Women for Sobriety

1. Introduction

Version followed: the New Life Program as Women for Sobriety, Inc. (WFS, Quakertown, Pennsylvania) publishes it now, with its 13 Acceptance Statements and six Levels of Recovery as set out in Jean Kirkpatrick's 1993 handout "Levels of Recovery" and on the current New Life Program page. Meeting structure follows the current WFS meeting listings, the 1993 moderator self-check and a secondary description of the classic meeting format (Wikipedia, which draws on Kaskutas's surveys). Clinician procedures follow the WFS "For Professionals" page. Anything else is marked [synthesis].

What it is. WFS is a free, peer-led, abstinence-based mutual-aid fellowship for women with alcohol or other substance use disorders. Sociologist Jean Kirkpatrick, PhD founded it after she failed to stay sober during three years in AA. WFS dates its founding to 1975; Wikipedia gives 1976 [uncertain: sources differ]. It is not a therapy that a clinician delivers. Trained peer volunteers, called Certified Facilitators (CFs), run its meetings. This guide is for a clinician who refers clients to WFS, works alongside it, or runs a WFS-format group inside a treatment programme, which WFS explicitly allows (see §2). WFS currently lists 95+ free meetings a week, in person and online. It also runs a password-protected online community (WFSOnline) and CARE meetings for family and friends. [source: WFS home page; New Life Program page; Wikipedia; Recovery Research Institute]

How change happens, in the program's own model. WFS treats addiction as a serious physical or medical disorder, not a moral failing, and requires full abstinence. Recovery comes from changing one's thinking. The core idea is that thoughts, more than events, produce feelings and actions. The program's shorthand for this is "I am what I think" (Statement 5) [source: The Program, Kirkpatrick 1977]. Members find and drop negative, guilt-laden, self-destructive thought patterns. They build a self-image as a competent woman through daily use of the 13 Acceptance Statements, and peers in a positive, non-judgemental group reinforce the change. The program focuses on self-esteem and personal responsibility, not on powerlessness or surrender. It discourages dwelling on the past, to avoid feeding guilt and shame. [source: New Life Program page; Levels of Recovery 1993; Recovery Research Institute; Wikipedia]

2. Framework

Not a phased treatment. The six Levels are a self-paced developmental map, not sessions. Each Level is tied to particular Acceptance Statements. Kirkpatrick gives no time frame for any Level and no formal criteria for moving on. She explicitly says a woman may go back to earlier exercises when stressed later on, and that doing so is "not a matter of failure" but a chance to grow again. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993; New Life Program page]

The six Levels (paraphrased):

Level 1: Accepting the disorder (Statement 1). Accept that the substance problem is physical and life-threatening, commit to abstinence, learn about the disorder and what alcohol does to body and mind, and end isolation through the group. Suggested resources are early-recovery booklets such as Body, Mind & Alcohol and The First Year, and the beginner materials. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Level 2: Discarding negative thoughts, guilt and self-destructive patterns (Statements 2, 4, 9). Write detailed, completely honest accounts of attitudes, experiences, difficulties and feelings. Name distorted patterns and resolve to change them. Start a regular exercise routine and a relaxation or meditation practice. Workbooks include The New Life Diary, Considerations, Self-Analyzers, an anger workbook and a stress workbook. Kirkpatrick calls this Level hard and slow. She stresses that groups support and encourage but are "NOT problem-solving groups." [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Level 3: Creating a new self-image (Statements 5, 12). Replace irrational, negative self-views with realistic, positive ones. Practise reframing, for example treating a mishap as unfortunate rather than awful, or a mistake as a learning experience. Make one's surroundings pleasant and uncluttered. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993; New Life Program page]
Level 4: Using new attitudes to enforce new behaviour (Statements 3, 6, 11). Learn that happiness and enthusiasm are chosen and worked for, not waited for, and that sharing them with close people strengthens them. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Level 5: Improving relationships (Statements 7, 10). Stop tying self-esteem to other people's approval. Take emotional risks, be open, and balance giving with receiving. Kirkpatrick notes this is hard for many women because of culturally learned over-dependence on others. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Level 6: Recognising life's priorities (Statements 8, 13). Pursue emotional and spiritual growth on one's own terms, take responsibility for oneself and one's actions, and encourage self-worth in others. The resources include a relapse-prevention booklet, A Plan for Life. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]

Format and "dose".

