Brigham and Women's Offers Help for Women with Drug Abuse Problems

Following the holiday season, women trying to cope with drug abuse problems often seek help early in the New Year. The Couples Project for Women at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital can help women with drug problems who want to make a new start.

“The holidays are a difficult time of the year for women who have not already started their recovery,” says Rick Klaich, LICSW, Director of Counseling at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s Addiction Recovery Program. “A lot of women decide to go for help at the beginning of the New Year because they want to make a new start to try to stop the problems that their drug use is causing them and their families.”

Klaich said that the staff is attempting to reach out to the community to inform women that there are treatment slots currently available at the Couple Project for Women. This is especially important during the next few weeks when many women reach a state of readiness to seek help.

“We want to help women turn their desire to stop using drugs into lasting recovery from drug addiction,” states Dr. Maria Perrotti, a psychotherapist at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital. 

The Couples Project for Women is a study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The study examines if adding couples counseling to individual counseling improves treatment outcomes for drug abusing women. 

Women seeking help for a drug abuse problem may be eligible for the program if they live with a husband or male partner.  All women who take part in the study will receive free individual counseling, and half of the participants will also receive free couples counseling. Treatment includes counseling sessions twice a week over three months for all women in the study. This treatment is offered through a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

For more information, please call the Couples Project for Women at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital at 617-945-4133.

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is a 150 bed non-profit, community teaching hospital located in southwest Boston. Founded in 1900, they offer comprehensive medical, surgical and psychiatric care as well as complete emergency, ambulatory and diagnostic services. For more information, visit www.brighamandwomensfaulkner.org.