Addiction and mental health illnesses are not confined to any particular gender. Despite what most people believe, the issues also affect women and can lead to a deterioration of their whole life. Fortunately, many treatment centers are now open to patients of all genders and offer them a safe environment as they work through their ongoing issues.
In more recent years, multiple rehabs have opened under the label of providing gender-specific treatment to women. Commonly known as women’s rehab, these facilities claim to provide highly-tailored treatment to members of this gender.
The Ned for a Separate Rehabilitation Center for Women
Throughout the course of mental health treatment and addiction recovery, many issues specifically relate to women and require special attention. These issues typically include eating disorders and issues related to body image, fulfillment, and motherhood. Moreover, evidence suggests that women tend to fall prey to addiction much more quickly then and tend to fall sick faster than their male counterparts.
Most of these women also lack familial support during the treatment process and face issues related to childcare that sometimes compromise their recovery process. Without the appropriate support they need, some of these women are at very high risk of withdrawing from a treatment plan or failing to complete recovery.
Considering such circumstances, the female rehabs focus on women and their specific issues and support them in building self-esteem, empowering themselves, and establishing the confidence they need to gain long-term recovery.
Drug and alcohol rehab for women also allows women to get their gender-specific issues handled through group or individual therapy and have access to co-ed therapy at the same time at their convenience and comfort. In such circumstances, therapists take care not to expose their sensitive issues in co-ed groups, hence, guarding their emotional security and safety.
Benefits of Joining a Mental Health or Drug Rehabilitation Center for Women
Joining a rehab for women can provide a myriad of benefits to the patients. Some of these benefits are outlined below:
A chance to better concentrate on self-care
Women tend to neglect themselves as they are more likely to take good care of the needs of their children and other family members. A women’s rehab offers the right setting for such females to concentrate more on their immediate mental and physical health needs.
An opportunity to recognize emotional needs and response
Women are more likely to benefit from learning how they react to different stressors in life. A women’s rehab can help them learn why they experience self-defeating behaviors and can acquire effective strategies to overcome triggers, stress, and everyday cravings.
Help with overcoming co-existing problems
Many women suffering from addictions tend to have co-existing issues, such as mental health challenges, domestic or partner abuse, or eating disorder. A rehab for women focuses on these co-existing problems and ensures they are treated simultaneously.
A chance to experience life satisfaction
Women joining a professional rehab center are more likely to demonstrate better life satisfaction. This means that such women go on to develop more positive relationships with others and engage in meaningful activities of everyday life.
More safety and security
Many times, women become addicted to drugs or acquire a mental health issues because of their history of violence or sexual abuse. In a standard treatment program that includes both men and women, such females may not open up about their experiences. In a women’s rehab, however, they can feel much safer about sharing their experiences, allowing them to get to the root cause of their addiction. This sense of safety that a gender-specific rehab provides them is particularly significant for women going through pregnancy. Research shows that these women may respond better in a women’s rehab than in a co-ed group.
A nurturing environment
A nurturing environment in a women’s rehab allows clients to accept each other openly and help and support them during recovery. This teaches a strong sense of community among women, which is a crucial part of the treatment and a key piece in relapse prevention.
A multidisciplinary approach
Many drug and alcohol rehabs for women have a specialized multidisciplinary team that adopts a wider approach to treat the issues on hand with multiple treatment options such as:
- Individual and group counseling
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Cognitive behavioral therapy and other therapies
- Holistic treatment options
- Aftercare and sober living homes
A higher acceptance of sexual orientations
Many rehabs for women are more welcoming to the members of the LGBT community than the standard treatment centers. The judgment-free environment that these facilities harbor makes it easier for women to open up and heal.
What are the Types of Programs Available in a Rehab for Women?
