University and Iceni create pilot project supporting women experiencing substance misuse

A unique pilot project to support women experiencing alcohol or substance misuse has been formed in Ipswich to help them gain the support they need without fear of stigma or reprisals.

Iceni Ipswich and the University of Suffolk’s Institute for Social Justice and Crime teamed up to create the EmpowerHER project in late 2025.

The Black Report published by the Government in 2021 outlined the specific issues women who have suffered through alcohol or substance misuse face when trying to access support, resulting in fewer women joining support groups.

Those issues include concerns around stigma or discrimination, fear of children being taken away, and financial disadvantage.

Most other support groups are mixed gender, with anecdotal evidence suggesting some women are afraid to seek support from statutory providers, particularly if those women have been victims of male perpetrated abuse or violence.

To tackle the underrepresentation of women in gaining support, the EmpowerHER project was formed as a non-judgemental, women-only programme, hosted in a safe space.

The pilot EmpowerHER 12-week project launched in November and finished in February, with a second programme set to launch after Easter.

Opening up the day with a healthy breakfast, participants who attended EmpowerHER were able to access a series of practical and therapeutic wellbeing group workshops and a 12-week group programme called Senuna.

Senuna focused on topics such as emotional awareness, understanding human needs, and embracing personal power. The participants were also able to access support around self-care and financial advice, alongside a series of complementary therapies such as acupuncture and yoga.

While the circumstances that can lead to substance or alcohol misuse are unique to individuals, some common threads which can be contributing factors include past traumatic events, abusive family backgrounds, pressure from partners, peer or social pressures, and mental health factors such as anxiety or depression .

Evidence of the women Iceni works with suggests that the use of illegal substances can exacerbate stress, anxiety, depression and overall mental wellbeing, with therapeutic interventions helping reduce such thoughts and feelings.

One participant said: “I went to the doctor last year with anxiety and they wanted to put me on sertraline. I never wanted to do that. I wanted to try some natural therapy. Here you can try all different things. I tried acupuncture, it was amazing. All my anxieties and stresses went away – now I feel like I can deal with my problems.”

Another participant said: “I feel safe here. I feel like because I don’t really have many friends outside of Iceni or any family or anything. I feel like I’ve got a family here.”

While the pilot contains only limited early data, observations and feedback suggest a positive direction of travel for the women, with participants reporting feeling more in control of their lives or taking themselves out of manipulative situations which assist in addressing their addictions.

Brian Tobin MBE. D.Univ. is the CEO of Iceni, Ipswich, a charity which aims to inspire positive change using a strengthening family and holistic approach.  

He said: “We are thrilled to announce that the data collected from this initial pilot endorses such holistic approaches as a valuable intervention when supporting women.”

Dr Linda Cooper, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Justice and Crime at the University of Suffolk, which is evaluating the pilot project, said: “For women who have experienced substance or alcohol misuse, there can be a number of hurdles that prevent them from seeking support.

“Ensuring that we address these barriers is an important first step, and the initial feedback from the EmpowerHER pilot is that these women are making a positive direction of travel.”

The project is hoping to gain additional long-term funding to further the programme, including creating a bigger dataset that will inform future work.

The pilot project was funded through Innovate UK’s Accelerated Knowledge Transfer, which are short-term collaborations between academic institutions and organisations to accelerate the progress of innovative projects. More information on AKTs can be found here.

To find out more about support programmes offered by Iceni, visit the website here.

For more information about the work of the Institute for Social Justice and Crime, head to the webpage here.