The Take 10! Transforming Care for Women with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and their Families series discusses current issues and challenges confronted by diverse women presenting with substance use, SUDs, and who are in recovery. Women experience SUD in ways that are distinct from men. Historically, access to treatment for women has been limited, a disparity that persists today. Studies show that when women begin treatment for SUDs, they frequently arrive with more severe medical, behavioral, psychological, and social struggles compared to men. For these reasons, there is a need for gender-specific services.

Topic 5 (Training Session): SUDs Treatment for Women with Children

This 2-hour training session will introduce participants to the emotional, physical, and socioeconomic factors that uniquely impact women during treatment, and especially how these factors relate to the treatment of SUDs for women with children.

Learning Objectives

This training session will address the intersections of SUDs and trauma in women with a special focus on the following information:

• Women’s treatment history and current aspects of women-centered treatment in the United States, with a focus on the Midwest
• The link between trauma, substance use, and other co-morbidities in women
• Trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches for specific racial/ethnic women in recovery
• Effective clinical strategies, interventions, and resources that help improve engagement, retention, and completion of treatment programs

Continuing Education

Participants who fully attend this series will be eligible to receive NAADAC certified continuing education (CE) hours. CE certificates are distributed to qualifying participants via email within two weeks after the session.

 Trainer:

Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC, (they, them, elle) is the Associate Director at the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health, as well as a Lecturer at the University of Chicago, where they direct the Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor Training Program within the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Gabriela brings 20 years of experience supporting people impacted by structural and interpersonal violence and their traumatic effects through innovative and evidence-based clinical, housing, resource advocacy, peer-led, harm reduction, and HIV-integrated care programs. As a person with lived experience of violence and trauma, they center survivor-driven solutions, nonpathologizing approaches, and intergenerational healing in their work. Their current work focuses on authoring best practices, leading national capacity-building efforts, and providing trauma-informed policy consultation to advance health equity and social justice. Outside of work, Gabriela deeply values volunteering as a trauma therapist with survivors of torture and spending time in nature with family

The Great Lakes ATTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.