Teen Drug Treatment Program Implements Specialized Gender Based Care for Young Women
Malibu, CA (PRWEB) August 23, 2005
ECHO MALIBU, a treatment program for teens who are struggling with drug and alcohol addictions coupled with emotional or behavioral difficulties, has announced a plan to meet the gender specific needs of young women. A comprehensive treatment track has been launched to address what it’s creators describe as an effort to address the needs of an underserved population; young women.
ECHO MALIBU co-founder and clinical psychologist, Dr. Jeffrey Nalin states “Women who are in their teens present unique treatment issues and it is imperative that programs reflect a full understanding of these issues in order to be effective.” He goes on to add that “We hope this effort will not only allow the young women we serve to get a higher level of care, but also serve as a model for other treatment providers to emulate. More providers must create programs that are culturally competent in terms of gender specific services. It is also critical that such efforts begin with an understanding of gender related issues as they pertain to human development as well as the psycho social stressors that manifest in the issues that young women bring into treatment.”
When asked what constitutes good gender specific treatment, Kris Elgin, CCDC, Drug and Alcohol Counselor for ECHO MALIBU states that “When you’re developing programming for young women it is imperative that you value the female perspective, honor their experiences and recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of women. You also must address the unique developmental issues of young women if you hope to empower them to reach their full potential. It’s also important to address established belief systems that prevent or discourage young women from recognizing or achieving their full potential.”
Co-founder and CEO of ECHO MALIBU, Cole Rucker cautions that “Good gender specific services start with good services. You have to have a program that is built on solid, evidence based treatment. Taking a program that is poorly designed or poorly implemented and adding gender specific programming is a disservice to young women. All youth are entitled to treatment that is provided by qualified, licensed or certified staff and that treatment must have measurable goals that are shaped by a knowledge base of adolescent development, including issues of gender. Given that we have a program that is clinically stellar, http://www.echomalibu.com , we are in a strong position to add gender specific services and clearly demonstrate the added benefits to those we serve.”
Dr. Nalin concludes that “Quality programs for young women are sadly lacking as a whole. It is our hope that through this modest effort, we can not only become more effective in the treatment of young women, but also provide some leadership in getting other treatment providers to look more closely at what we see as an evident, growing, unmet need.”
You can check out ECHO MALIBU at www.echomalibu.com or by calling 800 780 ECHO.
Interview Contact: Cole Rucker, CEO
Telephone 800 780 ECHO
www.echomalibu.com
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