Webinars (all topics)

Assessing Trauma & Associated Symptoms in Refugees & Torture Survivors

In this webinar, Dr. Michael Hollifield, M.D. focuses on clinical care for refugees and torture survivors, and ways to measure trauma symptoms. He reviews numerous measurement instruments, identifying whether each measurement tool has been tested for reliability and validity for certain populations. He reviews how to choose a tool that fits your own needs. He provides many useful attachments, including a set of the “comprehensive trauma inventory” (CTI) forms.

Trends in Asylum Law Affecting Torture Survivors

Description:

This Webinar provides an opportunity for staff of torture treatment programs to catch up on trends in asylum law and hear more about recent case law that may affect their clients.

Objectives:

  1. Participants will gain knowledge of recent case law regarding asylum issues relevant to torture survivors.
  2. Participants will gain knowledge of recent case law regarding mental impairment as it might affect asylum claims and psychological evaluations of their clients.
  3. Participants will have an opportunity for Q&A regarding trends and changes in immigration proceedings

Presenter:        

Janet B.

Determining Client & Group Outcomes

Joan Othieno reviews the basics theories of identifying outcomes for a client or a group. She distinguishes outputs (activities and products) and outcomes (changes in lives of clients). She provides examples of short-term outcomes, such as changes in a client’s knowledge of the effects of trauma, or understanding the value of social interaction. Centers planning short-term projects may benefit by reviewing this webinar.

Communicating/Reporting Program Outcomes

Joan Othieno reviews different types of media to convey successful program results, noting the importance of identifying your audience, and “telling your story” in a way that resonates with your audience.   She compares the appropriateness of different types of tables and graphs, and provides a comprehensive list of the components you can include in an evaluation report. She notes the need for empirical evidence to support conclusions.

Presentation by Joan Othieno, PhD, from NCB Institute on Practicing Outcome Evaluation for Torture Survivor Programs.

Outcome Evaluation for Torture Treatment Centers: Concepts and Strategies

This webinar by Ken Miller is part of a full day seminar, with two detailed case studies and group exercises, leading torture treatment providers through the process of developing a culturally sensitive measurement tool. In both case studies, he shows the steps used to develop and evaluate a measure. These case studies illustrate sensitivity to cultural factors when measuring indicators of well-being and healing. In the first example, Dr. Miller provides the detailed methodology used to assess mental health in post-war Afghanistan, showing the development and implementation the Afghan Symptom Checklist (ASCL). The second example recounts the development of the “Children’s Daily Stressor Scale (CDSS)” in Sri Lanka. Both examples show how you can use informal narratives to identify indicators and then use those to develop a questionnaire. Useful detail includes how to graphically communicate choices on a Likert scale, and processes to analyze your data.

Outcome Based Evaluation: Planning, Process & Implementation

Joan Othieno reviews the stages needed to plan an evaluation of your center’s outcomes. She reviews the key benefits of performing an evaluation. She defines terminology, including the distinction between evaluating a process and evaluating different types of outcomes. She provides examples that may help you choose an item to measure for your own outcomes evaluation. She describes how to use a logic model and concept maps to define your own assumptions and goals. She provides numerous examples of program objectives: these may help you define objectives for your own evaluation.

New Information on the Neuroscience of PTSD & Depression: How It Affects Torture Treatment and Outcomes

Description

The brain is very sensitive to the environment. It responds to both internal and external environment, including trauma. The brain is capable of rapid physiological and affective changes, depending upon the heredity and stress (genes & environment). All of us who treat patients need to know how the brain interacts with our work. This information helps us in understanding how therapy affects the outcome and why medications act differently on various symptoms of PTSD and depression and need to be tailored to each individual.

The Treatment of Chronic Pain in Survivors of Torture and Refugee Trauma: an Integrative Approach

Webinar Summary and Resources

This webinar focuses on the potential alleviation of torture-induced chronic pain through alternative medicine and techniques. While the webinar is intended for medical professionals, it is accessible to a wider audience as well. After establishing that western conceptions both of pain and the necessity of pharmaceutical or surgical treatment are not universal, the webinar elaborates on a series of alternative medicines that have clinically and anecdotally been shown to be helpful.

Working with Chaldeans

The Chaldeans are Roman Catholics from Iraq, whose history predates that of Christ. They have been influential since the beginning of civilization in ancient Mesopotamia. Under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, religious freedom became constrained, resulting in ethnic cleansing and mass exodus from the region. Many Chaldeans reported the harsh conditions they faced in the transit states, especially the unavailability of employment opportunities.

Upon arrival in the United States, many face the same concern of employment, as well as other factors that can affect the acculturation

Refugee Trauma Survivors in the Primary Care Setting: A Collaborative Medical Mental-Health Approach

Objectives:

  • Describe somatic presentation of war based trauma in primary care
  • Describe the role of primary care providers in working with torture survivors
  • Identify a common clinical flow process that can be used to improve health outcomes and decrease pain
  • Create strategies for co-managing care with a mental health therapist

Summary: This webinar attempts to tackle the difficulties in working with refugees and victims of torture in the medical system in the United States.

Pages