Helping Women Recover + Beyond Trauma

Substance Use Prevention or Treatment Does Not Currently Meet Criteria

Helping Women Recover (HWR) and Beyond Trauma (BT) are two curricula delivered sequentially as one trauma-informed and trauma-responsive intervention (HWR+BT). HWR+BT integrates theories of addiction, women’s psychological development, and trauma into gender-specific programming. HWR+BT aims to reduce substance misuse, decrease depression, increase knowledge about trauma, decrease trauma symptoms, increase self-efficacy, and stabilize recovery from addiction and trauma. Facilitators deliver the intervention in group sessions that combine lectures, psychoeducation, group discussions, and grounding activities such as yoga. Participants complete homework activities in between sessions to individually process the material covered during group sessions.

 

HWR is delivered in 20 sessions, starting with an introductory session followed by four modules covering: self (four sessions), relationships (seven sessions), sexuality (five sessions), and spirituality (three sessions). These modules are designed to help participants understand how their sense of self, relationships, sexuality, and spirituality affect addiction and recovery.

 

BT is delivered in 12 sessions and consists of three modules: violence, abuse, and trauma (four sessions); impact of trauma (two sessions); and healing from trauma (six sessions). These modules are designed to help participants understand past trauma, develop coping skills, and identify connections between healing from trauma and healing from addictions.


HWR+BT does not currently meet criteria to receive a rating because no studies met eligibility criteria for review.


Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed: Oct 2021


Sources

The program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information was informed by the following sources: the HWR and BT manuals, the program or service developer's website, and the California Evidence Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare.


This information does not necessarily represent the views of the program or service developers. For more information on how this program or service was reviewed, visit the Review Process page or download the Handbook.

Target Population

HWR+BT targets adult women with co-occurring addictive disorders and trauma histories such as abuse, domestic violence, and/or community violence.

Dosage

HWR group sessions last 90 minutes each and BT group sessions last 2 hours each. Groups of 4 to 10 participants attend one or two HWR sessions per week until they complete all 20 sessions. Participants then attend one or two BT sessions per week until they complete all 12 sessions. Altogether, HWR+BT is delivered in 32 sessions over approximately 4 to 7 months.

Location/Delivery Setting
Recommended Locations/Delivery Settings

HWR+BT is designed for outpatient and residential substance use treatment settings and criminal justice settings.

Education, Certifications and Training

Facilitators must be female and have either a bachelor’s degree or have experience in the field and with group work. Developer-certified trainers offer facilitator trainings that last approximately 2 days. The HWR and BT trainings review the HWR manual and BT manual, respectively. The trainings provide participants with a basic understanding of the body of knowledge and treatment strategies underlying each program.

Program or Service Documentation
Book/Manual/Available documentation used for review

Depending on the population being served, one of the two Helping Women Recover manuals is implemented followed by the Beyond Trauma manual.

Covington, S. S. (2019). Helping Women Recover: A program for treating addiction (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass™.

Covington, S. S. (2019). Helping Women Recover: A program for treating addiction: Special edition for use in the criminal justice system (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass™.

Covington, S. S. (2016). Beyond Trauma: A healing journey for women (2nd ed.). Hazelden Publishing.

Available languages

Materials for HWR and BT are available in English.

Other supporting materials

HWR Training Overview

BT Training Overview

Training Schedule

For More Information

Website: https://www.stephaniecovington.com/

Phone: (858) 454-8528

Contact form: https://stephaniecovington.com/contact/


Note: The details on Dosage; Location; Education, Certifications, and Training; Other Supporting Materials; and For More Information sections above are provided to website users for informational purposes only. This information is not exhaustive and may be subject to change.

Results of Search and Review Number of Studies Identified and Reviewed for Helping Women Recover + Beyond Trauma
Identified in Search 6
Eligible for Review 0
Rated High 0
Rated Moderate 0
Rated Low 0
Reviewed Only for Risk of Harm 0

Sometimes study results are reported in more than one document, or a single document reports results from multiple studies. Studies are identified below by their Prevention Services Clearinghouse study identification numbers. To receive a rating of supported or well-supported, the favorable evidence for a program or service must have been obtained from research conducted in a usual care or practice setting.




Studies Not Eligible for Review

Study 11657

Covington, S. S. (2008). Women and addiction: A trauma-informed approach. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 40(sup5), 377-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2008.10400665

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11659

Messina, N., Grella, C. E., Cartier, J., & Torres, S. (2010). A randomized experimental study of gender-responsive substance abuse treatment for women in prison. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 38(2), 97-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2009.09.004

Saxena, P., Messina, N., & Grella, C. E. (2014). Who benefits from gender responsive treatment? Accounting for abuse history on longitudinal outcomes for women in prison. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 41(4), 417-432. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854813514405

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11660

Messina, N., Calhoun, S., & Braithwaite, J. (2014). Trauma-informed treatment decreases posttraumatic stress disorder among women offenders. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 15(1), 6-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2013.818609

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11661

Messina, N., Burdon, W., & Prendergast, M. (2006). Prison-based treatment for drug-dependent women offenders: Treatment versus no treatment. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 38(sup3), 333-343. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2006.10400597

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11662

Messina, N., Calhoun, S., & Warda, U. (2012). Gender-responsive drug court treatment: A randomized controlled trial. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(12), 1539-1558. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854812453913

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11663

Swopes, R. M., Davis, J. L., & Scholl, J. A. (2017). Treating substance abuse and trauma symptoms in incarcerated women: An effectiveness study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(7), 1143-1165. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515587668

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).