From the Shadow to the Light
Three women leaders at Epiphany, our Clinical Director, Linda M. Perez, Ph.D., Residential Program Director, Suzi E. Desmond, M.S. along with San Francisco’s Infant Health Specialist, Consultant and a former staff of Epiphany, Cheryl J. Sundheim, M.A. collaborated to write a published chapter based on their experiences within our program.
Epiphany Center provides trauma-informed comprehensive care for women and children with a history of substance and domestic abuse. Our model, techniques and curriculum for each recovery program are research based which helps women reclaim their lives and bond with their children in a healthy way.
“From the Shadow to the Light: Navigating Life as a Mother with a History of Substance Use and Psychiatric Problems and Parenting a Child Healing from Early Childhood Trauma”, explains an innovative in-patient residential recovery program used as a model for treating low-income women with a history of substance use and psychiatric problem with their children
The chapter reveals the sensitive care that is needed and provided to a mother and child in treatment with a history of substance use and early childhood trauma respectively. It further explains that when a mother and child are taken through a treatment course of recovery that is built on traumatic experiences and within a context of favorable conditions, it helps to interrupt a mindset affected by generations of trauma forces. That is when the true healing of both mother and child starts.
Epiphany Center applauds and congratulates Dr. Perez, Ms. Desmond and Ms. Sundheim on this important published work discussing the treatment of mothers and young children who suffer extraordinary stress from the effects of substance use and mental health illness.