NCJ Number
181454
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: September 1999 Pages: 34-36
Date Published
September 1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the program design and implementation of Canada's Substance Abuse Program for Federally Sentenced Women, which was developed in 1995 to meet the needs of women with moderate substance abuse problems.
Abstract
In place at the Edmonton Institution for Women since 1996, the programs has been sufficiently effective to investigate its applicability to more severe drug and alcohol addictions. The program focus is on behavioral change rather than solely on the use of drugs. It uses a cognitive-behavioral approach in presenting five independent modules: "The Basics," "Distress Tolerance," "The Skills of Change," "Emotions," and "Recovery Skills." In the first module, participants learn about the model of change, the actions of drugs on the brain, the activator, the behavior, the consequence chains that compose any kind of behavior, the connection between trauma and addiction, and the cycle of addiction. In the second module, participants are introduced to a variety of concrete skills that can be used for dealing with difficult situations, such as grounding and visualization techniques, breathing, and distraction exercises. In the third module, the participants create a vision of what they want their lives to be and begin setting goals that will help them achieve this vision. In the fourth module, the participants are given a brief introduction to emotions, and they learn techniques for managing fear, anger, depression, and joy. In the fifth module, the participants learn a number of relapse prevention strategies. The five modules are broken down into 60 two-hour workshops. Implementation issues and procedures are also discussed.