Understanding female survivors of interpersonal trauma and their experience of the ‘Survive & Thrive’ course

Abstract

The majority of publications have concentrated on individual psychological interventions with a limited focus on manualized group-based approaches for those presenting with mental health difficulties following a history of trauma. Survive & Thrive (S&T) is a psychoeducational course designed for survivors of interpersonal trauma which utilizes cognitive behavioural skills training while delivering psychoeducation on how a history of victimization can impact on the survivors’ life. This qualitative study was designed to gain an insight into female survivors of interpersonal trauma experience of S&T and the associated group dynamics component to evaluate this psychological intervention. The participants described their experience of S&T as a journey towards recovery. The study highlights the benefits of group-based interventions in regard to learning experience within a social context whilst also identifying areas for further development based on the participants’ feedback.