With Northshore residents on hand, Residence XII recently held its third annual benefit luncheon at the Hyatt Hotel in Bellevue.
The Kirkland-based nonprofit organization is only one of two known gender-specific treatment centers in the country for women struggling with chemical dependency.
Last year, 49 percent of the women that the organization served resided in King County, while 6 percent came from out of state.
Opened originally in 1981 on property that belonged to the Catholic Archdiocese at Bastyr University in Kenmore, the facility has since relocated to Kirkland. The organization has treated more than 8,000 women ages 18 and up and their families.
Officials also hope to expand the program in the future as the organization has to turn away an average of five women per month due to lack of funds or program capacity.
Residence XII (the Roman Numeral XII referring to the 12 Step Program of recovery as used in Alcoholics Anonymous) was founded by Margie Clemente, who was able to attain sobriety due to the support she received from other sober women. In the early years of her sobriety she learned that women’s needs were much different than those of men in recovery.
“Being the caretakers that we are, we learn very early on to put aside and minimize our needs for personal identity and growth in the caretaking roles we assume as wives and mothers,” said Clemente, honorary chair for the luncheon.
The organization offers intensive in-patient treatment for women and provides them with the tools to take care of themselves.
On a recent afternoon, Pat Dye, director of development, points to a collage on a table that one of the 25 residents put together at Residence XII. Words like “loser” and “dream” headline photos cut from magazines.
When women first arrive at the facility, they are asked to put together a collage of what their life has been like as an addict and what the future might hold.
“We want women to be able to differentiate between the fact that they are not their addict, but that the addict has been running them,” Dye noted.
During the first week, women are also prohibited from contacting family or friends. After the first week, she is given a certain amount of time to call home.
“When women come in here, they have to leave behind what’s been going on in their lives, so they can begin to concentrate on themselves,” Dye added.
Treatment includes addressing issues that women commonly face, such as depression and anxiety, dealing with guilt from addiction, trauma related to prior abuse, relationship issues and spirituality. In addition, families are also offered treatment to educate and empower them.
A woman’s length of stay varies from three to five weeks or longer, depending on their initial assessment.
For information, call (425) 823-8844 or visit www.residencexii.org.
