusetts is based on the relational model of women’s development, which emphasizes the importance of relationships in the lives of women. The WELL Project was implemented at three sites: all large, comprehensive private non-profit organizations licensed to provide both mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services. The WELL Project was based on the principle that providing integrated, comprehensive services that speak to the needs of women and their children will be more successful than separate service delivery. The article describes the development process of the WELL Project, which focused on integrating services and service providers through an emphasis on relationship building and collaborative decisionmaking. Cross-training curricula were offered that helped provide clinical direction to the intervention model and to the development of integrated services that cover a range of issues previously dealt with through separate programs. The article also reports on a comparative evaluation of the WELL Project, which compared 218 women who chose to receive services at the integrated sites with 110 women who received separate services delivered under the previous model. Comparative data are offered concerning the women’s demographic information and histories of abuse, mental health disorders, and AOD dependencies. Finally, the services offered by the WELL Project are described and include interagency services planning, parenting groups, trauma-specific groups, and a WELL Child Project. The WELL Project was noted as successful by member agencies and key stakeholders; results of the comparative analysis will be useful for directing future efforts toward integrated services. References