HealTorture is a resource center for people who are interested in healing survivors of torture.

We offer free consultations to meet pressing issues at torture survivor programs and refugee-serving organizations, that take place in two ways: through extensive and repeated contact about a broad issue or through shorter, targeted consultations on a specific topic. We will work with you to identify your needs and priorities, and then offer guidance on how to approach a particular issue or need within your program or organization. We understand each torture survivor program faces its own unique challenges, understands its needs the best, and that change can only come from within a program.

Our eLearning includes a two standalone online series: Fundamentals in Providing Services to Torture Survivors and Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research (PMER). The Fundamentals aims to enhance core competencies of providing holistic services. This course may be beneficial to new Survivor of Torture staff. PMER addresses common data collection and evaluation issues among Survivor of Torture programs that prevent them from reporting high-quality client data. The course is designed for staff who conduct evaluations but who may not be formally trained in monitoring & evaluation. All our live webinars and some of our in-person trainings are recorded and shared on this website. These include a wide range of topics, but also can be focused on evidence-based practices in torture treatment, holistic sustainability, and integrated care.

All of our activities aim to facilitate knowledge-sharing among the community that supports torture survivors, in ways that range from formal events and consultations to e-learning opportunities to casual networking and discussion. In this section, we specifically want to share the more informal opportunities for knowledge-sharing with and between professionals: a quarterly digest, a discussion listserv, and this website.

The Survivors of Torture-Integrated Care Continuum (SOT-ICC) is a core component of the NCB Project. This measure will utilize SAMHSA’s “Standard Framework for Levels of Integrated Healthcare” to assess levels of integrated care in organizations serving survivors of torture (SOT). Through the development of the integrated care measure, we support SOT programs to evaluate organizational practices, patient experience, service delivery, and organizational development. NCB partners with SOT programs in offering targeted trainings and capacity building activities to facilitate organizations moving forward toward more integrated care. As of this writing, a newly revised Integrated Systems of Care (IC) scale by a working group led by HRPT will be submitted to ORR for review and approval. ORR will pursue OMB approval for this data collection instrument, and oversee the dissemination once the instrument is approved. ORR will also facilitate the data collection and analysis, and a summary report in collaboration with HPRT, CVT/NCB, and NCTTP.

The NCB Advisory Group (AG) provides strategic and expert guidance to, and serves as an advocate and sounding board for our project. Specifically, the AG provides expert advice to ensure impactful activities and results of our goals and key deliverables. The AG will further advise on technical assistance initiatives, as well as trends, gaps, and needs in the field of torture rehabilitation, capacity building, training, and other relevant areas of priority. AG members represent diverse constituent perspectives, and a wide range of professional and technical expertise including psychologists, social workers, administrators, refugee resettlement staff, development officers, and medical and legal professionals. The AG is composed of 8-10 members, our project team, and partner representatives from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement Survivors of Torture Program Specialist.

ORR and NCB established a Medical Services Task Force (MSTF) in 2022, led by the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT). This advisory group was tasked with reviewing the current medical needs, services, and outcomes for survivors, and providing recommendations that seek to: make the services more responsive to the needs, strengthen the service delivery models, and improve the health outcomes of survivors. The MSTF comprises 13 experts, representing medical, psychological, women’s health, social work, case management, policy, and infectious disease. In 2023, the MSTF produced a final report with findings and recommendations for future programming. Subsequently, a series of national medical grand rounds are planned and delivered by the MGH Psychiatry Academy, on relevant topics identified in the report for improving medical core competencies of SOT programs.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement Services for Survivors of Torture (SOT) grant program launched an NCB Community of Practice Initiative in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of persons intentionally committed to learning new skills and sharing knowledge through dialogue and discussion. There are three parts to this continued initiative: Peer Consultation Groups (PCGs), regularly held Virtual Town Meetings (VTMs) facilitated by the ORR program specialist, and an annual virtual CoP Event or Symposium. These three CoP activities provide SOT recipient program leaders and staff with access to program information and resources, as well as peer-led consultative groups for knowledge sharing and learning, with the overall aim of improving core services delivery.