Inside Our Program
by Linda Howard, founding member

Imagine a dozen women sitting in a circle, sharing experiences, laughing, listening, sometimes crying. Now imagine half of the women are recovering substance abusers, preparing to reenter society, while the other half are women not in recovery, but still have common experiences as mothers, daughters, sisters, workers, best friends, and dreamers.


A few graduates of The Circle of Women program with volunteers at Phoenix House

As volunteers, we spend one evening a month with women in residence at substance abuse treatment facilities in Manhattan and Brooklyn: women with broken relationships who have lost trust in most of the people in their lives. But we work around the issues we have in common. We share openly about our own relationships, how we have succeeded or failed, and what we have learned. Therefore, the skills we impart aren't tangible, such as how to balance a checkbook or how to dress for success. Our results come in intangible ways: Women remember what they really want in life, they recognize other women who will support them, and they see how asking effectively for the support they needs helps in fulfilling their life goals.


Residents of Odyssey House with A More Perfect Union Volunteers

Whatever other skills we might have, our success in life is based on our ability to relate successfully with other people: our families, coworkers, neigbors, and friends. When you encounter the women who have completed our program, they are better able to relate as coworkers and neighbors, they are better able to create satisfying productive lives. We know this to be true because we see the results at every session inside our program.