National Grand Rounds: Clinical Care of Those with PTSD
(10:00 – 11:00 CDT, 9:00 – 10:00 MDT, 8:00 – 9:00 PDT)
The National Capacity Building (NCB) Project at the Center for Victims of Torture and the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma is pleased to announce a special training series, “Clinical Care of Survivors of Torture, National Grand Rounds”. The National Grand Rounds is free to attend and all health and mental health practitioners will receive CEUs. Physicians, psychologists, social workers, and non-clinical personnel will receive a certificate of participation.
Presenter: Sofia Elisa Matta, MD, FAPA, DFASAM
Medical Director, Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma
Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Date: September 4, 2025
Time: 11:00 – 12:00 PM EDT
(10:00 – 11:00 CDT, 9:00 – 10:00 MDT, 8:00 – 9:00 PDT)
Description
Clinical Care of Those with PTSD: From Survival to Thriving: Evolving Approaches to Posttraumatic Stress
Significant practice gaps exist in the evaluation and treatment of PTSD among Survivors of Torture (SOT). Many clinicians lack adequate training and supervision in trauma-focused, evidence-based therapies – such as Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and EMDR – particularly when these treatments must be adapted for highly traumatized populations of varied origins. There remains a critical need for culturally competent, trauma-informed approaches that address social determinants of health, linguistic and religious variance, historical trauma, and the broader bio-psycho-socio-cultural context of survivors’ lives. Stigma and mistrust of institutions further hinder connection to care, often leading to disengagement from essential mental health services. The adoption of next-generation tools (e.g., neuromodulation, wearable technologies, and digital platforms) is limited by clinician unfamiliarity, infrastructure constraints, and concerns about cultural contextual fit. While Artificial Intelligence offers promise in enhancing screening, risk prediction, and personalized care, its integration is nascent, and ethical pitfalls (e.g., algorithmic bias, data privacy, lack of safeguards) remain largely unaddressed in trauma-exposed refugee and SOT populations. Addressing these multifaceted gaps is essential to shifting from survival-based interventions to comprehensive models of healing, resilience, and posttraumatic growth.
Who should attend? This program is intended for psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, and other staff who treat survivors of torture and refugee populations.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Discuss evidence-based therapies and integrative interventions, including acupuncture protocols and critical care-informed approaches, tailored for SOT.
- Identify at least three specific challenges in evaluating and treating PTSD in survivors of torture, including cultural and systemic barriers.
- Describe the neurobiological underpinnings of PTSD and chronic stress, and how they relate to long-term health outcomes in SOT populations.
More information on the series:
