Most insurance plans will cover either all or a portion of the treatment.
The Importance and Impact of Gender-Specific Care in Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment
Content Reviewed By:
SUD treatment executive, national news contributor & keynote speaker.
Navigation:
- Overview
- What Is Women-Only Rehab?
- On A Therapeutic Level
- On A Practical and Experiential Level
- The Importance and Benefits of Women-Only Treatment Options
- What Kind of Treatment Is Offered at Women-Only Rehab?
- Choosing the Treatment Model That’s Right for You
- How Do I Find A Women-Only Rehab Near Me?
Overview
While men are more likely to develop lifetime substance use disorder (SUD) than women, data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicate that nearly 21 million people who identified as women in the United States struggled with the condition. This accounts for over 14 percent of women nationwide.
Women face a variety of unique stressors and adverse factors associated with their gender experience that can, and often do, lead to SUD and many other acute and long-term mental health challenges.
As the approach to addiction treatment has evolved and shifted toward a more whole-patient approach, gender-specific treatment has emerged as one of the core components of these holistic efforts; this includes the development of women-only rehab models.
What Is Women’s Only Rehab?
Women’s only rehab models address the unique care needs that women dealing with substance abuse face. They are designed to meet women’s treatment needs on both a therapeutic and practical level.
On A Therapeutic Level
Rehabs designed for women offer therapeutic programming that addresses the specific mental health-related challenges that female patients experience on a disproportionate level. These include, but are not limited to:
- Intimate-Partner Violence
- Parental Abuse
- Pregnant or Postpartum
- Workplace and General Discrimination
- General Anxiety Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- The Stress of Domestic and Parental Responsibilities
On A Practical and Experiential Level
Care at these facilities is often administered by an all-female staff, including the therapists and support staff. There is designated housing for women to help them feel safe and comfortable during their treatment. The importance of feeling safe and heard during the rehab experience cannot be understated. Not only does it put patients at ease in general, but it also allows them to embrace treatment without being scared, traumatized or discouraged.
The Importance and Benefits of Women’s Only Treatment Options
The reality of addiction for women is that sometimes it’s directly linked to their specific gender-related lived experience. Maybe they’re using alcohol to cope with the trauma of an abusive relationship; perhaps they’re experiencing depression or anxiety because of the expectations of motherhood; maybe they felt from a young age they had to use illicit drugs as a way of connecting with their partners.
The point is that, just as their unique gender experience prompted their substance, their care will need to address those specific issues at a fundamental level. From a medical perspective, it’s important that rehabs are equipped to address reproductive health and other factors specific to female patients.
What Kind of Treatment Is Offered at Women’s Only Rehab?
The exact therapeutic programming will vary depending on where women seek treatment; however, some of the more common types of therapy found in these programs include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Structured, goal-oriented therapy that helps to change negative thought processes and resulting behaviors.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy – A technique that helps manage intense emotions, improve interpersonal relationships, and reduce self-harm and suicidal behaviors.
- Family of Origin Therapy – Guided therapeutic examination of the role childhood and place in family dynamics influenced values, behaviors and choices.
- Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy – A Type of DBT that focuses on identifying, managing and reframing irrational thoughts that could lead to dangerous or self-destructive actions.
Other types of therapies may include eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and motivational interviewing.
Choosing the Treatment Model That’s Right for You
Like other types of rehab, women-only programs are offered across several different formats and program models:
- Inpatient rehab: This treatment setting is meant to provide more targeted and in-depth therapy, during which patients stay at their facility so they can heal in a safe, comfortable, and distraction-free environment. Very often, inpatient rehab is recommended for more severe and prolonged cases of addiction or for those who have tried outpatient rehab but weren’t able to maintain sobriety after they left their program.
- Outpatient rehab: Provides structured daily therapy similar to that of a full-time or part-time job. Patients report to their facility every day but return home at the end of every session. Outpatient rehab may be ideal for single parents or those who need the flexibility of maintaining their lives while in treatment.
- Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs): This treatment offers a structured hybrid model of intensive outpatient treatment. It’s meant to stabilize a patient’s condition, prevent hospitalization, or provide a step-down from inpatient care.
Medical detox withdrawal management may be necessary and available at all program levels to help patients safely and comfortably manage their acute physical and psychological symptoms. Medication-assisted therapy may also be offered for patients struggling with alcohol or opioid dependency.
How Do I Find A Women’s Only Rehab Near Me?
Most rehab facilities will display their gender-specific care options online. Use our directory to find a women’s only rehab program to fit your needs. It’s important to note that not all women-only rehab programs will provide the same level of clinical or practical benefits. An admissions representative will be able to tell you everything you need to know about therapeutic programming, housing models, and other critical factors. Take the first step and get the help you need today.
