summary of evidence on a woman's path to recovery

A Woman's Path to Recovery uses A Woman's Addiction Workbook to guide sessions for this gender-based model. 

• A Woman's Path to Recovery is listed on the National Registry of Effective Practices and Programs of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration
• There is one published study on the model: Najavits LM, Rosier M, Nolan AL, Freeman MC (2007). A new gender-based model for womens recovery from substance abuse: Results of a pilot outcome study. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 33, 5-11.    

          Despite repeated calls for gender-based recovery models for women, there has been a lack of empirical studies on this topic. We thus sought to evaluate a womens manual-based substance use disorder recovery model in a pilot study. Participants were opioid-dependent women in a methadone maintenance treatment program who received 12 sessions of the gender-based model in group format over two months. Assessment was conducted before and after the intervention, with results indicating significant improvements in drug use (verified by urinalysis), impulsive-addictive behavior, global improvement, and knowledge of the treatment concepts. Patients high attendance rate (87% of available sessions) and strong treatment satisfaction additionally support the potential use of this treatment model. Future research would benefit from larger samples and enhanced scientific methodology.