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Research Projects

Aventa is committed to evidence-based Best Practices and as such, participates in community-based research in order to enhance knowledge in the field of addiction and mental health. Aventa welcomes research inquiries from academic and community-based organizations. Aventa is interested in partnering on research related to addiction treatment and recovery for women, with a particular interest in trauma and FASD informed, gender-specific, concurrent capable projects. If you are interested in collaborating please reach out to info@aventa.org

Research Projects

Strong Women Project (2025)

Aventa was invited by Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health to pilot the Strong Women Project group intervention for women who have experienced both intimate partner violence and substance use issues. The pilot started in March 2025 and ran for 6 weeks. “Strong Women is a virtual social support group, designed to help anti-violence and substance use services better support women who have experienced both intimate partner violence and substance use concerns, encouraging their healing and recovery in an integrated way. Developed by the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, the Strong Women program is based on insights from research and service providers, and the wisdom of those with lived experience. Strong Women has been tested at women’s substance use and anti-violence agencies across Canada. The goal of Strong Women is to empower women who have been impacted by intimate partner violence and substance use through creating space for social connection, information sharing, development of skills to increase safety and support growth, and improvement in physical and mental health and well-being.” (Strong Women: An Information Sheet for Service Providers).

Women’s Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Report (2024)

Aventa was invited to be one of the participants in this virtual meeting series on women’s treatment and recovery. “This report reflects the outcomes of a 2024 project: Identifying Research and Promising Practices to Inform Sex and Gender Informed Treatment and Recovery for Women with Substance Use Concerns in Canada, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through a Planning and Dissemination Grant. It reflects the findings of a rapid review of current evidence on women’s treatment and recovery, an environmental scan of women’s programs, and the results of a three-part virtual meeting with Canadian researchers, service providers, and organizations interested in women’s substance use treatment and recovery. This report integrates findings from the virtual meetings, the rapid review, and the environmental scan and makes recommendations for research and evaluation priorities in services and systems serving women and girls with substance use concerns.”

Treatment of Opioids in Psychosocial and Recovery-Based Programs (TOPP Project) Webinar (2024)

Aventa was invited to present on our programs and integration of opioid antagonist treatments (OAT) in a live-in addiction treatment environment as part of the webinar “Treatment of Opioids in Psychosocial and Recovery-Based Programs (TOPP Project)”, via the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Matters (CRISM).

Background on the Project: “The Treatment of Opioids in Psychosocial Programs (TOPP) project will survey the range of current approaches to the treatment of individuals with opioid use disorder within psychosocial addiction treatment programs across Canada. Through the survey and from stakeholder input, examples of model programs with safe and effective approaches to the treatment of opioid use disorder will be identified and “good practice” descriptions will be developed through key informant interviews and in-depth case studies. These models will include OAT-integrated, collaborative, and supportive programs as well as programs providing only psychosocial treatment. The survey results and model programs will provide the basis for developing an intervention plan for improving the treatment of individuals with dependence, based upon service gaps, attitudes, barriers, and the perceived needs of programs. The implementation of this plan will be conceptualized and assessed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research in order to maximize its reach, immediate impact, and longer-term value in future program development.”

Supporting Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder in Psychosocial Programs: A Practice Support Document (2023)

Aventa provided direct input and review of the OUD Practice Support Document. “The Practice Support Document for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) was created by the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM) and Addictive Behaviours Lab at the University of Calgary, Moh’kinsstis, on Treaty 7 andMétis Nation of Alberta, Region 3. This guide is designed to support addiction program managers and service providers in designing, developing, and delivering treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) within their psychosocial treatment setting.”

Moving Towards FASD-Informed Care In Substance Use Treatment (2022)

Aventa was invited to be a member of the CanFASD Substance Use and Treatment Advisory Committee (SUTAC) via Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research Network (CanFASD), and in collaboration with Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) and the University of Alberta. The Committee contributed to the FASD Resource for Substance Use and Addictions Professionals. “This guide outlines current practices to support individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) who are in treatment for substance use. In this guide, we provide consolidated and expanded knowledge regarding appropriate substance use treatment approaches for individuals with FASD.”

Aventa also contributed to the following training materials:

Project Engage: Interest and Uptake of Contingency Management in Canadian Addiction Treatment Programs (2021)

Project Engage is a Prairie Node project of the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse CRISM). Aventa participated as a pilot site for contingency management intervention within our Continuing Care Program. “Project Engage is a Prairie Node project of the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse  (CRISM). CRISM is a national network of researchers, service providers, policymakers and people with lived experience. CRISM’s objective is to translate evidence-based interventions for substance misuse into clinical practice, community-based prevention, harm-reduction, and health system changes. Project Engage aimed to adapt contingency management (CM) to the Canadian treatment context to enable widespread adoption with high fidelity.”

Shared Wisdom (2019)

Aventa was featured in 2 Shared Wisdom Case Studies via the Community Mental Health Action Plan:

Environmental Scan of Prenatal Services for Marginalized Women in Alberta: Specialized Services (2017)

CRISM (2015 – ongoing)

“CRISM is a national network of researchers, service providers, policy makers and people with lived experience of substance use. CRISM’s overall objective is to translate evidence-based interventions for substance use into clinical practice, community-based prevention, harm reduction, and health system changes. Our intent is to support the creation of more effective, personal, and adoptable intervention programs and services.

Substance use disorders are pressing and complex health issues. In order to be effective, interventions require evidence-based approaches, an understanding of the biological, psychosocial and social factors and an acknowledgement of the important impact of cultural, societal, and policy contexts. Many intervention modalities exist and are known to have excellent results, yet they have not been widely implemented.

To address these translation and implementation gaps, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), through its Institute for Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Addiction (INMHA), developed the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Matters (CRISM) (previously known as the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse). CRISM was designed to facilitate communication and collaboration across the pillars of addiction service providers, researchers, policy-makers, patients, and people who use substances. CRISM is a network that consists of five regional teams (referred to as Nodes), located in BC, the Prairies, Ontario, Québec, and the Atlantic region.”

FASD (2014)

FASD has a significant impact on the affected individual and their family and is likely over-represented in community programs/agencies involved in substance abuse and mental health. With the support of the Alberta Government FASD Cross-Ministry Committee, a Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) is being piloted at four sites in Alberta, including Aventa. This TIP is designed for service providers who are working in the substance abuse and/or mental health field. The goal of the TIP is to help identify both women at risk of giving birth to a child with FASD and individuals who may have FASD themselves, and ultimately facilitate provision of appropriate services and supports. The goal of this project is to collect program-level data on the Alberta pilot of the TIP to determine its efficacy and feasibility before it is implemented over a broader range of agencies.

Results from the Alberta Pilot of the Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) for FASD

drzilbermanDr. Monica L Zilberman (2001-2002)

Monica Zilberman, MD, PhD, is a Psychiatrist who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Addiction Centre, University of Calgary, specializing in gender issues in addiction.

Dr. Zilberman was a Psychiatrist Fellow at Aventa from 2001 – 2002, and during this time, she conducted the following research with an emphasis on drug addiction and mental health in women, as well as impulsiveness and emotional response.