COE Women in Recovery and Child Custody Loss - JHF

February 25, 2026

This session will present information on how SUDs progress differently for women, compared to men, and participants will learn how trauma, hormones, relationships, and custody loss affect women's recovery. The session will address key treatment barriers for women and provide tactical information on how to apply trauma-informed, gender-responsive communication techniques to engage women, including mothers who have lost custody, in a supportive and nonjudgmental way.

Agenda:

  1. Introduction
  2. Framing & Purpose
    1. Why women-centered approaches to SUD treatment matter
    2. Overview of gender differences in substance use and recovery
  3. How Substance Use Differs for Women
    1. Different motivations for use (coping, relationships, role demands)
    2. Influence of stigma, caregiving, and social expectations
    3. Telescoping effect: faster progression from use to dependence
  4. Biological & Hormonal Factors
    1. Hormonal influences on cravings, withdrawal, and relapse risk
    2. Menstrual cycle and emotional regulation
    3. Implications for timing, engagement, and treatment planning
  5. Engagement & Access to Treatment
    1. Lower treatment access and engagement among women
    2. Barriers: stigma, childcare, trauma, fear of consequences
    3. Treatment outcomes
  6. Gender-Responsive Treatment Approaches
    1. Benefits of women-only and gender-responsive groups
    2. Importance of safety, validation, and client preference
    3. Transition to mixed-gender settings later in recovery
  7. Addiction, Trauma, and Identity
    1. Emotional impacts: shame, guilt, fear, relational trauma
    2. Addiction as constriction; recovery as expansion
    3. Impact on identity, self-worth, and connection
  8. Child Welfare & Custody Involvement
    1. Overview of CAPTA and ASFA policy impacts
    2. Fear of custody loss as a treatment deterrent
    3. Custody loss as a significant traumatic event
  9. Impact of Custody Loss on Recovery
    1. Worsened mental health and overdose risk
    2. Increased isolation and reduced treatment engagement
    3. Risk of re-traumatization within systems
  10. Clinical Principles & Best Practices
    1. Trauma-informed, strength-based care
    2. Individualized treatment plans grounded in dignity and support
  11. Key Practice Takeaways
    1. Reduce stigma and unrealistic expectations
    2. Prioritize safety, empowerment, and consistency
    3. Support recovery alongside parenting and custody challenges
  12. Discussion

Target Audience

  • Nurse
  • Physician
  • Social Worker

Learning Objectives

• Describe and compare how SUDs progress differently for women than men and explain how trauma, hormones, relationships, and custody loss affect women's recovery.

• Identify and analyze key treatment barriers for women like stigma, caregiving, mental health, trauma, and custody issues and how these shape substances use and engagement.

• Apply trauma-informed, gender-responsive communication techniques to engage women, including mothers who have lost custody, in a supportive and nonjudgmental way.

• Describe core principles of women’s SUD treatment and better support women affected by custody involvement or loss.

 

 

Additional Information

AttachmentSize
File Audience Disclosure slides (1.25)_82.pptx51.54 KB
File Women in Recovery and Child Custody Loss-Agenda- References.docx36.4 KB
PDF icon Women in Recovery and Child Custody Loss v.1.pdf693.52 KB
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  • 1.25 ANCC
    UPMC Provider Unit is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation
  • 1.25 ASWB
  • 1.25 Attendance
Course opens: 
02/25/2026
Course expires: 
03/25/2026
Event starts: 
02/25/2026 - 12:00pm EST
Event ends: 
02/25/2026 - 1:30pm EST
Add to calendar: 

This session will present information on how SUDs progress differently for women, compared to men, and participants will learn how trauma, hormones, relationships, and custody loss affect women's recovery. The session will address key treatment barriers for women and provide tactical information on how to apply trauma-informed, gender-responsive communication techniques to engage women, including mothers who have lost custody, in a supportive and nonjudgmental way.

Agenda:

  1. Introduction
  2. Framing & Purpose
    1. Why women-centered approaches to SUD treatment matter
    2. Overview of gender differences in substance use and recovery
  3. How Substance Use Differs for Women
    1. Different motivations for use (coping, relationships, role demands)
    2. Influence of stigma, caregiving, and social expectations
    3. Telescoping effect: faster progression from use to dependence
  4. Biological & Hormonal Factors
    1. Hormonal influences on cravings, withdrawal, and relapse risk
    2. Menstrual cycle and emotional regulation
    3. Implications for timing, engagement, and treatment planning
  5. Engagement & Access to Treatment
    1. Lower treatment access and engagement among women
    2. Barriers: stigma, childcare, trauma, fear of consequences
    3. Treatment outcomes
  6. Gender-Responsive Treatment Approaches
    1. Benefits of women-only and gender-responsive groups
    2. Importance of safety, validation, and client preference
    3. Transition to mixed-gender settings later in recovery
  7. Addiction, Trauma, and Identity
    1. Emotional impacts: shame, guilt, fear, relational trauma
    2. Addiction as constriction; recovery as expansion
    3. Impact on identity, self-worth, and connection
  8. Child Welfare & Custody Involvement
    1. Overview of CAPTA and ASFA policy impacts
    2. Fear of custody loss as a treatment deterrent
    3. Custody loss as a significant traumatic event
  9. Impact of Custody Loss on Recovery
    1. Worsened mental health and overdose risk
    2. Increased isolation and reduced treatment engagement
    3. Risk of re-traumatization within systems
  10. Clinical Principles & Best Practices
    1. Trauma-informed, strength-based care
    2. Individualized treatment plans grounded in dignity and support
  11. Key Practice Takeaways
    1. Reduce stigma and unrealistic expectations
    2. Prioritize safety, empowerment, and consistency
    3. Support recovery alongside parenting and custody challenges
  12. Discussion

 

Zoom Meeting
Pittsburgh, PA
United States

Lori Abbot, MA, LPC, Senior Program Implementation Specialist, PERU

 

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the University of Pittsburgh and The Jewish Healthcare Foundation. The University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, University of Pittsburgh is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. University of Pittsburgh maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 1.25 continuing education credits.

Physician (CME)
The University of Pittsburgh designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nursing (CNE)
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.25 contact hours.

Social Work (ASWB)
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Social Work Education activity is 1.25 contact hours.

Other health care professionals will receive a certificate of attendance confirming the number of contact hours commensurate with the extent of participation in this activity.

Available Credit

  • 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  • 1.25 ANCC
    UPMC Provider Unit is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation
  • 1.25 ASWB
  • 1.25 Attendance
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