Trauma-Informed Parenting Education Support: A Group Intervention for Parents with Trauma Histories in Substance Use Recovery

There has been a notable recent rise in substance use disorders (SUD) among pregnant women (Paris et al., 2023). Approximately 9.8% of pregnant persons reported alcohol consumption during their pregnancy and 6% acknowledged using illicit substances (El-Nahas & Thibaut, 2023; England et al., 2020). Alcohol and drug consumption during pregnancy can lead to severe developmental consequences for children, (El-Nahas & Thibaut, 2023; Lees et al., 2020; Sundermann et al., 2019) making them prone to academic, social, and emotional challenges and an increased likelihood of developing substance abuse problems themselves (Johnson & Left, 1999; Lipari & Van Horn, 2017). Trauma exacerbates the difficulties faced by pregnant persons with SUD: 80% have disclosed past trauma, with nearly 60% being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] (Karabulut & Genç, 2023). People of color exhibit notably elevated rates of PTSD, potentially attributable to heightened exposure to race-related traumatic events and challenges accessing services before pregnancy (Gluck et al., 2021; Redmond et al., 2020).

One option for addressing trauma, parenting, and SUD needs of pregnant and parenting individuals simultaneously is to provide a support group format with specific relevant content. Working with a community partner, we piloted and evaluated the Trauma-Informed Parenting Education Support (TIPS) groups at a residential treatment facility in western New York between 2018-2020 and again in 2024. The TIPS program builds upon Seeking Safety (Najavits, 2002) to develop a clinical strategy that integrates substance use treatment, trauma-focused treatment, and parenting education. Sessions last 90 minutes, meet twice weekly over seven weeks (14 sessions total) and are led by an academic clinician and co-facilitated by a trained staff member at the residential treatment facility to ensure continuity and sustainability. Data collection includes pre- and post-tests before and after the groups, as well as focus groups to assess the impact of the group on parenting skills, parenting self-efficacy, parenting confidence, healthy behaviors, stress, substance cravings, and overall satisfaction with the group. Based on positive findings, the TIPS program was manualized by the Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.

This workshop will provide an overview of the Seeking Safety and TIPS models and a description of how these articulate to provide support for pregnant and parenting persons with a history of trauma and SUD and will overview our evaluation data. The presenters will share best practices for social workers interested in setting up a TIPS group, and provide resources needed to explore its use. The presenters will then provide an opportunity for conference participants to engage in a mock TIPS session to experience the TIPS format for themselves, and then conclude with a question-and-answer session.

Treatments that provide pregnant and parenting-specific and trauma-specific support have shown to be promising, including treatments that address the anxiety many parents have regarding their ability to parent (Seng et al., 2011; Sperlich et al., 2011; Sperlich et al., 2021). Those with the tripartite challenges of trauma, SUD, and compromised parenting would benefit greatly from social work-led interventions like TIPS.