Centering Families - Heal Torture

A Center of Excellence to Strengthen the Capacity of Practitioners, Leaders and Organizations Supporting Torture and Trauma-Affected Families and Communities

Background

Entire family systems are affected by torture, war, and persecution even when one family member is the primary target. Supporting the health and long-term wellbeing of torture survivors, their families and communities requires service approaches that are grounded in family and systems perspectives, address the multi-faceted consequences of torture, forced migration and family separation on families and communities, and heal and strengthen relationships and social connections. There is growing interest in integrating a whole family service approach in Survivors of Torture programs. However, effectively doing so requires consideration of varying needs and experiences of torture and trauma-affected families and communities, a comprehensive whole family services strategy and capacity building opportunities for practitioners, leaders and organizations.

Center of Excellence Mission

The mission of the Center is to advance whole family healing and resilience by building the capacity of practitioners, leaders, and organizations to effectively support torture and trauma-affected families and communities. We aim to establish family and systems-centered approaches as the foundation for comprehensive care by developing evidence-based interventions and tools, delivering high-quality training and technical assistance, and conducting rigorous research and evaluation that centers the voices and experiences of torture survivors and their families. Through these efforts, we seek to transform practice, strengthen systems, and promote long-term wellbeing across generations.

This Center of Excellence is led by the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Department of Psychiatry in partnership with the National Capacity Building Program (NCB), the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs, and survivors of torture. The Center operates in consultation with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families.

Core Activities

The Center’s work encompasses three key activities: 1) capacity building through comprehensive training and technical assistance for practitioners and community and organizational leaders; 2) development and adaptation of evidence-based interventions that address expressed needs of torture and trauma-affected families and communities; and 3) rigorous research and evaluation to advance knowledge, demonstrate impact, and improve practice and policy in the field of torture treatment.

Impact

By advancing family and systems-centered approaches, the Center of Excellence will strengthen practices across the national network of torture treatment providers. Through the development of accessible training programs, evidence-based tools and interventions, and a comprehensive knowledge hub, the Center will build sustained capacity for practitioners and leaders. This work will catalyze whole family healing, strengthen intergenerational resilience, and improve long-term outcomes for torture survivors, their families and communities.

For questions or details regarding opportunities for participation, contact Chloe Smith, Research Program Manager at [email protected].

What We Do

Why It Matters

Torture has well-documented mental health and psychosocial consequences, affecting not only survivors but also their families. The family is a critical context for support, meaning, and coping with the stress of displacement and resettlement. There is a critical need for family-based service approaches for torture affected families which improve mental health and strengthen and heal family relationships.

Funding

This Center of Excellence received funding through the National Capacity Building Project, a technical assistance partnership of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Technical Assistance to the Survivors of Torture Program (Award #90ZT0214). The Center is also supported with funding from grant #K01MH128524 (PI: Bunn) from the National Institute of Mental Health. The work product of the Center is solely the responsibility of its authors and partners, and do not necessarily represent the official views of ORR, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Who We Are

The Center of Excellence is led by the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Department of Psychiatry and Center for Global Health, in partnership with the National Capacity Building Program (NCB) and the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs. This project also partners with staff and survivors from U.S. Survivors of Torture (SOT) programs and operates in consultation with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and Administration for Children and Families.

Principal Investigator and Director, Dr. Mary Bunn, PhD, LCSW, University of Illinois Chicago

Co-Investigator, Dr. Karin Wachter, PhD, Arizona State University

Center of Excellence Team

Fatima Al-Hanoosh, MS, University of Illinois Chicago
Chloe Polutnik Smith, MPH, University of Illinois Chicago
Sara Bracewell, Center for Victims of Torture
Amy Kamel, MSW, LICSW, Center for Victims of Torture
Megumi Layman, MBA, Center for Victims of Torture
Huy Pham, MPH, Center for Victims of Torture

Advisory Team

Walter Fendrich, LCSW-R, Libertas Center for Human Rights
Stacey Frymier, MA, LPCC, Las Cumbres Community Services
Julia Givens, Freedom House
Farida Hasanova, MA, International Rescue Committee
Marty Hill, PhD, Heartland Alliance International Marjorie Kovler Center
Connor Molloy, LICSW, Center for Victims of Torture
Beth Rutten-Turner, LCSW, Program for Survivors of Torture, St. Alphonsus Health
Rosalie Wright-Lapin, LICSW, New England Survivors of Torture and Trauma

For more information, please contact Dr. Mary Bunn, Principal Investigator and Director at [email protected].