Meetings. These are peer-led, free, and for women only. A current online listing runs 60 minutes weekly, for example a "Newbies Nook" for roughly the first two years of sobriety, with a facilitator presenting material and leading discussion [source: WFS meeting #1097 listing]. The classic in-person format has 2–20 members (6–10 is ideal) sitting in a circle. It opens with readings of the 13 Statements and the WFS purpose, then a topic from WFS literature, then a 5–10 minute break. After the break each member shares her week, including at least one positive event, and the group closes by holding hands and reciting the WFS motto [source: Wikipedia, secondary; current meeting length and whether the break is still used vary by group: uncertain]. WFS currently describes meetings as "group discussion and community-building" [source: WFS home page].
Daily practice. About 15 minutes each morning and a short review each evening (§4) [source: The Program; New Life Program page].
Online. WFSOnline groups are organised by life stage, professional affinity or identity [source: WFS home page]. Moderated chats are also available, and the older literature describes a 24/7 forum [source: Recovery Research Institute 2017].
Duration. The program sets none. Per Wikipedia, WFS discourages lifelong dependence on meetings and about half of newcomers drop out within four months [source: Wikipedia, secondary].

Who leads, and what is required to deliver it under the WFS name.

Certified Facilitator (CF). Requirements are at least one year of continuous sobriety, thorough knowledge of the New Life Program, familiarity with Turnabout, Goodbye Hangovers, Hello Life or the Beginner's Collection, and certification through WFS. In-person CFs must also:
- commit to at least six months of weekly meetings;
- send all group donations to WFS;
- secure a rent-free venue;
- answer prospective members by phone and email.
[source: WFS Volunteer page]
Board-required training. New CFs must finish all of it within six months of certification, or they become Inactive and cannot facilitate. As of 2022 the required trainings were a review of the Moderator's Manual and an anti-racism training ("Healing Recovery Spaces") or similar. [source: WFS Facilitator Training Policy, 17 March 2022]
Online Meeting Assistant (OMA). At least six months of sobriety. Meeting tech. At least three months of sobriety; a meeting tech may not lead a meeting. [source: WFS Volunteer page]
Treatment settings. WFS says professional counsellors may run WFS meetings as part of treatment programming, often led by a female addictions counsellor or therapist. Counsellors should learn the New Life philosophy and meeting structure first, and WFS strongly encourages studying the Professional Starter Kit (group guidelines and discussion topics) before running groups. Private practitioners may apply for CF status through the volunteer application. [source: WFS For Professionals page] Whether a clinician without personal recovery can become a community CF, given the one-year-sobriety rule, is not stated [uncertain]. Ask WFS directly.

3. Guiding principles

These are the program's principles, each with what it means in practice for the clinician working alongside it.

Abstinence-based. The program's goal is complete abstinence, and it does not offer harm reduction. Practice: refer clients who want abstinence. Clients with moderation goals may find the fit poor. [source: WFS home page; Wikipedia]
Addiction as a physical disorder, not a moral failing. Practice: use non-blaming, medical framing that matches what she will hear in meetings. [source: New Life Program page; Levels of Recovery 1993]
Thoughts create feelings, more than events do. Practice: expect WFS to strengthen cognitive work, and tie her statement practice to thought records or reframing in therapy [synthesis]. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993; The Program]
Self-responsibility, not powerlessness. Statements 1 and 13 frame recovery as taking charge of one's life. Practice: this suits clients who dislike the language of surrender. Explore it when a client says AA felt disempowering. [source: New Life Program page; Wikipedia]
Competence identity. Members introduce themselves as competent women and avoid labels such as "alcoholic" or "addict" [source: Wikipedia, secondary]. Practice: do not insist on a self-label. Use her preferred words.
Release the past. The program's phrase is "release the past, plan for tomorrow and live for today" [source: Recovery Research Institute]. Detailed drinking war-stories ("drunkalogs") are discouraged [source: Wikipedia]. Practice: she will not do trauma or past-focused work in meetings, so that work belongs in therapy [synthesis].
Happiness is created, not waited for. Members share at least one positive event each week. Practice: positivity is a deliberate practice. Watch that it does not become suppression of real distress (§5) [synthesis].
Groups support but do not problem-solve. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993] Practice: she should bring problem-solving to you, not expect it from the group.
Women-specific and inclusive. Any woman over 18 may attend [source: WFS home page]. WFS welcomes any expression of female identity, including LGBTQ+ women, and describes the program as especially helpful for women with histories of domestic violence, sexual trauma or anxiety [source: For Professionals]. Practice: WFS is a good option where mixed-gender groups feel unsafe.
Spirituality is personal. No Higher Power is required. Meditation and spiritual growth are encouraged in the member's own terms (Level 6). Practice: suitable for secular or differently religious clients. [source: Wikipedia; Levels of Recovery 1993]
Medication-compatible. WFS does not discourage medications that support recovery and presents itself as a suitable complement to MAT/MOUD. Practice: tell clients on medication-assisted treatment this directly, because many fear meetings will shame them. [source: For Professionals]
Daily, consistent practice. The statements only work if used every day, and faulty thinking built up over years will not change overnight. Practice: treat daily practice as homework and review it. [source: The Program]
Only WFS literature in meetings. In Kirkpatrick's words, meetings are "not study groups for other literature." Practice: do not ask her to bring your worksheets to the group. [source: Are You a Dynamic Moderator?, 1993]
Not exclusive. Many members have AA experience, and about a third also attend AA [source: Wikipedia, citing Kaskutas]. Practice: dual membership is acceptable and common.

