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Gender-specific recovery is highly beneficial in helping people recover and reducing relapse rates. This includes women-focused treatment and women-specific therapies.
The iconic American poet and women’s rights activist Audre Lorde once said, “I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.” This embodies some of the essences of women-focused treatment.
Women-focused treatment is so important because it casts off the societal “norms” that long kept women from speaking their truth. It also offers a space to address the specific challenges and unique experiences that women face throughout their lives (many of which are due to an imbalanced patriarchal society). Women-focused treatment is also a place where women can feel free to express themselves without fear of judgment. A necessary element of life (and recovery) that has long not been afforded them in equal capacity.
Women-specific therapy is meant to help women open up about their specific challenges and struggles, among other rationales. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychiatric Services, “Several rationales for women-focused treatments have been presented. They include individual patient preferences for treatment programs or services for women that are provided by women; a greater ability to focus on gender-specific content; and an environment and treatment process that allow enhanced comfort and support, which may be especially important for women who have a history of trauma; and an opportunity to provide adjunctive services that are key to successful treatment outcomes among women.”
As one can see, the benefits of women-specific therapy are vast and varied. The following are just a few of more of those benefits:
The reality is that a woman is much more likely to experience trauma than their male counterparts. According to the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, “The lifetime prevalence of PTSD is about 10–12% in women and 5–6% in men.” Also, “Men and women experience different types of trauma, both in private life and at work, with women being exposed to more high-impact trauma (e.g. sexual trauma) than men, and at a younger age.”
Women-focused treatment can help to address these specific instances of trauma more safely and securely than mixed-gender treatment. This is because many of the women who experienced abuse did so at the hands of the opposite sex. So, with men present, a woman will be less likely to share and even have the potential to be traumatized if they share and are criticized.
Gender-specific care tends to lead to fewer instances of relapse, and relapse is more common than many people may think. According to the journal Current Psychiatry Reports, “It has long been known that addictive disorders are chronic and relapsing in nature. Recent estimates from clinical treatment studies suggest that more than two-thirds of individuals relapse within weeks to months of initiating treatment. For 1-year outcomes across alcohol, nicotine, weight, and illicit drug abuse, studies show that more than 85% of individuals relapse and return to drug use within 1 year of treatment.”
Relapse rates are lower due to gender-specific treatment because there is an inevitable greater focus on the individual and individual gender needs. Also, individualized care is essential for long-term recovery planning. Gender-specific care also tends to connect individuals to the best post-treatment center recovery communities that are going to cater directly to their needs. For women, this may involve a group with a continued focus on trauma or women-specific 12-Step meetings (such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous).
While incorporating the family into treatment can be crucial for people of any gender, it tends to be more so with women-focused treatment. This is because it recognizes the important (and often ignored) role that women play in the family dynamic.
Many women also experience domestic abuse. This makes family therapy significantly more important, especially if there are children involved. Incorporating the family can also help to create a safe space for women to come home to, which is essential for the continued goal of long-term recovery.
It is important to always remember that seeking addiction or mental health care is a sign of strength, never weakness. This is what we believe and teach here at Painted Desert Recovery.
Audre Lorde famously said, “When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” Here at Painted Desert Recovery, we believe in offering empowerment to women. We believe in offering a recovery that will always overcome the feelings of fear.
Most professionals and treatment communities now agree that gender-specific addiction care offers a chance for the most healthy and successful long-term recovery. It also has been shown to lower relapse rates. For more information about how to recover from addiction, please reach out to Painted Desert Recovery today at (844) 540-0353.