Starting recovery from addiction is an enormous decision. Entering an inpatient or outpatient rehab program may seem daunting, but you’re not alone. People entering drug rehabilitation will have access to many resources to help them achieve sobriety and build up a new life that doesn’t include addictive substances.
Selecting a gender-specific recovery program offers many benefits specifically geared toward the needs of one gender. Group therapy for women accounts for the specific emotional needs and unique social pressures put on women in modern life. It’s meant to provide individuals with helpful tools and strategies to help continue their recovery journey. They’ll enjoy the comradery of other people going through the same struggles as them, and likely gain insight into their own situation.
Evidence suggests that group therapy is an effective method for coping with addiction and the struggles that result from fighting it. Group therapy for women may provide unique benefits, as the amount of life circumstances group members may share is automatically higher than a group of mixed-gender members.
What Makes Group Therapy For Women Special?
The members of a support group (especially in a treatment setting) know a lot of what each other goes through in trying to maintain sobriety. They know the excuses, temptations, and challenges. They can hold each other accountable to goals or help them to develop realistic ones that they can actually achieve.
Speaking up about one’s experience in group therapy can be an intimidating prospect. The person may hold shame for having a problem in the first place, and may feel like others are judging them. But in a single-gender setting, a person may feel more affirmation and support.
Sharing a struggle that is mainly experienced by members of one gender (such as feeling tempted to use while experiencing the pressures of caretaking) may engender
Different genders have different needs, and it can be hard to meet those needs in a mixed-gender setting. Group therapy for women is more likely to address the needs of those who attend, because it’ll be run by a mental health professional who’s educated on the specific needs of women.
Working with a therapy group composed of people of one gender may help someone to see patterns in themselves. They’ll be able to relate to people in the group of different ages and life experiences, and be able to see the outcome of different choices play out. Being in a group therapy experience with different members of the same gender can lead to helpful insight about what that person wants for their own life.
Group therapy for women provides a safe space to discuss the gender-specific trauma they may have experienced. There may be fear in discussing these experiences in front of people who are not of the same gender, due to fear of judgment or misunderstanding. Even if someone has suffered abuse at the hand of someone of the same gender, a group therapy session full of many people of the same gender will provide counterexamples and enough support that they may feel more empowerment over their own healing.
When it comes time to end treatment and re-enter the world, many people may be nervous about relapsing. They may fear not being able to implement their lessons from rehabilitation treatment into the real world. The advice they’re given on how to maintain sobriety may feel very generic or unrelatable. But a group therapy setting full of people just like them, who may have been struggling with the same addiction as them for years, can be a valuable source of insight.
Group therapy may employ the principles of certain therapy modalities, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). This will largely depend on the mental health professional who runs the group and their stated aims.
Benefits of Group Therapy
Women may experience the following benefits from a gender-specific group therapy setting:
- Validation
- Feeling of belonging, being among people who “really understand”
- Solidarity and support
- Empathy regarding problems
- New ideas on how to handle situations
- Novel strategies for coping
- Allies in sobriety
- Expanded perspective on addiction
- References for emotions
- Increased empathy
Start Group Therapy For Addiction at White Lotus Landing
It’s never too late to seek help for addiction, and we’re ready to help you get there. Contact us to start your journey to recovery and healing today.
Dr. Liebermann has been practicing Addiction Medicine since 2006, initially as a rural Family and Emergency Room Physician in Maine. He has served as Medical Director at several treatment facilities, working in various levels of addiction care, including inpatient withdrawal management and residential care. A Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and a member of the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine, he advocates for Medication Assisted Treatment. Dr. Liebermann graduated from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a residency and fellowship at Eastern Maine Medical Center.