4. Intervention inventory

This inventory has two parts. Part A describes the fellowship's own tools as WFS publishes them, so you can explain them, prepare clients, and support their use between sessions. Members, CFs and the group carry these out; you do not run them in place of the fellowship. Part B gives the clinician's own procedures. Most of Part B is [synthesis]; the items WFS itself sets out for professionals are cited.

Part A. The fellowship's tools (as published by WFS)

A1. The 13 Acceptance Statements

Purpose: the program's core cognitive content. The statements are first-person affirmations that address, in this order:
1. responsibility for a once-controlling problem
2. the self-harm of negativity
3. happiness as created
4. problems having only the power one gives them
5. "I am what I think"
6. life as ordinary or great by choice
7. love as transformative
8. emotional and spiritual growth as life's main aim
9. the past being gone and done with
10. love given returning
11. enthusiasm as a daily exercise
12. being a competent woman with much to give
13. being responsible for oneself and one's actions
(The list is paraphrased. The official wording is on the WFS Program Booklet and Statement Wallet Card and should not be reproduced in handouts. Order them from WFS.) [source: New Life Program page; The Program, 1977]
When to use: daily, from first contact. Each statement maps onto a Level (§2).
Steps (member): get the Program Booklet or wallet card from WFS, then use them through the daily practice (A2) and in meetings.
Example language (illustrative): "WFS uses thirteen short statements to retrain how you talk to yourself. Which one jumps out at you, and which one makes you wince?"
Watch for: a client who says them by rote while believing the opposite. Use the gap between the two as therapy material [synthesis].

A2. Daily morning statement practice and evening review

Purpose: make the new thinking habitual. WFS presents this as the core daily routine. [source: The Program, 1977; New Life Program page]
Steps (as published):
1. Get up about 15 minutes earlier than usual.
2. Read through all 13 statements, considering each one on its own.
3. Choose one statement and use it consciously all day.
4. Before sleep, review how that statement affected your thoughts and actions that day.
5. Optionally, keep a notebook of the day's events and the statement's effect.
Members also report other ways of using the statements: carrying a wallet card or booklet, reading the statements at bedtime and on waking, and repeating one in an anxious moment or during a craving. These are member comments, not official steps. [source: The Program, member comments]
Example language (illustrative): "Tomorrow, try the 15-minute morning read. Pick one statement, notice where it shows up during the day, and jot two lines at night. We'll look at the notes next week."
Watch for: daily consistency, which the program stresses over good intentions. Missed mornings often come before "drinking thinking" returns [source: The Program]. It is working when she can name a concrete moment the day's statement changed what she did.

A3. Written self-examination (Level 2)

Purpose: bring hidden thought patterns, attitudes and feelings into awareness. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Steps: write in detail and with complete honesty about your concepts, experiences, difficulties and feelings. Look for recurring negative or self-destructive patterns, and resolve to change them. WFS workbooks such as The New Life Diary, Self-Analyzers and Considerations structure this writing. Their contents are not drawn on. [uncertain]
Example language (illustrative): "Kirkpatrick suggests writing very honestly about how you think and feel. You don't need to share it at the meeting. Would you be willing to bring a page here?"
Watch for: writing that slides into self-condemnation or into detailed reliving of trauma. Contain it, and process that material in therapy rather than alone [synthesis].

