The Promise of a Retreat: Perspectives of U.S. Women Veterans and Interdisciplinary Experts on the Development of a Retreat-Based Suicide Prevention Program for Violence-Exposed Women Veterans

To supplement the mental health programming offered to women veterans within the Veterans Health Administration, a retreat-based suicide prevention program could foster healing through social connection and holistic health. However, no study has investigated retreat-based suicide prevention program components relevant for violence-exposed women veterans. To address this gap, we conducted focus groups with women veterans and semi-structured interviews with interdisciplinary subject matter experts to examine perceptions, beliefs, concerns, and preferences related to a retreat-based suicide prevention program for women veterans. Emergent themes included interest and appeal, concerns about program execution, and program preferences. Findings suggest that both women veterans and experts agree that a retreat-based suicide prevention program for women veterans is a promising and welcomed prevention strategy that may reduce suicide risk. Both interest groups emphasized that programming should be trauma-informed with training for program facilitators and attention to group dynamics.