Three addiction treatment centers in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area have teamed up to launch an initiative aimed at helping women in behavioral healthcare advance their careers by learning from pioneers in the field. The Women’s Project is a collaboration between Life of Purpose, Enlightened Solutions and Garden State Treatment Center. Conceived by Diana Dubbs, Life of Purpose’s New Jersey outreach manager, the project is a forum for women in various addiction treatment and behavioral healthcare roles to collaborate, share best practices, and discuss critical issues facing the field. “The concept was to create a movement that would give a platform for women to connect, not on a level that was just about networking or getting referrals, but more about mentorship and learning from one another,” says Rebecca Lerman, Life of Purpose marketing director. The project’s first meeting, held at Life of Purpose’s Bala Cynwyd, Pa., office, drew more than 60 attendees with a panel led by Missy Orlando, president and chief strategist of Strategy 12 Consulting and a former executive vice president of Caron Treatment Centers, as well as Robi Styer, Enlightened’s VP of solutions development, and Elizabeth Hill, LCADC, clinical director for Garden State Recovery. Attendees included clinicians, executive directors, marketers, administrators, and more. Orlando tells Behavioral Healthcare Executive that work/life balance, continuing education while working full time, and self-care were among topics discussed. Many attendees also were in recovery themselves, Orlando adds. “It was good to talk about bringing that aspect into the mix as well,” Orlando says. “How does a woman in recovery balance all of this plus ensure you are taking care of yourself and making your recovery a priority? It’s important that when you work in an industry like ours that there are different perspectives brought to the table, not just through the lens of recovery, but also by people who may not be in recovery but need to understand the 12 Steps, the basics of why a treatment center exists, how you help families, and how you break down barriers to get people into the treatment world.” Organizers of the Women’s Project have planned a second meeting for the second quarter of 2019, to be held at Garden State Treatment Center in Sparta, N.J. Orlando and Lerman say they hope to incorporate more facilities, welcome new high-level female executives as featured speakers, and develop a mentorship program between industry veterans and newcomers.