About Womanfocus

Womanfocus is a department of Preventionfocus, Inc. and is funded by the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services under contract with Erie County Department of Mental Health as a gender based prevention outreach. The work we do is designed to enhance protective factors and reverse or reduce risk factors. Following the National Institute on Drug Abuse Prevention Principles, our workshops are long term, (6-10 weeks) and interactive. Information on communication, peer relationships, self-efficacy and assertiveness are researched based. Outcome focused, Womanfocus recognizes that the way women and girls choose to negotiate life can have a positive or negative impact on their health. Our workshops help to raise women and girls awareness of themselves, and to introduce skills that encourage balance instead of extremes. Our goal is to challenge attitudes and behaviors in participants that lead to the masking of feelings and engaging in high-risk behavior such as alcohol and other drug use. Our purpose is to explore various options for leading healthy and productive lives, using the social development process and the relational learning approach.

Womanfocus Workshop Descriptions *
 

*All workshops are gender specific and facilitated by Female Professionals in a relational setting.
**All workshop topics are adaptable for facilitation with girls.

Assertiveness for Women                6, 1.5 hour sessions   Participant Fee

Women often have trouble asking for what they want in a way that respects their rights and those of others. This workshop encourages the development of the following skills: Listening, communication, and the recognition and the setting of boundaries. Areas of learning include conflict resolution, expressing anger, giving and receiving criticism, and setting limits and saying “no”. Each session includes lecture and experiential exercises.

Healthy Relationships                        7, 2 hour sessions  Participant Fee
 
Relationships are vital to the lives of women. Are you curious about what it takes to have a healthy relationship? What makes a woman susceptible to poor interpersonal relationships? Come and explore the dynamics of the choices women make. Some choices foster health while others usher in arm. We will look at the patterns of interactions that women exhibit with others, in intimate, family and work settings.

Understanding Anger                            6, 1.5 hour sessions   Participant Fee

Anger is a basic human emotion, a part of the range of feelings that we share with others. Yet women are socialized to neither feel nor express anger. When unacknowledged and unexpressed, angry feelings surface in a variety of troublesome forms. In this workshop participants will explore current anger patterns and will work towards an awareness of the various levels of anger. We encourage participants to implement non-violent, effective ways of dealing with negative feelings.

Self-Esteem                                      6, 1.5-hour sessions Participant Fee

Significant messages and experiences affect our general feelings of self –esteem. Confidence and feelings of self worth fluctuate. However, we can work towards maintaining a higher level of self-respect. This workshop will address some of the ways we can take better care of ourselves and challenge old assumptions that may leave us feeling inadequate.

Supper Club ©: A Unique Service for Adolescent Girls aged 10-13, or 13-15, or15-18 Minimum group # 6 girls- Maximum # 10 girls

10, 3 hour sessions                           Participant Fee

The potential impact of specific risk and protective factors change with age. Association with rebellious peers may be a more significant risk factor for adolescents than a younger child. Risk factors have different effects depending on a person’s age, gender and environment.
 

Girls, in particular often lack the desire and insight to develop positive relationships with other girls. The impact of changing family life can challenge the imparting of daily living skills. Coupled with the competitive atmosphere that pervades television and other media interactions between females, girls are in need of opportunities to bond. Presented at a site accessible to participating girls’ neighborhoods,  the Womanfocus Supper Club is a place to learn kitchen safety, budgeting, nutritious meal preparation and positive interaction with female peers. The ten-week series also includes fun activities like movement and journal writing. Certificates of completion are issued at the end of each series. 

Dinner Group is a Supper Club for Teen Moms.   6 min.  10 max.  Fee

Walk and Talks are held at parks, libraries and other community spaces. Women and women with stroller aged children gather for physical activity and conversation. This is an informal route to making good connections.

Smoke and Shadows is a one hour session presentation of facts regarding women and smoking.

Sober Minds Healthy Choices  is a one hour session presentation of facts regarding women’s interactions surrounding alcohol.