Kaylee Buziewicz, a 2024 graduate of PennWest with a Master of Arts in counseling, and Dr. Julaine Field, associate professor in PennWest’s Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Art Therapy, co-presented at the National Sexual Assault Conference Aug. 15 in Washington, D.C.

Their 90-minute session, “Facilitating Wellness and Healing After Sexual Assault: A Trauma Recovery Group Intervention,” focused on a trauma recovery group that Buziewicz and Field developed and have co-facilitated at the Erie County Crime Victim Center, where Buziewicz is a counselor. The group is a 12-week integrative, trauma-informed group for adult women who are trauma survivors. The group combines components of psychoeducational, support and therapeutic groups.

The Trauma Recovery Group formed after Field approached CVC – with whom PennWest has a strong community partnership – to determine if this type of group would fulfill a current service need at the agency. 

“They decided to proceed with offering this new service, and Kaylee volunteered to co-facilitate and work with me on group development,” Field said. “She has played an integral role in the development and refinement of the curriculum. She also has outstanding group leadership and facilitation skills.”

Adapted from the Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (Harris, 1998), the group’s goals are symptom reduction related to the impact of trauma, empowerment, cognitive restructuring to increase positive beliefs about self and others, and specific trauma recovery skills such as emotional regulation, behavioral change and increased confidence, in line with each member’s goals for herself. 

Each Trauma Recovery Group session includes brief psychoeducation about trauma as it relates to the identified group topic, empowerment through strength-based peer and leader support, and an experiential exercise such as expressive art interventions, writing or psychodrama to engage group members while identifying and building new trauma recovery skills.

Field said CVC is an excellent fieldwork site for students studying psychology or counseling; many have completed internships there.

Buziewicz said the foundation provided through her undergraduate and graduate education, both of which were completed at PennWest Edinboro, allow her to feel comfortable and confident in her role as a counselor.

“I’m so thankful for the opportunities that Edinboro and PennWest have offered and how much the programs have facilitated my development thus far in my career,” she said.

Buziewicz and Field will continue to offer the group during the 2024-2025 academic year.