Therapeutic Change in Group Therapy For Interpersonal Trauma: A Relational Framework for Research and Clinical Practice.

Our understanding of therapeutic change processes in group therapy for complex interpersonal trauma has been limited. The present study aimed at addressing this gap by developing a framework of therapeutic change in this field from a survivor and therapist perspective. This is a qualitative study, which utilized semistructured individual interviews. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to identify recurrent themes. A final sample of n = 16 patients and n = 5 facilitators completed the interview. Main change processes identified by survivors were as follows: self versus others, trust versus threat, confrontation versus avoidance, and "patching up" versus true healing. Therapeutic processes identified by therapist facilitators included managing group dynamics, unpredictability and uncertainty, and process versus content. The proposed framework explains therapeutic change in group therapy in relational terms, that is, therapeutic dissonance, the dynamic interaction of self and experience as well as building empathic trusting relations. The importance of managing dissonance to aid personally meaningful recovery was highlighted. These findings have implications for the usefulness of relational and person-centered approaches to clinical practice in the area of interpersonal and complex trauma, especially in the early identification, prevention, and management of dropouts.

Group psychotherapy for female adult survivors of interpersonal psychological trauma: a preliminary study in Scotland.

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence on manualised group interventions that facilitate the development of trauma recovery skills, affect regulation and meaning making for survivors of interpersonal trauma. AIM: The study aimed to provide preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of group psychotherapy (based on Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model, TREM) for psychological distress in adult survivors of interpersonal trauma. METHOD: Participants were a consecutive series of female patients (n = 71) from the waiting lists of five National Health Service (NHS) Boards in Scotland. Participants completed a set of self-rated measures (PCL, CORE, SCL-90, DES and RSES) at baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: Effect sizes were small to medium across measures and assessment points at post-treatment and follow-up. With regard to clinical significance, at post-treatment, a proportion of 9.9% to 54.9% of participants achieved clinical significance across measures. At follow-up, a proportion of 9.9% to 62.0% of participants achieved clinical significance across measures. CONCLUSIONS: Group psychotherapy may be useful for a proportion of participants and especially so for symptoms of dissociation and self-esteem. Survivors of interpersonal trauma should be offered a choice of individual or group treatment modalities to reduce drop-out rate and maximise outcomes.

Effectiveness and acceptability of group psychoeducation for the management of mental health problems in survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA).

There has been limited published research on the effectiveness of manualized psychoeducational approaches for the mental health and behavioral problems of child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors. The present study aims to add to the evidence base for the effectiveness and acceptability of such interventions. A total of 37 enrolled into a brief psychoeducation program (i.e., 10 sessions) aiming to help stabilize mental health and behavioral outcomes (e.g., self-harm), while on the waiting list for mental health services. Participants completed a set of self-rated measures at baseline, pre-intervention, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Although there was no change over time with regard to general distress, traumatic symptomatology, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and life satisfaction, completers were less likely to report self-harm and presented with decreased rates of smoking, alcohol and substance misuse, and involvement in illegal and antisocial behaviors at post-treatment and follow-up. Qualitative data also suggested that overall the program is well tolerated by participants, despite the high attrition rate (43%). Although further research is required to establish the efficacy of this intervention, preliminary results indicate that the new intervention may be useful for stabilizing behavioral problems at post-treatment and follow-up. Strategies to improve attrition rates in future research and clinical practice are discussed.