Program Design and Outcome Results of Providing Substance Use/ Co-Occurring Disorder Services to Women Affected by Domestic Violence

This presentation demonstrates the efficacy of embedding on-site integrated trauma-informed substance use/ co-occurring disorder screening, outreach, engagement, education and treatment for women (n=252) and their children seeking domestic violence services in rural Barnstable County (Cape Cod) Massachusetts. As was demonstrated by the Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study, women who have experienced interpersonal violence often turn to alcohol and other drugs as a means to cope with the powerlessness, helplessness, hopelessness and fear of living with violence.

Project WAVE (Women Achieving Vital Empowerment) created a unique collaboration between a county government, a community-based domestic violence/ sexual assault agency, a TANF-supported shelter for women and their children fleeing interpersonal violence, and the primary substance use treatment provider. The Institute for Health and Recovery, a nationally recognized leader in promoting integrated, trauma-informed service delivery provided oversight and Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. compiled and analyzed the data.. This presentation will meet the following goals: 1) Implementation of WAVE will be described at the organizational, individual and group levels. 2) Data collected at intake and 6 months through the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and the local evaluation utilizing the Foa trauma symptom severity scale and the BSI Global Severity Index (GSI) will demonstrate improvement at the client level in substance use, trauma symptoms, income, employment and housing stability. 3) The strengths, challenges and lessons learned from this innovative partnership will be presented and 4) policy implications will be discussed.