Female Center

Ahsania Mission Female Drug Treatment & Rehabilitation Center

Background

With the understanding of the growing needs for Gender Responsive treatment for woman substance users, Dhaka Ahsania Mission come forward with “Female Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (FDTC)” in 2014 at Iqbal Road, Mohammadpur, Dhaka. It recognizes that success in recovery not only depends on the content of primary treatment, but also on the availability of support services once a woman returns home to her family and community. Contrary to other centers in our country, DAM designed the activities to meet client need for clinical treatment, family & community support that counteract other social conditions impacting the females. The FDTC delivers the services by embracing key principles and values in treatment and rehabilitation of female drug users.

Establishment

The center was established on 12 April, 2014.

Situation

The Center is now situated at PC Culture Housing Society, Shyamoli, under Dhaka North City Corporation, Zone-5. It offers all its services from its own seven-storied building.

Accommodation Capacity

The Center can accommodate 35 female clients at a time.

Center Setup

The center has the following amenities:

  • Patient Dormitory – 5
  • Cabin with 2 bed facility – 1
  • Class Room – 1
  • Counseling Room – 2
  • Doctor’s room – 1
  • Case Manager’s room – 1
  • Office Room – 1
  • Kitchen – 1
  • Store Room – 1
  • Dining Room – 1
  • Staff Dormitory – 2
  • Provision of TV, library and other recreational activities such as board games
  • Access to the roof

Emergency and Safety Measures

There is the provision of fire extinguishers with safety alarm, 24 hour security services and all emergency medical supports in the center. A duty staff monitors the entire center all the time with the help of Closed-circuit Camera, the footage of which is considered with high confidentiality.

Target Beneficiaries

The FDTC provides services to 18-48 years females with substance use disorder, mental ailments and/or behavioral issues. Clients under 18 years and above 48 years are offered specialized and age appropriate treatment. Special circumstances are always considered for every female client.

Treatment Method

  • The center provides three-month long residential treatment that starts with first 14 days for detoxification phase. It is a process of clearing the substances and their toxic forms from the body. DAM is following evidence-based medical detoxification to safely manage the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal.
  • During pre-treatment phase clients go through detailed medical and psychological screening, symptomatic withdrawal management, assessment and physical treatments.
  • Treatment phase starts after detoxification program, followed by 75 days rehabilitation program. During this time, center provides mental health services, physical treatment, counseling, psychosocial education, individual and group therapy.
  • Counselors, present at the centers, enhance client motivation with the psychological support to face the challenges at every stage in living a drug-free life.
  • Client families are also offered to join family counseling sessions.
  • Provision of psychosocial education is an important part of the treatment. Clients receive information on harmful effects of drugs, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, overdose, life skill education, stress management, anger management etc.
  • As the after care service, clients are offered to attend anti-drug programs, social programs organized by the center, annual recovery get-together program, outdoor counseling, family therapy, psychiatric treatment and group counseling after completing the course of the treatment.
  • DAM has been following the appropriate treatment approach for every individual’s age, sex, ethnicity and culture.
  • DAM conducts pre-admission screening performed by trained staff to assess the physical condition of clients before admission to rule out the risk of communicable diseases and any potentially life-threatening diseases which would require immediate hospitalization.
  • Patients are inspired to obey their religious functions as a part of the treatment.
  • The center follows the Therapeutic Community (TC) approach for the treatment and rehabilitation program, which focuses on –
    • – Client strengths not deficits
    – Client choice
    – Individual client needs
    – Gender- specific methods
    – Trauma-informed
    – Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
    – Women empowerment
    – Life skills development
  • The treatment program also follows the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous (NA) support group.

