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By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

Support group for women with substance a

Support group for mothers with substance abuse challenges launches in Red Deer

Jan 12, 2024 | 10:39 AM

Central Alberta has a new support group for mothers living with substance use disorder.

The Mothers for Recovery Support Group begins this month, thanks in large part to a $30,000 grant from the Red Deer and District Community Foundation (RDDCF). It will be run by Family Services of Central Alberta (FSCA).

The initiative seeks to provide mothers with supports they need to overcome addiction while also ensuring that childcare needs are met during programming, the Community Foundation notes.

“Our adjudication committee recognized that mothers with substance use disorder face unique challenges, including stigma and shame,” says Erin Peden, RDDCF Executive Director. “The Mothers for Recovery program makes sense as an evidence-based early intervention strategy to support not only mothers, but also their children. Our hope is that this grant can facilitate the creation of a program that provides connection and resources for mothers who most need specialized peer support.”

Attending the group will be a non-judgmental experience facilitated weekly by a social workers and a mother in recovery, modeled after the idea that the best teachers for mothers with addiction are individuals who’ve experienced that themselves.

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Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences, strengths and hopes amongst their peers.

To reduce barriers to attendance, young children can participate in the Mothers for Recovery Child Development program. Children will be cared for in an adjoining space by qualified childcare providers and will engage in play-based developmental programming.

Explains the Foundation: As children with a parent who has substance use disorders (SUDs) are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status and increased difficulties in academic and social settings and family functioning, breaking this cycle is possible with early intervention programs such as Mothers for Recovery.

“This concept grew from the lack of addiction services available for women that they could bring their children to and that also dealt with the sensitive parenting issues that accompany substance use disorder,” says Judy Scott, FSCA Executive Director. “We want to make it as easy as possible for mothers to attend our meetings and get the support they need, without the barrier of finding reliable childcare.”

The program will be held at FSCA’s Parkland Mall offices and is free to all who identify as a mother seeking or maintaining recovery from substance use. No agency referrals are required.

For more information, call 403-309-8222.