This is an outpatient treatment program for adult women with alcohol abuse disorders, including their partners.
Twelve to twenty weekly sessions of up to 90 minutes each are conducted. Initially, the couple undergoes an assessment to establish an intervention plan and identify factors contributing to alcohol abuse, relationship status, and the woman’s reasons for abstinence.
Subsequent sessions include four intervention elements:
1) Identification and reduction of behaviors that trigger or reinforce the individual’s drinking problem;
2) Strengthening of intimate partner support in the abstinence process;
3) Improvement of relationship functioning through the development of communication and problem-solving skills; and
4) Improvement of coping and relapse prevention skills to maintain abstinence.