Services

The Center offers the following services for the clients in order to treat them –

  • Screening
  • Dope Test
  • Detoxification
  • Assessment
  • Treatment planning
  • Individual counseling
  • Group counseling
  • Family counseling
  • Couple counseling
  • Psycho-social education
  • Motivational therapy
  • General healthcare support
  • Psychiatric treatment
  • HTC (HIV Testing and Counseling)
  • Outdoor counseling service
  • After care follow up

Family Involvement

Addiction treatment is successful when every family member commits to it. When they are willing to work together, the way towards better relationship, greater functionality, better communication, and renewed affection; is paved. There are four types of family services provided from the center –

  • Family counseling
  • Family day
  • Family meeting
  • Family group counseling.

Other Activities

  • The center organizes regular weekly and monthly cultural programs where in-house patients and staff participate.
  • It conducts awareness raising programs at different educational institutions.
  • The center also organizes free counseling camps.
  • Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, International Women’s Day, World No Tobacco Day, World AIDS day are celebrated with due respect. The in-house clients and staff also celebrate the Eids, Bangla Naboborsho and winter pitha festival.

Our Specialty and Uniqueness

The center is unique among the very firsts of the addiction professionals with its –

  • Contingency management (monthly evaluation and reward for motivated patients)
  • Mandatory dope test service
  • Family education
  • Appropriate case management service
  • All the services are provided by female staff solely and in a tobacco-free environment
  • The Center is completely free of any physical and/or mental torture
  • Special services are provided by the efficient and trained staff

Remarkable Achievements

From the very beginning of the center, it has successfully provided service to 299 female patients. DAM-Female center has a female recovery support group ‘‘আয়না”.
The data showing the success rate of the center is as stated below –

Success Story 1: Sumi

Sumi (fictional name) is 30 years old woman. She is married. She has come from a middle class family. Her father was a business man and her mother is a house wife. When she was 9 years old, her father died. Her mother remarried. They had a good mother-daughter relationship.

Sumi got married when she was 25 years old. She knew that her husband was drug addicted. Sometimes she was humiliated for her husband’s drug addiction. When she was in college, she started taking drugs with her husband. The amount of drugs she used to take every day was gradually increasing. Sumi was having adjustment problems with her husband and they were eventually divorced.

Sumi started to stay with her parents. But she could not stay away from drugs and she was facing difficulties at her parents’ home. She remarried. Her current husband was also an addict. They were together for one year, but they constantly had problems ost of which are related to their drug use.

Sumi came back to her parents again. Her mother came to the Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center to get information. Sumi was admitted at the center. She completed the three-month treatment program very successfully. She also received follow up services from the center.

Sumi is very happy now. She leads drug free and productive life with her parents.

Success Story 2: Nira

Nira (fictional name) is 16 years old. She was studying to prepare for o’ level exam. She was very active in extra-curricular activities.
She got admitted into AMIC-FDTC center after her third suicidal attempt. She took alcohol and sleeping pills but she had multiple drug exposure.
Nira is the only child of her parents and had strong attachment with her father. She became very depressed when she lost her father two years ago. After her father’s death, Nira started taking sleeping pill and alcohol.
She stopped attending her music class and her grades dropped at school. She also started to avoid her mother and her old friends. Nira was attending a tuition center where she made some new friends. All of them are older than her and they were into drug addiction. Nira became very close to them and started using drugs. She also started staying out the whole night.
It is not uncommon that people use substances to mask depression and grief. Depression is one of the most common forms of emotional problems in young people. Use of alcohol and other drugs is often the pattern for the individuals with poor coping skill and high addictive potential.
After three month of treatment, Nira is now in recovery and she wants to live a drug free life with her mother. She said that life is beautiful to her now

Dhaka Ahsania Mission Female Drug Treatment & Rehabilitation Center

Address: House: 152, Block : Ka, PC Culture Housing Society,
Shyamoli, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.
Contact Person- Umme Jannat, Senior Program Officer & Focal Person
Cell # +88 01677637741, 01748475523, 01777753143.
Email: amic.fdtc@gmail.com, Web: amdtc.org.bd
Facebook: AMFDTC