Preferred Name
Brittany Hook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Date of Graduation
5-15-2025
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Renee Staton
Second Advisor
Amanda Evans
Abstract
One topic that is not talked about enough is women’s health and more specifically postpartum women. This is apparent especially when it comes to postpartum care and the diverse experiences women face. The silence around postpartum women’s experiences can be frightening at times. The mental health of postpartum mothers can be overlooked and can lead to concerns of suicide ideation, increase substance use and a decrease in overall wellbeing. When substance abuse is in the picture for postpartum women, a treatment option that can be effective is group counseling. An evidence-based modality that works off the humanistic theory is motivational interviewing which has results in being effective for substance use disorders. This paper will go over a psychotherapy group for women who struggle with substance use. The group lays out the purpose, group organization, duration, location, confidentiality & informed consent, screening and orientation, goals, first meeting agenda, meeting outlines, multicultural concerns and outcome evaluation. Those that have attended group counseling report feeling better and are more connected with themselves and others. Group counseling focusing on motivational interviewing as the modality can be an effective treatment option for women who are struggling with substance use.
