National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center : Publications : Monographs : Partners

Treating Parents with Co-occurring Disorders
August 20 & 21, 2009
Presented by Dennis C. Daley, PhD
This training aims to increase participants’ knowledge and skills in working with co-occurring disordered clients, particularly parents of young children. It will focus on the relationships between psychiatric and substance use disorders and HIV. More...

Collaborative Approaches to Identifying and Serving Substance Exposed Newborns
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
At this FREE event, representatives from four demonstration projects will share lessons learned in the development of policies and procedures to meet the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act mandates related to substance exposed newborns (SEN). More...

The Source, Spring 2009
Fostering Father Involvement
This issue is devoted to fathers in families affected by substance abuse and/or HIV, and their role in the lives of their children. [PDF]

2009 Teleconference Series
Beginning in May 2009, the AIA Resource Center will host a series of teleconference trainings on issues related to African American Women Affected by HIV/AIDS and Promoting Change and Growth in Highly Resistant Clients. More...

National Abandoned Infants
Assistance Resource Center
University of California, Berkeley
1950 Addison Street, Suite 104 # 7402
Berkeley, CA 94720-7402
Phone: (510) 643-8390
Fax: (510) 643-7019
E-mail: aia@berkeley.edu

The Role of Partners in Women’s Recovery

Intimate partners play a critical role in women’s introduction to and recovery from alcohol and other drug abuse. Frequently, trauma and domestic violence also influence women’s motivation and ability to recover, as well as their intimate relationships. While an increasing number of treatment programs have begun to address some of these issues through gender-specific and family-focused services, very few involve partners in women’s recovery or directly address the role that they play. To further explore the dynamic intersection among substance abuse, trauma, and intimate relationships, the AIA Resource Center convened a group of technical experts. Two products resulted.

1) A two-day symposium on the Role of Partners in Women’s Recovery was held in Berkeley, CA in August 2002, and featured presentations from Norma Finkelstein, Lisa Najavits, Carl Goodman, Barbara Kappos, and Margaret Gold.

2) A monograph entitled Partners’ Influence on Women’s Addiction and Recovery: The Connection between Substance Abuse, Trauma, and Intimate Relationships was published. The purpose of the monograph is to:

Provide a better understanding of the role that intimate partners play in women’s recovery from substance abuse
Explore strategies for helping women to assess their past and present intimate relationships in the context of their addiction
Present strategies for safely engaging partners in women’s recovery

The monograph is useful for program administrators, clinicians, and policy makers who are concerned with women’s recovery.

Download a PDF version of this document. Download a PDF version of the Appendices of this document. To order a hard copy of the entire monograph, Click Here.