A4. Reframing irrational and negative thinking (Level 3)

Purpose: replace extreme, negative appraisals with realistic, positive ones. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993; New Life Program page]
Steps:
1. Notice an extreme judgement, such as "awful" or "I'm a failure".
2. Restate it in balanced terms, as Kirkpatrick does: a mishap becomes unfortunate rather than awful, and a mistake becomes a learning experience.
3. Link the new appraisal to Statement 5 or 12.
Example language (illustrative): "You called the argument 'a disaster.' What's the WFS-style version: unfortunate, but something you can learn from?"
Watch for: reframing used to dismiss real danger, such as abuse or financial crisis. Reframing an appraisal is different from denying the facts [synthesis].

A5. Exercise, relaxation and meditation routine (Level 2)

Purpose: physical recovery and emotional regulation. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993; New Life Program page]
Steps: set up a regular exercise routine and a regular relaxation or meditation method. WFS supplies resources such as New Life, New Body and a guided-meditation recording. Kirkpatrick sets no intensity or amount targets.
Example language (illustrative): "What kind of movement and what kind of quiet time could you realistically do most days?"
Watch for: compulsive or punitive exercise, and any eating-disorder history. Agree on a gentle, non-target-based plan [synthesis].

A6. Shaping a pleasant environment (Level 3)

Purpose: support a new self-image through one's surroundings. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Steps: make your living space pleasant, uncluttered and attractive.
Example language (illustrative): "Is there one corner of your home you could make feel like your new life this week?"
Watch for: this becoming perfectionism or a source of shame where money is limited [synthesis].

A7. Choosing happiness and enthusiasm, and sharing it (Level 4)

Purpose: treat happiness and enthusiasm as deliberate practice. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Steps: act on Statements 3, 6 and 11 by deliberately pursuing enjoyable, meaningful activity and sharing good moments with close people. In meetings this links to sharing at least one positive event each week (A11).
Example language (illustrative): "What's one thing you'll do this week on purpose, for enjoyment, and who will you tell about it?"
Watch for: depression. Low mood is not a failure of will, so assess it and treat it (§5) [synthesis].

A8. Relationship work (Level 5)

Purpose: base self-worth on intrinsic value rather than other people's approval, and build balanced relationships. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Steps: take small emotional risks, be more open and vulnerable, and balance giving with receiving. WFS workbooks cover relationships, self-esteem and communicating.
Example language (illustrative): "Where in your life do you give a lot and let very little in?"
Watch for: "openness" being urged within an abusive relationship. Assess safety first [synthesis].

A9. Spiritual growth, priorities and responsibility (Level 6)

Purpose: consolidate recovery by focusing on emotional and spiritual growth on one's own terms, owning one's actions, and supporting others. WFS uses the booklet A Plan for Life: Relapse Prevention at this stage. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]
Steps: set daily priorities around growth (Statement 8) and responsibility (Statement 13), and develop a personal spiritual outlook, which need not be religious.
Example language (illustrative): "When you put your day in order of what matters most, where does your own growth land?"
Watch for: responsibility turning into self-blame for things outside her control [synthesis].

A10. WFS literature and workbooks

Purpose: structured self-study alongside meetings. [source: Levels of Recovery 1993; For Professionals; WFS Volunteer page]
Steps: WFS recommends that each new participant get a Program Booklet, a New Member Packet and a Statement Wallet Card. Clients using WFS as their main program can start with the Beginner's Collection (three booklets and two workbooks). Kirkpatrick's Turnabout: New Help for the Woman Alcoholic and Goodbye Hangovers, Hello Life are the core books. A free 7-page Introduction to WFS packet may be handed out freely and used in psychoeducation. [source: For Professionals; WFS Volunteer page]
Watch for: literacy and cost barriers. Meetings are free and booklets are not required to attend. [source: meeting #1097 listing]

A11. Attending meetings and the weekly positive share

Purpose: peer support, less isolation, and reinforcement of the new self-image. [source: Wikipedia; New Life Program page; WFS home page]
Steps (classic format):
1. Members read the 13 Statements and the WFS mission or purpose.
2. The facilitator introduces a topic from WFS literature.
3. There is a short break.
4. Each woman shares her week, including at least one positive event. Drunkalogs are discouraged.
5. Members hold hands and say the closing motto.
[source: Wikipedia, secondary; Are You a Dynamic Moderator?] Current online meetings run about an hour and are led by a CF [source: meeting #1097 listing]. Exact formats vary by group [uncertain].
Example language (illustrative): "In WFS you'll be asked to mention one good thing from your week. It can be tiny, like 'I didn't drink on Tuesday and I slept.'"
Watch for: whether she leaves feeling more connected and less ashamed. If she keeps feeling she can't be honest about bad weeks, address it (§5).

