Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work
2018, Pages 1-27

STARS experiential group intervention: a complex trauma treatment approach for survivors of human trafficking (Article in Press)

Hopper E.K.* , Azar N. , Bhattacharyya S. , Malebranche D.A. , Brennan K.E.
  • a The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute, Brookline, MA, USA, United States
  • b The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute, Brookline, MA, USA, United States
  • c Boston College, Lynch School of Education, Counseling Psychology, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA, United States
  • d The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute, Brookline, MA, USA, United States
  • e Massachusetts State Senate, Boston State House, Boston, MA, USA, United States

Abstract

This is the abstract that was submitted online with the paper: Despite the fact that many survivors of human trafficking have experienced complex trauma, there are no established interventions designed to specifically address these impacts. Leaders in the field of complex trauma have advocated for the need for somatic approaches to intervention. This paper presents STARS Experiential Group treatment, the first structured bodybased group intervention that has been designed to address complex trauma in survivors of human trafficking. Three pilot groups were run in residential settings with adolescent and adult survivors of sex trafficking. Two adaptations were utilized, with one focusing on application of expressive arts modalities and the other incorporating theater games. Qualitative results, using thematic analysis, identified several themes related to challenges and potential benefits of these groups. Potential benefits of the STARS groups were found in the areas of Interpersonal Relationships, Regulation, and Self/ Identity, with fourteen sub-themes further describing positive impacts. Challenges within these areas are explored, to inform the development of group interventions for trafficking survivors. The results of this paper suggest that experiential, somatically-oriented group treatment shows promise as an important element of holistic intervention with trafficking survivors © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Author Keywords

Therapy Treatment Human trafficking complex trauma trauma

Index Keywords

Interpersonal Relations mental health human survivor Survivors procedures human relation psychotherapy Young Adult Humans psychology Adolescent female pilot study prostitution human trafficking legislation and jurisprudence adult government regulation Sex Work Psychological Trauma psychotrauma Pilot Projects
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85044771978&doi=10.1080%2f23761407.2018.1455616&partnerID=40&md5=ece7d561c72d6b4725cefcf8f63326fb
DOI: 10.1080/23761407.2018.1455616
ISSN: 23761407
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English