# Recovery after domestic, family and sexual violence: impact of a holistic clinical support program on victim-survivors

## TL;DR

A new holistic program called s-CAPE helps victim-survivors of domestic and sexual violence recover by addressing trauma through specialized mental health support.

## Contribution

The study introduces and evaluates a novel trauma-and-violence-informed recovery framework called s-CAPE in a gender-specific clinical setting.

## Key findings

- Participants reported benefits in mental and physical health domains after engaging with the s-CAPE program.
- Seven themes emerged from interviews, highlighting recovery journeys and service preferences.
- The study emphasizes the need for accessible, trauma-focused mental health services for broader populations.

## Abstract

Recovery frameworks are crucial to mitigate harm and promote positive outcomes for victim-survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV). Despite this, mental health service system responses are inadequate and there is a lack of specialized support programs to promote recovery and healing.

This study investigated the impact of a novel, holistic, trauma-and-violence-informed recovery framework (the s-CAPE program) on victim-survivors’ recovery from trauma following DFSV, conducted at a gender-specific, trauma-focused clinical setting in New South Wales, Australia. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 victim-survivors who had undertaken the s-CAPE program. Thematic analysis was used to derive themes capturing participants’ experiences and perspectives.

Analysis yielded seven themes exploring participants’ recovery journey, their experiences at the service, its impact on their functioning, and preferences for care. Participants largely considered the s-CAPE program beneficial for their recovery and experienced benefits across a range of mental and physical health domains. Recommendations for service improvement were identified.

There is a crucial need for more gender- specific, trauma-focused mental health services utilizing holistic and trauma-and- violence-informed approaches to recovery support. These programs need to be accessible and available for broader populations, requiring increased investment, policy change, and collaboration at the systemic level.