Co-Designing an Adapted Family Intervention to Meet Unique Treatment Needs among Sex Trafficking Specialty Court Program Participants

• In Event: Innovations in Human Trafficking Research—Part 2: Community Partnerships and Engagement

Abstract

Sex Trafficking Specialty Courts (STSC) represent a unique and promising avenue to support women’s efforts to exit the sex industry. These programs have demonstrated success at reducing criminal recidivism; however, their impact on health and well-being remains understudied. Prior family research among this population has largely focused on family members’ influences on sex industry participation. Among STSC participants many encounter challenges with familial influences interfering with their long-term treatment goals and success. However, participants also report strong desires for family programming and the inclusion of supportive (and non-supportive) family members within their treatment. Extensive research demonstrates family interventions can bolster substance use/mental health treatment success; even so, family interventions are rarely considered within STSC programming. This presentation reports findings from an on-going community-partnered study seeking to inform the adaptation of a family intervention to better address the needs of STSC participants. We have assembled a codesign team comprised of women with lived experience and an STSC director who were hired as ‘experts of experience’ to inform the design of this adapted intervention. Preliminary findings related to important clinical considerations for family interventions with this population will be discussed.

Authors

• Aaron Murnan, University of Cincinnati

• Gwen England, Director of CATCH Court

• Jane Mahon, University of Cincinnati

• Symone Pate, University of Cincinnati

• Susan Thompson, Freedom A La Carte & Co-Design Team

• Christina Stewart, Co-Design Team

• Sarah M. Manchak, University of Cincinnati

• Jennifer Brown, Purdue University

• Melinda Butsch Kovacic, University of Cincinnati