Trauma-Informed Parenting Education Support Groups for Mothers in Substance Abuse Recovery (original) (raw)

Parenting training for women in residential substance abuse treatment* 1:: Results of a demonstration project

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 1997

This paper presents findings on the impact of implementing a parenting component in two urban residential treatment programs in Massachusetts .for pregnant and parenting chemically-dependent women. The parenting component consisted of multiple services for both women and their infants while they were in residential treatment as well as aftercare services after discharge from treatment. Findings presented focus on: (a) the characteristics of the 170 pregnant and parenting women who participated in the parenting component during its 48 months of implementation; (b) changes in the parenting skills and self-esteem of women who completed parenting training; (c) the quality of mother-child interaction; and (d) the participants' perceptions about the impact of the parenting training. Women in both programs made dramatic improvements in self-esteem and experienced significant gains in parenting knowledge and attitudes. The participants were also overwhelmingly positive about the impact of the parenting training on their lives. Study findings underline the importance of parenting services Jbr pregnant and parenting women in residential substance abuse treatment.

Parenting services for families affected by substance abuse

Child welfare

This article describes the development, implementation, and replication of a group-based parenting program for families affected by substance abuse. The Nurturing Program for Families in Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery improves parenting, as measured on objective scales; enhances parents' satisfaction and competence, as measured by participant reports; and is based on principles demonstrated to be effective in reducing risk of both child abuse and neglect and substance abuse for both parents and children.

Supporting pregnant and parenting women who use alcohol during pregnancy: A scoping review of trauma-informed approaches

Women's Health, 2023

Alcohol is legalized and used for a variety of reasons, including socially or as self-medication for trauma in the absence of accessible and safe supports. Trauma-informed approaches can help address the root causes of alcohol use, as well as the stigma around women's alcohol use during pregnancy. However, it is unclear how these approaches are used in contexts where pregnant and/or parenting women access care. Our objective was to synthesize existing literature and identify promising trauma-informed approaches to working with pregnant and/or parenting women who use alcohol. A multidisciplinary team of scholars with complementary expertise worked collaboratively to conduct a rigorous scoping review. All screening, extraction, and analysis was independently conducted by at least two authors before any differences were discussed and resolved through team consensus. The Joanna Briggs Institute method was used to map existing evidence from peer-reviewed articles found in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, and Web of Science. Data were extracted to describe study demographics, articulate trauma-informed principles in practice, and gather practice recommendations. Thirty-six studies, mostly from the United States and Canada, were included for analysis. Studies reported on findings of trauma-informed practice in different models of care, including live-in treatment centers, case coordination/management, integrated and wraparound supports, and outreach-for pregnant women, mothers, or both. We report on how the following four principles of trauma-informed practices were applied and articulated in the included studies: (1) trauma awareness; (2) safety and trustworthiness; (3) choice, collaboration, and connection; and (4) strengths-based approach and skill building. This review advances and highlights the importance of understanding trauma and applying trauma-informed practice and principles to better support women who use alcohol to reduce the risk of alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Relationships and trust are central to trauma-informed care. Moreover, when applying trauma-informed practices with pregnant and parenting women who use alcohol, we must consider the unique stigma attached to alcohol use.

Differential responsiveness to a parenting intervention for mothers in substance abuse treatment

Child abuse & neglect, 2015

This study examines the relationship between levels of psychological distress in substance-dependent mothers and their differential response to a dyadic parent-child intervention. A sample of 66 mothers who were receiving treatment for substance abuse, as well as a simultaneous parenting intervention, were interviewed pre and post-treatment on measures of psychological distress, adult and child trauma history, parental reflective functioning, and child social-emotional development. Additionally, clinicians provided assessments of the parent-child relationships. As anticipated, trauma histories for mothers and children, children's social emotional development, and parental reflective functioning were associated with aspects of maternal psychological distress. Kruskal-Wallis and subsequent Wilcoxson signed rank tests revealed that women with highest levels of baseline psychological distress showed significant improvements in psychological functioning post-treatment while women wit...

