Girls Residential Treatment Program
At the Newport Academy Girls Residential Program adolescent girls are provided a safe and nurturing environment to explore sensitive issues such as guilt, shame, depression, isolation, and trauma in relation to their substance abuse. This residential program consists of six girls at any one time and is completely gender-specific. Same sex environments allow adolescent girls to build strong peer support which is essential in the treatment process. Strong peer interaction can help facilitate healthy boundaries, discussion of sexual issues, the development of strong female role models, assertiveness training, and issues related to body image without girls having to feel pressure common in non gender-specific environments.
Treatment Focused on the Issues of Adolescent Girls
The issues that face adolescent girls are very different than those facing adolescent boys. In many respects, adolescent girls are at a higher risk for substance abuse than their male counterparts. Indeed, the use and abuse rates for adolescent girls are continuing to rise, while the rates for boys have witnessed a recent decline. Adolescent girls also have higher rates of binge drinking, are introduced to substance use at an earlier age, and are physically and developmentally affected more by substance use and abuse than boys. In addition, there are a number of other major risk factors that predispose girls to substance use and abuse when compared to boys. These include:
- Rates of co-occurring disorders such as depression are higher in girls, and there is a clear correlation between depression and the development of substance use and abuse
- Trauma, abuse, and sexual related issues are primary factors leading to substance abuse in girls
- Girls tend to use drugs and alcohol to initiate and maintain intimate relationships and alcohol is often a gateway in dating and acceptance
- Self consciousness and validation are prominent with girls and body image issues and eating disorders develop aggressively in adolescence. Adolescent girls tend to initially use alcohol, tobacco, and drugs to suppress appetite and manage their weight.
- Adolescent girls tend to begin using drugs and alcohol as a way to conform to societal norms, while boys often begin use as a way to rebel against societal norms
Newport Academy places strong emphasis on empowering young girls to develop skills and coping mechanisms to increase their self-esteem and independence. Whereas adolescent boys may respond to confrontational approaches, Newport Academy provides safe, nurturing, educational, empowering, and effective programs specifically tailored to the individual needs of adolescent girls.