A12. Statement-of-the-week assignment

Purpose: practice between meetings. [source: Are You a Dynamic Moderator?, 1993]
Steps: the moderator may ask members to use one statement all week and report back at the next meeting.
Example language (illustrative): "If your group sets a statement of the week, tell me which one. We can use it here too."

A13. Phone list and between-meeting contact

Purpose: support between meetings. Members call each other during the week and reach out to anyone who has been hospitalised or has relapsed. [source: Wikipedia, secondary; uncertain whether current groups keep formal phone lists]
Watch for: reluctance to call anyone. Rehearse a first call in session [synthesis].

A14. WFSOnline community

Purpose: access for women who are rural, housebound, caring for others, or uneasy about face-to-face groups. [source: WFS home page; Recovery Research Institute]
Steps: register on the password-protected site and join groups organised by life stage, profession or identity, plus the Zoom meetings and chats.
Watch for: using it as a substitute for any in-person contact when she is isolated. Encourage a mix where possible [synthesis].

A15. CARE meetings for family and friends

Purpose: a secular support meeting for friends and family of someone with an addiction. [source: WFS home page]
Steps: refer partners or relatives. The detailed CARE format page is not drawn on [uncertain], and one listing says CARE meetings are paused and "will return soon" [source: meeting #1097 listing].

A16. Service roles (OMA, meeting tech, CF)

Purpose: service as a way of consolidating recovery and supporting others (Level 6). [source: WFS Volunteer page; Levels of Recovery 1993]
Steps: each role has a sobriety threshold: meeting tech 3 months, OMA 6 months, CF 1 year (§2).
Watch for: taking on service as over-functioning or caretaking, the Level 5 pattern [synthesis].

Part B. Clinician procedures

B1. Assessing fit for WFS

Purpose: match the client to a fellowship she is likely to keep attending. [synthesis, built on WFS's published criteria]
Steps:
1. Confirm the basic criteria. She identifies as a woman (any expression of female identity), is over 18, and has an abstinence goal for alcohol or other drugs. [source: WFS home page; For Professionals]
2. Explore what she has tried before. Ask about AA or NA. Rejecting powerlessness, Higher-Power language or mixed-gender rooms points towards WFS [source: For Professionals presents WFS as an alternative for clients who resist other meeting types].
3. Screen for the experiences WFS names as fitting well: domestic violence, sexual trauma, anxiety [source: For Professionals].
4. Check practicalities: local in-person meetings versus online only, and childcare and transport.
5. Note likely friction: a moderation goal; a strong preference for trauma-processing or story-telling groups; severe depression, where the emphasis on positive thinking may feel invalidating [source: Wikipedia notes this criticism; the response is synthesis].
Example language (illustrative): "Some women find AA's language of powerlessness doesn't fit. WFS starts from 'you're a competent woman who can take charge.' Does that sound closer to you?"
Watch for: a referral that is really about getting a court slip, with no interest in recovery. That is still workable, but name it.

B2. Preparing the client for her first meeting

Purpose: reduce first-meeting dropout. About half of newcomers leave within four months [source: Wikipedia]. [synthesis]
Steps:
1. Look up meetings together in the WFS meeting directory (meetings.womenforsobriety.org), filtering for in-person or online and for newcomer-focused groups. [source: meeting #1097 listing]
2. Explain what usually happens: the statements are read, there is a topic, members share their week including one positive item, and the meeting closes. In-person groups may hold hands at the close, so tell her she can decline, and do not promise there is no touch [synthesis]. [source: Wikipedia]
3. Tell her she does not have to speak, buy anything, or disclose her history. Meetings are free and booklets are optional. [source: meeting #1097 listing]
4. Agree to try three or four meetings, or two different groups, before she decides [synthesis].
5. Hand out the free Introduction to WFS packet, or arrange the New Member Packet and wallet card [source: For Professionals].
6. Book a debrief for the session after her first meeting.
Example language (illustrative): "You won't be asked to tell your drinking story. You'll be asked how your week went and for one good thing. Want to practise saying yours?"
Watch for: anticipatory shame. Rehearse her introduction and one positive share in session.

