A feminist approach to substance abuse treatment and service delivery

A major concern among service providers and policy makers has been the increase in the number of individuals and families that enter the health care system either using or abusing alcohol and other drugs or suffering from the ramifications of a significant family member's substance abuse. An additional concern involves a lack of adequate understanding of these clients and a lag in the development of appropriate treatment strategies, especially in relation to women (Blume, 1992; Googins, 1984; National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 1987). This article pays particular attention to substance use among women; the identification of deficits in current mainstream, treatment efforts, which historically have been developed primarily by male providers for male substance abusers; the advantages and specifics of treatment based on a feminist perspective; and their application to other at-risk populations.