Helping Women Recover: A Program for Treating Addiction (Criminal Justice Version)

“Helping Women Recover is a groundbreaking resource. It is an invaluable compendium of the research on women and addiction, synthesizing a great deal of information into a theoretical framework to guide effective work with women involved in the criminal justice system. It also provides a detailed program curriculum. It is an unparalleled tool for practitioners and policymakers. My colleagues and I have relied on Dr. Covington's work to lead the way from my days as executive director of the Women's Prison Association to my current role as director of the John Jay College Prisoner Reentry Institute.“

Ann Jacobs
Director, Prisoner Reentry Institute, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

“Twenty years ago, Stephanie Covington changed the way we approach the treatment of addiction among women involved with the criminal justice system. Since then she has continued to educate us and lead us toward gender-responsive approaches to working with justice-involved women. Now she provides us an updated edition of her seminal work informed by advancing knowledge and by her sensible and sensitive commitment to doing what works, and what is right. This is an indispensable part of a treatment curriculum for professionals at every stage of the criminal justice process and practitioners once again will profit from it.”

Martin F. Horn
Distinguished Lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City
Former Commissioner of Correction and Probation of the City of New York
Former Secretary of Corrections for the State of Pennsylvania

“Helping Women Recover, 3rd edition, integrates updated statistics and current evidence about the impact of relevant programming for women, making this curriculum both an excellent primer and tool. The well-organized and comprehensive overview of factors that contribute to women's substance misuse provides historic context and insight about the evolution of understanding the multiplicity of issues that must be explored and addressed to effectively and respectfully support women in their recovery journeys. Helping Women Recover is an ideal curriculum for facilitators, who will appreciate the comprehensive approach, the clear explanation of goals and elements of each module and session, and the specific direction and guidance for supporting individual women in each group. Importantly, Helping Women Recover acknowledges and offers direction for coping with the environmental and management factors that are specific to correctional settings. Dr. Covington has further developed an ideal tool for educating and supporting women.”

Georgia Lerner
Executive Director, Women’s Prison Association, New York

“The latest edition of Helping Women Recover provides the criminal justice field an updated and expanded vision for success in women-centered treatment. In this comprehensive guide to helping women learn, grow and make changes in their lives, Dr. Covington provides step-by-step guidance through innovations in gender-responsive and trauma informed treatment. As correctional systems recognize their responsibilities toward providing rehabilitation designed specifically for women, Helping Women Recover is an evidenced-based practice that will help meet this goal. Dr. Covington shows us the way.“

Barbara Owen
Professor Emerita, Department of Criminology, California State University-Fresno

“The Helping Women Recover program is one of the first and few curricula to treat the gendered steps in women’s pathways to substance use disorders and criminal behavior. With this latest edition, Stephanie Covington offers facilitators an updated account of the substance abuse research and literature which form a solid foundation for this holistic approach. Additionally, a growing body of research shows favorable outcomes for participants. Without question Helping Women Recover is evidence-based. The facilitators manual provides excellent suggestions for developing therapeutic relationships with participants and creating healing environments in difficult prison settings. Helping Women Recover has enjoyed an excellent reputation in the field of corrections. It is difficult to see how the curriculum could be improved, but the latest edition does just that. Updated lessons plans make the already relevant curricula even more suitable for women in correctional settings.”

Patricia Van Voorhis, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita, University of Cincinnati

“This new, twenty-session edition of Helping Women Recover is incredibly thorough. It has up-to-date statistics, trauma-sensitive yoga exercises, a discussion of the complex topic of gender fluidity, and new brain research that relates to addiction and trauma. This is a wonderfully comprehensive, easy to follow, informative work.”

Lady Edwina Grosvenor
Prison Philanthropist, Founder of One Small Thing, United Kingdom

Here are some of the responses of women who have completed the Helping Women Recover program.

It was a really great experience. I got to share things that I thought I wouldn’t tell another person.—Yvette S.

Very grateful and beautiful experience. It helped me grow so much. I’ve gained trust, courage and love. I feel free and I feel alive. I’ve learned how to let go of my past, focus on my present to prepare for my future.—Chanthaly

I feel it helped me open up and see a lot of inner feelings I had hidden deep within me. It also showed me that I’m not the only one with bad past experiences and now they don’t seem so bad.—Lisa

Great. I feel like I’ve really learned a lot about myself and my past and that it can’t hold me back if I don’t let it.—Anonymous

I have been able to deal with some issues that held me captive for a very long time. I’m relieved from a lot of stress and I found some peace.—Anonymous

I feel this is a very uplifting experience. I haven’t ever experienced anything like this. This is a great opportunity to learn more about being a woman in recovery. Thank you.—Anonymous

I had an entertaining journey. It made me understand myself better, like where I’m at in my program of N.A. and how I see myself not only on the outside but deep within on the inside. There are things I need to work on but I know I’m going to be okay because I can and will recover. Making recovery a part of my life—one day at time.—Anonymous

My experience has been incredible. I feel whole again. Helping Women Recover helped me so much and it gave me a better understanding of myself.—Z. M.

This program helped me to transfer the changes I am making and experiencing from the hands-on to writing them down so I could look at them on paper, reflect on them and share them with other women.—Amy

My experience with this book and this group has been very painful. It brought a lot of anger and pain, perhaps even grief. But it has been worth it. I’ve never valued myself as a woman. But now I can—truly awesome discovery.—Anonymous

I discovered that I had issues that I need to address that I left behind and wanted to just ignore them, and so I did, because I was in fear of walking through them. It was brought to my attention that I have a grand opportunity to deal with my issues here in a safe place with people to help me. I never looked at it that way.—Joann W.

I’ve had at times a very emotional but eye opening experience with the Helping Women Recover program.—Anonymous

I found it very helpful in my journey of recovery. I also became a lot closer with the other women in my group. I came to believe that I am a kind and beautiful woman. I know now that I have the power of choice.—Londa H.

Although some of the discussions were a little bit uncomfortable for me, it was very helpful and gave me a lot of insight about myself. I enjoyed groups and the homework. I think the book is great and plan to keep it forever.—Anonymous