Research

Trauma and Trauma Recovery

For the past fifteen years, Community Connections has examined the prevalence and impact of trauma in the lives of individuals diagnosed with severe mental disorders. Initial work focused on the prevalence of physical and sexual abuse among women receiving services at the agency. Later, we turned to exploring the helpfulness of specific trauma services.

Click for more information on the following projects:

• The District of Columbia Trauma Collaboration Study (1998-2004). This SAMHSA-funded project, part of the multi-site Women, Co-Occurring Disorders, and Violence Study, examined the effectiveness of a comprehensive, integrated, trauma-focused package of services for women trauma survivors.
  
  
• Project Hope (2003-2006). This SAMHSA/CMHS project developed, implemented, and evaluated a set of activities (education and trauma-focused group interventions) designed to facilitate trauma recovery among adolescent girls.
  
  
• A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM) (2004-2008). This NIMH-funded project is a randomized controlled trial examining the effectiveness of the 29-session Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM) groups in comparison to services as usual. It involves two study sites, Community Connections and the North Baltimore Center.
  
  
• Men's Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (M-TREM): Manual Development and Pilot Effectiveness Study of a Group Intervention (2005-2008). The first phase of this NIMH-funded project includes revising a preliminary treatment manual for the Men's Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (M-TREM) group intervention for male trauma survivors with PTSD and severe mental disorders. The second phase is a pilot study of the group’s effectiveness in a randomized trial focusing on primary outcome domains of PTSD and other mental health symptoms.