Stephanie Covington

Dr. Stephanie S. Covington is an internationally recognized clinician, author, organizational consultant, and lecturer. She is a pioneer in the field of women’s issues, addiction, trauma and recovery. She has developed an innovative, gender-responsive, and trauma-informed approach that results in effective services in public, private, and institutional settings.

Dr. Covington is the keynote speaker at  the conference on women, addiction, trauma and treatment and also offers three workshops.

Her presentations, staff-development seminars, and technical assistance focus on systems change and the development of caring, compassionate, and empowering therapeutic environments. They provide professionals an opportunity to learn new skills for dealing with personal, institutional, and societal changes and are always in demand, both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Covington’s clients include the Betty Ford Treatment Center, the Hanley Center, CeDAR (Center for Dependency, Addiction & Rehabilitation), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in Washington, D.C., the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and numerous other treatment and correctional settings. Dr. Covington was a workshop chair for the women’s treatment improvement protocol (TIP) published by SAMHSA. She is also the co-author of a three-year research project, Gender-Responsive Strategies: Research, Practice, and Guiding Principles for Women Offenders, for the National Institute of Corrections. This publication received the University of Cincinnati Award for its outstanding contribution to the field of corrections in the U.S. and Canada.

Educated at Columbia University and the Union Institute, Dr. Covington has served on the faculties of the University of Southern California, San Diego State University, and the California School of Professional Psychology, and she is a former chair of the Women’s Committee of the International Council on Alcoholism and Addiction. She is a board-certified Diplomate of the National Association of Social Workers and the American Board of Sexology and is a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and the American Psychological Association. She has also served on the Advisory Council for Women’s Services for the federal agency SAMHSA. She was the featured consultant and therapist on the Oprah Winfrey Network docu-reality show entitled Breaking Down the Bars.

Dr. Covington is based in La Jolla, California, where she is co-director of the Institute for Relational Development and the Center for Gender and Justice, which seeks to expand gender-responsive policies and practices for females who are under criminal justice supervision. Among the many articles and books written by Dr. Covington are:

• Women and Addiction: A Gender-Responsive Approach
• Awakening Your Sexuality: A Guide for Recovering Women
• Leaving the Enchanted Forest: The Path from Relationship Addiction to Intimacy

She has also published gender-responsive and trauma-informed program materials. The following curricula include training manuals for professionals and complementary materials for participants:

• Helping Women Recover: A Program for Treating Addiction  (with a special edition for the criminal justice system)
• Helping Men Recover (co-authored; also with a special edition for the justice system)
• Beyond Trauma: A Healing Journey for Women
• Voices: A Program of Self-Discovery and Empowerment for Girls
• A Woman’s Way through The Twelve Steps
• Beyond Violence: A Prevention Program for Criminal Justice-Involved Women
• Beyond Anger & Violence: A Program for Women
• Becoming Trauma Informed: A Training Program for Correctional Professionals (USA, Canadian and UK versions)

For a list of Dr. Covington’s recent articles, and descriptions of her current seminars for professionals, visit: www.stephaniecovington.com and www.centerforgenderandjustice.org.