Canaan, CT – Mountainside, a nationally acclaimed substance abuse treatment center, recently launched an Extended Care program exclusively for women. The program is built on four major tentpoles: Community Living, Outpatient Services, Work Therapy, and sober Trips and Adventures. Through the new Extended Care program, Mountainside aims to help women successfully transition to independent sober living by putting the techniques learned during intensive treatment into practice.
Women are the fastest-growing population of alcohol and drug users in the country, and according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, more than 200,000 American women die as a result of alcoholism and drug dependence, with more than 4 million women needing treatment for addiction. With research showing that longer programs have significantly higher rates of improved outcomes, Mountainside invested greater resources to develop a new Extended Care program for women that delivers quality clinical care and new opportunities to strengthen sobriety.
The Community Living portion of the program is in an intimate home setting, designed to provide a safe space for clients to practice self-care as well as connect with each other to build a sober support network. The small size of the program will create a truly exclusive and personal living environment for clients. Through the Work Therapy component, clients learn and practice time management, accountability, money management, and more as they engage in part-time paid work in the recovery-friendly environment of the Mountainside Café. In Outpatient Services, relapse prevention and risk management are essential to clients’ continued sobriety. Trips and Adventures, the “sober fun” element of the program, helps clients challenge perceived limitations in their lives.
A vital component of the program is individualized case management for clients. Weekly, short-term, and long-term goals are established during individual case management sessions and Extended Care team members help clients remain accountable to those goals.
“We’ve witnessed firsthand through our Extended Care program for men how powerful a longer period of treatment can be. We are excited to now be able to offer that same high quality care to women,” said Steve Langley, Executive Director at Mountainside.