B3. Integrating the Acceptance Statements into individual therapy

Purpose: use the statements she is already practising as material for cognitive work. [synthesis] WFS's thought-feeling model overlaps with CBT, a parallel Wikipedia notes.
Steps:
1. Ask which statement she chose today and what happened when she used it.
2. When a negative thought comes up, ask which statement answers it and test the thought for realism, not just for positivity.
3. Use her evening notebook (A2) as a thought record.
4. Track which Level she feels she is working on, and match the session's focus to it. For example, at Level 5, work on approval-seeking in relationships.
5. Treat going back to an earlier Level as normal, in line with the program's own framing.
Example language (illustrative): "You picked 'happiness is created' and it felt fake by noon. What did your mind say instead? Let's look at that thought."
Watch for: statements used as thought-suppression. The aim is a believable alternative thought, not forced cheer.

B4. Running a WFS-format group in a treatment setting

Purpose: bring WFS into inpatient or outpatient programmes so that clients can move on to community groups afterwards. [source: For Professionals]
Steps:
1. Study the New Life philosophy and meeting structure, and get the Professional Starter Kit (group guidelines, discussion topics) before starting. WFS strongly encourages this.
2. Ideally the group is led by a female addictions counsellor or therapist.
3. Schedule it daily, weekly or to fit the programme.
4. Follow the WFS structure: the statements and purpose, a topic from WFS literature (Monday Thoughts emails can supply ready-made topics), sharing with a positive item, and the close. Use only WFS literature in the meeting [source: Are You a Dynamic Moderator?].
5. Give each new participant a Program Booklet, New Member Packet and wallet card. A professional coupon code is available.
6. Before discharge, connect each client to a community or online WFS meeting, and invite alumni back to the facility meeting where possible.
[source: For Professionals]
Example language (illustrative): "This is a Women for Sobriety meeting. We'll read the statements, take a topic, then each of us shares our week and one positive thing."
Watch for: clinical processing drifting into the WFS group and turning it into a therapy group. Keep therapy content for separate sessions and say clearly which group is which [synthesis]. Whether a clinician-run group may call itself a WFS meeting without CF certification is not fully specified [uncertain]. Check with WFS.

B5. Attendance verification for courts and monitoring programmes

Purpose: meet mandated-attendance requirements. [source: For Professionals; meeting #1097 listing]
Steps: WFS listings offer proof of attendance through a third-party instant-verification service (Pathcheck), using a per-meeting code. Courts and monitoring programmes may accept WFS meetings, but the provider should confirm this with the jurisdiction.
Watch for: mandated attendance replacing real engagement. Ask what she is getting from it as well as whether she went [synthesis].

B6. Combining WFS with medication and with other fellowships

Purpose: avoid conflicts between parts of her care plan. [source: For Professionals; Wikipedia]
Steps:
1. Tell clients on MOUD or other recovery medication that WFS does not discourage these medicines and calls itself a suitable complement to MAT.
2. Coordinate with the prescriber.
3. If she also attends AA, NA or SMART, help her use each for what it gives her. About a third of WFS members also attend AA. [source: Wikipedia, citing Kaskutas]
Watch for: pressure from another group to stop medication or to stop WFS. Support her autonomy [synthesis].

B7. Involving family and friends

Purpose: support the people around her. [source: WFS home page]
Steps: refer them to WFS CARE meetings where available, or to other family-support options. Agree what she does and does not want shared. [synthesis]
Watch for: family using WFS language ("just think positive") to minimise her distress. Explain the model to them [synthesis].

5. Handling problems

WFS's own published guidance on problems is limited to a few points: going back to earlier Levels is not failure, groups are not for problem-solving, consistent daily practice matters, and newcomers should be welcomed. Everything else below is [synthesis] unless cited.

