Integrating Sexuality into Recovery from Addiction and Healing from Trauma

By Vanessa Carlisle

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Sexuality is an integral part of human health and healing. Yet, it can be a trigger for relapse and remains one of the most overlooked and silenced aspects of women’s recovery. Therapists, recovery programs, and mutual help groups all struggle to adequately support women and gender-expansive people who are ready to address sexual issues in their lives.

This presentation explores concepts and interactive exercises from the new book Awaken Your Sexuality: A Guide to Connection and Intimacy after Addiction and Trauma and the Awaken Your Sexuality Workbook, written by Dr. Stephanie Covington and Dr. Vanessa Carlisle. The material can be adapted for use in treatment programs, individual counseling and therapy, and mutual help groups, or by individuals using a self-help model. Exercises range from reflective writing to somatic (body-based) practices and are designed to be inclusive of gender identity and sexual orientation, with a focus on the experiences of women and nonbinary people.

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Healing Trauma+ and Exploring Trauma+: Brief Interventions for Women, Men, and Gender-Diverse People

by Eileen Russo

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Healing Trauma+: A Brief Intervention for Women and Gender-Diverse People and Exploring Trauma+: A Brief Intervention for Men and Gender-Diverse People programs are six-session evidence-based trauma interventions designed for people who have experienced abuse and trauma. Our understanding of gender has shifted from the binary male-female model to a more inclusive and expansive model. In order to reflect these changes, the definition of gender responsive has been expanded to include the experiences of transgender and nonbinary people. These materials have inclusive pronouns, as well as examples of traumatic events and focus questions specific to this group.

These two six-session interventions focus on the three core concepts that both staff and clients need to know: an understanding of what trauma is, its process, and its impact on both the inner self (thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values) and the outer self (behavior and relationships). Topics include: the process of trauma, power and abuse, grounding and self-soothing, and healthy relationships. There is a strong emphasis on grounding skills.

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A Young Man's Guide to Self-Mastery

by Shane Pugh

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Adolescents who have a masculine experience of the world live in a world that is complicated as they attempt to navigate their psychological and physical development. The typical adolescent male is caught up in a maelstrom of hormonal, social, and cultural shifts that would be difficult to deal with even in ideal conditions. Chances of atypical or disordered development increase exponentially in the midst of troubling experiences. This can lead to trouble in critical thinking, trouble in reconciling emotional events, and antisocial behavior.

This introduction is based on the trauma-informed curriculum, A Young Man’s Guide to Self-Mastery. This is a gender-expansive program designed for a wide range of youth, including those who are transgender. This program focuses on the effects of adversity and trauma on the lives of adolescents and transitional age youth and is designed to help them to mitigate some of those effects, such as problematic use of alcohol and substance use. The techniques described in this curriculum are meant to create an atmosphere of safety and of mutual learning. Some of the topics included are: cyber-bullying, substance misuse, emotional development, process of trauma and what it means to be a man in today’s world. This training provides an overview of the elements needed for creating gender- and trauma-responsive services. The focus is on interactive exercises that demonstrate the strategies that counselors can use with boys and young men. The issues of boys in the juvenile justice system are also addressed.

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The Trauma Informed Effective Reinforcement (TIER) System

by Tammy Rothschild & Christina Cicero-Villatoro

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The TIER System is a research-based, gender responsive, and trauma-informed alternative to compliance-focused behavior management systems in residential and custodial settings. The TIER System reduces staff focus on traditional compliance methods and teaches skills to redirect unsafe and unhealthy behavior. The System teaches skills that are more effective in motivating positive behavior than traditional points and level systems. The key principle of the TIER System is creating and maintaining a safe program culture, which is an empowering paradigm in which many residents can learn helpful life skills and improve conditions of safety in facilities.

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This introductory training will present this program model where personal and program safety is developed by reinforcing positive, safe behaviors by applying innovative practices that are relational, trauma informed, and strengths-based. Negative, destructive behaviors are diminished through supportive techniques that teach residents the necessary skills to manage their own challenging feelings, thoughts, and attitudes. The TIER System is not built on teaching compliance; it is built upon teaching people meaningful skills so they may individually contribute toward a safe environment.