THRIVE: Supporting Mothers Through Addiction, Recovery and Parenthood
From hospital rooms to correctional facilities, encampments and community settings, KCHC’s Thrive program provides advocacy, counselling and compassionate care to mothers of children under six who have a history of substance use or are receiving opioid treatment.
Led by counsellors Jessica MacDonald and Vicki Cole, the program uses a harm reduction and trauma-informed approach to support women through pregnancy, birth, parenting, reunification and rebuilding relationships with their children.
The team works alongside mothers experiencing complex challenges, including involvement with the justice system, housing instability and other barriers that can impact their health, well-being and connection with their children.
“So much of this work comes back to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Many women carry a lot of shame, and it’s incredibly powerful to see the relief and awareness that comes when they begin to understand their own story,” Jessica explains when speaking about her work with women in correctional facilities. “We spend a lot of time with our clients working on goal setting, as well as helping them learn to heal their own inner child, so they can parent in the way they want to.”
Another important aspect of Thrive is its partnership with Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s Rooming-In program. Jessica and Vicki work alongside hospital staff to support mothers who use opioids and their newborns, ensuring families receive compassionate, evidence-based care during the newborn withdrawal period.
Rather than separating babies from their mothers, which was a more common practice in the past, the Rooming-In model supports newborns remaining with their mothers whenever possible. This approach has been shown to reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms in infants, decrease the need for medication, shorten hospital stays and strengthen the bond between mothers and their babies.
“We provide case management, advocacy and collaborate with health care providers and community partners to make sure the family has the supports they need to stay together,” Jessica says. “The hope is that baby is going home with mum, but if it doesn’t happen that way, then we would do a case conference with Family and Children’s Services to determine the next plan of action.”
Thrive also supports women through its home visiting model of care, reaching families in isolated rural communities and helping women navigate barriers such as limited access to primary health care, social isolation, unhealthy relationships and a lack of family support.
Vicki says the program’s first priority is ensuring mothers and babies are safe. When relationships are unhealthy or controlling, Thrive helps women develop safety plans, connect with community supports and build the stability they need to move forward with their children.
Referrals to the program often come from hospitals, Family and Children’s Services, opioid treatment clinics, health care providers, community partners and through word of mouth. Women can also self-refer, and they do not need to currently have their children in their care to access the program.