Return to use (lapse or relapse). WFS treats revisiting earlier Levels as an opportunity for growth, not a failure [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]. Members reach out to anyone who has relapsed [source: Wikipedia]. Response:
- normalise the lapse;
- review whether her daily statement practice had dropped off, since WFS links neglect of the statements to slipping back [source: The Program];
- do a functional analysis of the lapse;
- restart Level 1 tasks;
- encourage her to go back to her meeting quickly, before shame sets in [synthesis].
"Positive thinking feels fake or invalidating." This criticism of the program is recorded, especially for women with depression or limited means [source: Wikipedia]. Response:
- separate realistic thinking from forced cheer;
- let the positive share be small and true;
- treat depression clinically, with assessment and evidence-based treatment;
- if the group's tone keeps silencing her, help her find a different group or online room, or a complementary fellowship [synthesis].
Trauma surfacing. Meetings avoid detailed past-focused accounts. Response:
- process trauma in therapy, at a pace she can tolerate;
- prepare her for how to share in meetings in general terms;
- for writing work (A3), set limits on how much detail she goes into alone [synthesis].
Overwhelm or acute distress, including suicidal thoughts. WFS meeting pages list the 988 crisis line [source: New Life Program page footer]. Response:
- do a standard risk assessment and safety planning, including lethal-means counselling about storage and removal;
- make clear that peer meetings are not crisis services;
- agree in advance what she will do if distress spikes between sessions [synthesis].
Non-attendance or dropping out. About half of newcomers leave within four months [source: Wikipedia]. Response:
- ask what put her off: the people, the format, the time, or the hand-holding;
- try another group, an online WFSOnline group or a newcomer-focused meeting;
- pair attendance with a debrief in session;
- accept that WFS itself does not expect lifelong attendance [source: Wikipedia].
Non-adherence to the daily practice. Response:
- shrink the task to one statement, read on waking, plus a single evening line;
- link it to an existing habit, such as morning coffee;
- review it at every session [synthesis, on WFS's published routine].
Ambivalence about abstinence. WFS is abstinence-based. Response:
- use motivational work;
- if she wants moderation, do not force WFS; consider other options and keep WFS available for later [synthesis].
Identity or eligibility questions. WFS welcomes any expression of female identity, including LGBTQ+ women [source: For Professionals]. Response: reassure her. If her identity is nonbinary and she is unsure she belongs, contact WFS or the facilitator beforehand rather than guessing [synthesis; WFS's position on nonbinary members specifically was not found: uncertain].
Conflict in the group or with a facilitator. Response:
- help her decide whether to raise it with the CF, contact WFS through the meeting feedback form, or switch groups [source for the feedback form: meeting #1097 listing];
- do not contact the group yourself without her consent [synthesis].
Feeling the group won't help her solve problems. By design, the group supports and encourages rather than problem-solves [source: Levels of Recovery 1993]. Response: agree that problem-solving happens in therapy and in her own planning.
Pull between fellowships. Response:
- dual membership is common and allowed [source: Wikipedia];
- help her pick the language and practices that suit her;
- avoid taking sides [synthesis].
Pressure to stop medication. WFS does not discourage medications that support recovery [source: For Professionals]. Response: if anyone in any group pressures her, show her WFS's stated position and coordinate with her prescriber [synthesis].
Rupture with you over the referral. She may feel she is being "sent away" to a group. Response:
- frame WFS as an addition to therapy, not a replacement;
- ask for her honest feedback after meetings;
- repair any sense of being dismissed [synthesis].
Boundaries if you are also a member or a CF. Response:
- avoid attending the same meeting as a current client;
- discuss in advance how you would handle meeting by chance;
- follow your professional code on dual relationships and on confidentiality outside sessions [synthesis].
Statements turned into self-blame. "I am responsible" can become "it's all my fault" for a woman in an abusive situation. Response: clarify that responsibility covers her own choices and recovery, not other people's violence, and do safety planning [synthesis].

Sources

Sources:

Further reading (not drawn on): Kirkpatrick, J. (1999). Turnabout: New Help for the Woman Alcoholic. Kirkpatrick, J. (1986). Goodbye Hangovers, Hello Life. Kirkpatrick, J. (1981). A Fresh Start.

Further reading (not drawn on):

the WFS FAQ page and its Google Doc version, and the CARE page;
WFSOnline (behind a login).

The Moderator's Manual, Professional Starter Kit and WFS workbooks are not drawn on. Detail on how current meetings open and close, on CARE, and on the content of the workbooks is therefore marked [uncertain].

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