Parenting Interventions for Mothers With Problematic Substance Use: A Systematic Review of Research and Community Practice

Child Maltreatment, 2019

Women with problematic substance use are frequently referred to interventions to promote positive parenting. Parenting interventions that attend to the unique risks faced by this population may enhance engagement and outcomes. While reviews of extant parenting interventions in the research literature have been undertaken, no studies have examined parenting interventions being implemented in community practice and the extent to which these are informed by current research. We systematically compared parenting interventions offered in 12 maternal substance use treatment programs in one Canadian province with those described in the research literature ( K = 21). Few parenting interventions were replicated, either within or across the two samples. However, parenting interventions within both samples were largely similar in their objectives. Across both research and community samples, approximately half of the interventions were developed or adapted for a problematic substance use popula...

From the Shadow to the Light: Navigating Life as a Mother with a History of Substance Use and Parenting a Child Healing from Early Childhood Trauma

Psychoanalysis [Working Title], 2020

We report on an innovative in-patient residential recovery program that serves as a model for those who treat low-income women with substance use and psychiatric problems and their children. The case discussed details the psychotherapeutic treatment of a mother and child that was carried out within the protection of the program’s seeking safety, trauma informed model of care. The treatment demonstrates the sensitive care that is needed when working with a young child with a history of early childhood trauma and the favorable ways that holding the mother in mind freed her to be emotionally available to her son. In this situation, the therapist provided an emotionally-attuned interpersonal therapeutic relationship and created features of safety in the environment that helped the child develop an emerging reorganized protective structure to safely explore his fears. The mother and child can follow a course of recovery from traumatic experiences within the context of favorable condition...

Pregnant and Parenting Women with a Substance Use Disorder: Actions and Policy for Enduring Therapeutic Practice

Nursing Outlook, 2019

The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) calls for an end to criminal prosecution and punitive civil actions against pregnant and parenting women based solely on their substance use or substance use disorder (SUD). The Academy supports a public health response to the needs of women and their children and families affected by SUDs that incorporates multidisciplinary culturally-and trauma-responsive models of health care, child welfare, treatment and recovery supports and clinician practices that are in line with the accumulated scientific evidence.

An Exploration of Mothers' Successful Completion of Family‐Centered Residential Substance Use Treatment

Family Process, 2019

Behavioral health and substance use centers have started focusing efforts on creating, adopting, and implementing evidence-based practices and programs that effectively address the needs of women and, particularly, mothers entering treatment with children. However, women with substance use disorders (SUDs) remain an underserved and understudied population; even less studied are the complexities and unique SUD treatment needs of women who have children. Family therapists' systemic training is a valued approach in conceptualizing and implementing treatment for mothers with SUDs and their families. This study explored the construct of mothering children during family-centered substance use treatment using a transcendental phenomenological approach. Analysis revealed themes related to motherhood, parenting, and support for mothers and children. Two themes emerged from the data: (a) grappling with motherhood and addiction leading to the decision for treatment and (b) specific aspects of the treatment program conducive to motherhood. Results indicated the positive impact of mothers' experiences in family-centered substance use treatment, aligning with previous literature that suggests mothers are more engaged in treatment when their children remain in their care. The insights gleaned from the participants in this study provide suggestions for further improving programming that supports mothers and their children during the recovery process. Treatment considerations are offered for family therapists working with mothers with SUDs and their families.

Description of a Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Substance Use and Related Risk and Increase Positive Parenting among Urban Mothers with Alcohol and Other Drug Problems

Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2007

The abuse of alcohol and other substances by mothers raising adolescent children has serious adverse effects on family functioning and youth outcomes, and on mothers' own health and adaptation. Mothers who are also HIV-infected face additional challenges. In the present report, we describe a multi-session intervention conducted in individual sessions for mothers with alcohol and other substance use problems who are raising adolescent children. We outline the primary components of the intervention and include case studies and examples of exercises and tools. We found that engagement with the intervention and high rates of attendance were facilitated by tapping into mothers' desires to improve their relationships with their adolescent children, the use of a harm reduction approach toward substance use, and intensive outreach. We also discuss lessons learned in the course of implementing and evaluating the intervention.