“Mothers in Treatment with Their Children” with Sally Stevens, Ph.D.
A Dragonfly Village Event supporting our movement to save our children

Sally J. Stevens, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW) and Professor of Gender & Women's Studies at the University of Arizona will be the Dragonfly Village honored guest and speaker at a brunch to be held at Amity Foundation’s Circle Tree Ranch, October 21, 2010, 11:00am.  Dr. Stevens will present on the topic “Mothers in Treatment with Their Children”.  Too often pregnant women and mothers are faced with a choice between receiving treatment and caring for their children.  Fears of putting their children in foster care and/or losing custody of them frequently lead to avoidance of needed services.  Since 1982 Amity has been dedicated to creating healing environments that provide safety and facilitate connection and empowerment for pregnant women, women with children, and families.  Taking this initiative to the next level, Dragonfly Village will provide a safe, home-like environment for children; and stability for families to bond while recovering from the often traumatic existence they have led. Also included are medical and nursing services for pregnant and post-partum women, daycare services for infants and toddlers, and counseling and academic support services for older children that will attend school in the nearby Tanque Verde School District.

Dr. Stevens' association with Amity Foundation began in 1985.  She has worked as Clinical Director and Research Director for Amity, and Project Evaluator overseeing Amity’s Desert Willow, a NDRI residential program for addicted pregnant women and women with children funded by CSAT.  Data from Amity’s Desert Willow project provided evidence of the effectiveness of residential therapeutic community environments that allow women to live with their children during treatment. Research studies conducted by Dr. Stevens show that when women are able to bring their children into treatment with them they are far more likely to complete treatment, remain drug free, and retain custody of their children.  By providing comprehensive services for families, Amity is offering the most effective prevention program for the children, and insuring that families stay together. Addressing the needs of children and families is not only socially and morally responsible; outcome studies also support the efficacy and cost effectiveness of this model – reducing the drain on local, state, and federal budgets.  Research and evaluation will continue to be a key component of Amity’s Dragonfly Village.   

Your support can touch many lives in the movement to save our children.