Women and Children FIRST Project
Feb 2nd, 2009 • Category: NewsFirst at Blue Ridge, a North Carolina licensed Therapeutic Community has recently been awarded Six Hundred Thousand Dollars in grants for the renovation of the former Watauga Lodge located in Ridgecrest, NC. This 16,000 square foot two story building which borders FIRST’s existing campus contains 33 bathrooms and 31 bedrooms and will be remodeled to house up to 60 women and 20 children.
Participants will receive gender appropriate individual and group counseling sessions regarding their substance abuse issues, along with case management, life skills, anger management, parenting skills, relapse prevention and other related therapies. Evidence based practices such as The Matrix Model, Motivational Interviewing Techniques, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavior Modification and others are the mainstays of the program. Active participation in 12 Step Programs is mandatory and participation in aftercare upon completion of the program core is required. Women with school age children will participate with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at the local grade school where their children will be attending.
Women in general have been a segment of society which has been underserved for too long as far as mental health and substance abuse issues. Services for women substance abusers, who are rapidly rising in number, are very difficult to find, and programs which have the ability to treat a women with her children are rare.
This program by its very nature as a Therapeutic Community where “A helps B……..A gets better” will empower the participants to re-enter their communities and families as productive contributing citizens and will promote their continuing along that path thereby spreading the message of hope to others.
Contact: Joseph A. Martinez, J.D.
Executive Director,
828-337-0487 cell
! Cheers, Jane
Good to know, thanks for the usefull knowledge.I just love it!