Group treatment for survivors of torture and severe violence: A literature review.

METHODS: The authors conducted a systematic review of scholarly journals and manuscripts. The search was limited to articles published in English that focused on group treatment with torture survivors.

FINDINGS: The authors identified 36 articles and chapters for review describing a variety of group interventions for survivors of torture, including: • Supportive Group Therapy • Empowerment Workshops • Group Treatment for Sleep Disorders • Den Bosch model • Wraparound approach • Stage-oriented model The literature examined varied in approach and format: present-day and past-focused groups; structured, time-limited groups; and flexible, ongoing support groups. The studies took place in diverse locations, including Denmark, Germany, Guinea, Namibia, the Netherlands, Palestine, Serbia, the U.S., the UK, and Zimbabwe, and, in conflict, post-conflict and/or humanitarian settings. The interventions were facilitated by licensed mental health professionals, paraprofessionals, and bilingual/bicultural staff - or a combination of the latter two.

INTERPRETATIONS: Group treatment is an approach which can be administered to larger groups of survivors to address a range of treatment issues. The authors examined key clinical practice issues for group treatment including group composition and content, facilitation and measurement strategies. While the literature does provide a compelling conceptual rationale for using group treatment, the empirical literature is in fact very limited at this time, and needs to be strengthened in order to build confidence in outcomes across contexts and survivor communities.

CONCLUSIONS: This paper points to a growing interest in the topic of group treatment for survivors of torture and severe violence, providing a comprehensive picture of group-based interventions and highlighting the need for additional research and knowledge-building.