Mental Health Resources

Torture survivors engage in psychological services to pursue a wide range of goals, from single symptom reduction to addressing the complex effects of torture on their families and communities. Psychological effects of torture vary considerably. Likewise, there is wide variation in the types of assistance sought to address such effects, depending on a host of factors ranging from service accessibility to beliefs about health and healing.

530 Resources Available

Browse all Mental Health Resources

Ambiguous loss of home: Syrian refugees and the process of losing and remaking home

Social Services Resources

Torture occurs within a cultural and social context. It breaks the connections between individuals and their social environment. It separates the bonds of communities. Social work interventions, therefore, are directed at individuals, their families and immediate environments, community, social, and functional groups, and policies and systems. These are accomplished through direct service, resource development, community interventions, education and training, research, and public policy work.

334 Resources Available

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Ambiguous loss of home: Syrian refugees and the process of losing and remaking home

Legal Resources

Attorneys encounter torture survivors with a variety of legal needs. Frequently, however, the survivor’s initial and most pressing legal problem involves immigration matters, such as asylum, family reunification, or defense from removal (deportation). Because safety is crucial to the survivor’s ability to engage fully in torture treatment services, the asylum process is integral to rehabilitation.

334 Resources Available

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Corrective Political Experiences: Psychological Impacts of Public Testimony for Survivors of Torture

Medical Resources

Survivors of torture often present for care in medical settings, and sometimes in torture treatment programs. The medical portion of HealTorture.org is primarily, but not exclusively, geared to primary care providers (PCPs), including family doctors, internists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Other staff members in medical settings such as nurses and medical assistants can also facilitate survivors’ healing. Survivors frequently present to gynecologists (due to genital trauma, pelvic pain, etc.), cardiologists (persistent chest pain), gastroenterologists (persistent abdominal pain), and neurologists (intractable headaches and history of traumatic brain injury). Many survivors have gotten great relief of symptoms from physical therapists and practitioners of yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

603 Resources Available

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COVID-19 – Where We are and the Path Ahead

Integrative Care Resources

topic term description lorem porttitor, lacus id pretium fermentum, dolor nisl pharetra lectus, rhoncus rhoncus enim nisl non nibh. Nullam vel arcu luctus, iaculis eros feugiat, varius augue. Aliquam in ligula a dolor.

20 Resources Available

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Improving Well-Being for Refugees in Primary Care: A Toolkit for Providers

Administration Resources

Resources for practitioners in operations and administration who are serving survivors of torture are as follows: development, integrated care, evaluation, technology, training, working with interpreters, and self-care.

368 Resources Available

Browse all Administration Resources

The Great Resignation and its Impact on SOT Programs: A Way Forward

Mental Health Resources

Torture survivors engage in psychological services to pursue a wide range of goals, from single symptom reduction to addressing the complex effects of torture on their families and communities. Psychological effects of torture vary considerably. Likewise, there is wide variation in the types of assistance sought to address such effects, depending on a host of factors ranging from service accessibility to beliefs about health and healing.

530 Resources Available

Browse all Mental Health Resources

Ambiguous loss of home: Syrian refugees and the process of losing and remaking home

Social Services Resources

Torture occurs within a cultural and social context. It breaks the connections between individuals and their social environment. It separates the bonds of communities. Social work interventions, therefore, are directed at individuals, their families and immediate environments, community, social, and functional groups, and policies and systems. These are accomplished through direct service, resource development, community interventions, education and training, research, and public policy work.

334 Resources Available

Browse all Social Services Resources

Ambiguous loss of home: Syrian refugees and the process of losing and remaking home

Legal Resources

Attorneys encounter torture survivors with a variety of legal needs. Frequently, however, the survivor’s initial and most pressing legal problem involves immigration matters, such as asylum, family reunification, or defense from removal (deportation). Because safety is crucial to the survivor’s ability to engage fully in torture treatment services, the asylum process is integral to rehabilitation.

334 Resources Available

Browse all Legal Resources

Corrective Political Experiences: Psychological Impacts of Public Testimony for Survivors of Torture

Medical Resources

Survivors of torture often present for care in medical settings, and sometimes in torture treatment programs. The medical portion of HealTorture.org is primarily, but not exclusively, geared to primary care providers (PCPs), including family doctors, internists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Other staff members in medical settings such as nurses and medical assistants can also facilitate survivors’ healing. Survivors frequently present to gynecologists (due to genital trauma, pelvic pain, etc.), cardiologists (persistent chest pain), gastroenterologists (persistent abdominal pain), and neurologists (intractable headaches and history of traumatic brain injury). Many survivors have gotten great relief of symptoms from physical therapists and practitioners of yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

603 Resources Available

Browse all Medical Resources

COVID-19 – Where We are and the Path Ahead

Integrative Care Resources

topic term description lorem porttitor, lacus id pretium fermentum, dolor nisl pharetra lectus, rhoncus rhoncus enim nisl non nibh. Nullam vel arcu luctus, iaculis eros feugiat, varius augue. Aliquam in ligula a dolor.

20 Resources Available

Browse all Integrative Care Resources

Improving Well-Being for Refugees in Primary Care: A Toolkit for Providers

Administration Resources

Resources for practitioners in operations and administration who are serving survivors of torture are as follows: development, integrated care, evaluation, technology, training, working with interpreters, and self-care.

368 Resources Available

Browse all Administration Resources

The Great Resignation and its Impact on SOT Programs: A Way Forward

Fundamentals of Providing Services to Torture Survivors eLearning Series

This series has been funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to provide staff at ORR-funded torture treatment programs, and other professionals, with a basic foundation in the knowledge and skills required to provide effective services to torture survivors. The lessons are directed toward staff members who are recently hired or new to working with torture survivors and are currently providing direct services to torture survivors.

Each lesson:

Is designed to give you information and resources to effectively serve your clients
Is designed to be taken at your own pace when you have time
Can be taken independently of the other lessons
Can be completed in one to two hours
Provides you with valuable post-lesson resources for further study
Includes closed captioning

We strongly suggest completing Core Concepts & Eligibility Requirements first so you have a foundation of knowledge to draw from for the additional lessons. Your Certificate of Completion will be sent to you via e-mail within seven business days of passing the lesson assessment with a score of 80% or greater. eLearning times are listed at the beginning of each lesson page so you can plan your time accordingly.

To access these eLearning lessons you must be signed into your healtorture.org account as either a member or an eLearning Subscriber. If you are not a member, please request membership for access.

Legal Services – This lesson module is currently under revision. NCB will issue a notification upon completion of the process. Thank you for your patience. For any questions please contact the website administrator, at NCB.

Technology Note:

These lessons were updated on September 10, 2021 with closed captioning and to fix techical issues users had reported; and again on September 30, 2020 they were published without Flash, so technical issues should be greatly reduced.

If you experience technical difficulties that you cannot resolve, please contact Sara Bracewell, at NCB.