The Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM): conceptual and practical issues in a group intervention for women

This article describes the Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM), a manualized group intervention designed for women trauma survivors with severe mental disorders, and discusses key issues in its conceptualization and implementation. TREM recognizes the complexity of long-term adaptation to trauma and addresses a range of difficulties common among survivors of sexual and physical abuse. Focusing primarily on the development of specific recovery skills and current functioning, TREM utilizes techniques shown to be effective in trauma recovery services. The group's content and structure are also informed by the role of gender in the ways women experience and cope with trauma.