About this Sober House
SSTAR Birth is a women's recovery residence in Fall River, Massachusetts, in Bristol County. Opened in 1994, it is a long-term residential treatment program built specifically for pregnant, postpartum and parenting women in recovery.
A Residential Program for Pregnant and Parenting Women
SSTAR Birth is a family reunification program: women live on site with their young children while completing up to six months of treatment, staying with their families throughout. That structure sets it apart from most sober housing, which typically does not accommodate children at all.
Services and Program Structure
The program includes individual counseling, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, case management, group therapy, co-occurring disorder education, substance-use education, relapse prevention, expressive arts, the Seeking Safety trauma curriculum, the Helping Women Recover curriculum, and the Nurturing Families parenting program. An on-site licensed daycare and transportation support the parenting side of the program, and transitional and continuing care follow a woman's six months in residence.
Gender-Sensitive Care for Women in Recovery
SSTAR Birth focuses on services designed around a woman's own sources of strength and resiliency, reflecting an approach built specifically around women's own recovery. Combined with the family-reunification model, it serves a population that most recovery housing is not set up to house at all.
Part of a Larger Fall River Treatment Network
SSTAR Birth operates as a specialty residential program within SSTAR, a longstanding treatment organization based in Fall River, the seat of Bristol County. That connection gives residents access to a broader network of substance-use and behavioral-health services beyond the residential program itself.
SSTARbirth is a long-term, residential substance abuse treatment program specifically designed for pregnant, postpartum and parenting women. SSTARbirth is the only specialty program of its kind, in the state of Rhode Island. We are a family reunification program and women participate in treatment with their young children. Sstarbirth opened its doors to its first client in January 1994. The program allows for 6 months of treatment and has the capacity for 12 women and 24 children.
The SSTARbirth program provides gender-sensitive services that focus on a woman's sources of strength and resiliency. Using a holistic approach directed toward helping a woman heal her mind, body and spirit, we rely on the principles and traditions of AA/NA to help women become abstinent. The program services include, but are not limited to: individual counseling; psychiatric evaluations and medication management; case management; group therapy; co-occurring disorder education; substance abuse education; relapse prevention; expressive arts; Seeking Safety trauma curriculum; Helping Women Recover curriculum; Nurturing Families parenting program; onsite licensed daycare; transportation; transitional support and continuing care. We collaborate with other agencies in the community to offer specialty psycho-educational groups such as nutrition, health and wellness, domestic violence, HIV education, and Early Intervention services for children under 3 years of age.