Regardless of the type of addiction or mental health illness a woman is suffering from; chances are they will require professional help to overcome them. Finding the right treatment program will depend on various factors, such as how dependent one is on any drug, their current mental health, their lifestyle, the presence of any family support, etc. Based on these factors, women can choose from the following types of treatment programs:
Detox Center
A women’s detox center targets patients with severe addictions that require help stopping their drug use. These centers have specialized detox teams that comprise highly trained doctors, nurses, and other staff members whose duty is to look after the patients as they withdraw from the offending drug.
A detox program typically runs for 7 to 10 days but may prolong in some cases. Throughout this program, the staff team monitors every patient once every four hours to check how they are doing. They may provide them with medications to relieve the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and encourage them to seek help from therapy as soon as they start feeling better.
Outpatient Treatment
A traditional outpatient program for mental health or addiction usually involves a weekly appointment with a therapist. Such a program is typically suitable for a woman who has completed inpatient treatment and now requires maintenance therapy to make sure that she stays on the right path. The level of care a woman receives in an outpatient program varies from one person to another, depending on personal circumstances. For example, for a woman who has a good support system back home or work commitments that do not allow her to be at the rehab full-time, the experts may lighten the load of therapy. On the other hand, some women may opt for high-intensity outpatient programs to get the help they need.
Inpatient Rehab
An inpatient rehabilitation center for women provides 24-hour care in a clinical setting. Such women temporarily move on to specified accommodations provided by the rehab and remain there until they finish their treatment.
This allows them access to emotional and physical care all the time as a staff member is always nearby to ensure that they are safe and comfortable. Depending on whether it is a substance use disorder rehab or a mental health treatment facility, women’s residential treatment programs come with several options.
Depending on the severity of the addiction, a woman may be offered a long-term rehab where they can stay for months or a short-term program that lasts for 3 to 4 weeks. Whichever option a woman goes with, it helps them by removing them from an environment full of triggers that may otherwise lead to relapses.
Partial Hospitalization Programs
A partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is a step down from residential treatment but a step higher from outpatient treatment. These programs offer a well-structured approach to recovery, like residential programs but do not bind the patients to stay on on-site accommodations. Instead, women can come to visit the rehab three to five times a day to engage in fixed-hour therapy sessions and return home at the end. Women enrolled in a PHP can also request an accommodation if they feel like they are not safe at home.
Sober Living for Women
Many women who have successfully gone through a treatment program may believe that their living situation may not be conducive to maintaining ongoing sobriety or recovery. Such patients feel scared of relapsing and returning to their old habits the minute they get out of rehab and move back home.
For these patients who may not feel safe enough to step back into an independent life, a women’s rehab may offer a sober living program where they can stay in supervised places with other women in recovery. These sober arrangements allow them to practice partially-independent lives with full responsibilities but with certain restrictions and regular drug testing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to get treatment at a women’s alcohol rehab?
The cost of treatment in a private women’s rehab is never fixed because every client comes with different needs and requirements. The exact costs you need to pay to depend on the program type you choose, the level of care you require, and the duration for which you would need treatment.
An insurance plan may cover some costs, such as that associated with a detox program; however, you may still need to pay a deductible upfront. For clients requiring a long-term stay, many rehabs provide them with a financing plan to avoid paying a large sum of the fee upfront.
These long-term programs are also sometimes covered by insurance, mostly in parts. In addition to private clinics, there are options to join rehabilitation facilities funded by the state. Women generally have a higher chance of being accepted into the funded program, especially if they cannot afford treatment.
Why should I join a rehab for women?
Women who join a rehab that exclusively deals with their gender can bond with other members more easily to promote:
- Lifelong friendships that become support systems and prevent relapses
- A sense of understanding and community
- Trust, honesty, and compassion
- Honest and open talk about women’s experiences and issues
How many days will I need to stay in rehab for women to get better?
The process of recovery is different for every person and depends on several personal factors, such as the nature of the problem, its duration, and severity, and how willing a person is to overcome it. Depending on these factors, different women take different amounts of time to recover from their ongoing issues fully. However, to ensure better recovery outcomes, experts advise seeking treatment for at least one month in rehab.