Efficacy of Warrior Renew Group Therapy for Female Veterans Who Have Experienced Military Sexual Trauma

This is a program evaluation of the Warrior Renew treatment protocol delivered in an outpatient therapy group for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center. The group was delivered via a manualized protocol with 12 weekly topics. It includes coping skills for affect management (e.g., triggers and anxiety) and addresses unique aspects of MST including anger/resentments because of injustice and lack of closure, betrayal, and self-blame. It also addresses interpersonal factors such as relationship patterns and healthy interpersonal skills. This evaluation was conducted as part of routine clinical care in a naturalistic setting. Forty-three female veterans started and 34 completed treatment (21% dropout rate). Of the 34 graduates, 32 opted to complete pre- and posttreatment assessments. Findings revealed significant decreases in symptoms of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic negative thinking, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) all with large effect sizes. In addition, 75% of the sample had a reliable clinical change at the 95% confidence interval. These results are promising and further investigation is warranted to examine Warrior Renew to address the unique issues related to MST.