Basic Needs
SURVIVORS first addresses clients’ urgent needs and emergency situations. A client may need food, shelter, hygiene items, clothing or legal services. Our case manager maintains networks with community-based agencies to ensure that each client has these needs met. Access to these resources continues as long as needed.
Psychotherapy
At intake, each client is interviewed and assessed by a mental health professional trained in the treatment of torture survivors. Psychotherapy services are tailored to individual needs and may include crisis intervention, individual, group and/or family therapy, home visiting, and collateral interventions with other agencies and providers. The frequency of sessions, inclusion of family members, and the use of interpreters are all determined based on the needs of the individual. To accommodate a culturally diverse client population, SURVIVORS’ therapists and staff use a flexible psychotherapy format and consider clients’ experiences, preferences and cultural background in planning mental health interventions.
Psychiatry
SURVIVORS contracts with a board-certified psychiatrist who evaluates clients, prescribes donated psychotropic medications, and sees clients regularly in follow-up.
Psychological Affidavits
SURVIVORS provides asylum seekers with a complete evaluation of the psychological consequences of the torture they have suffered. Specially trained mental health evaluators also assess clients’ fears of returning to their home countries and the likely psychological effects of deportation. They submit written affidavits to the clients’ attorneys for presentation to the immigration court. SURVIVORS’ evaluators may also provide expert testimony in immigration court about the effects of torture.
Medical Services
SURVIVORS has strong relationships with community clinics to provide asylum- seekers with the same basic health examinations that refugees receive when they enter the United States. Each asylum-seeker receives a comprehensive assessment including a medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests for infectious diseases.
Referrals are made for specialized examinations and treatments as needed. Other rehabilitative medical services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, massage and acupuncture are provided through contracted providers and clinics. SURVIVORS is able to provide clients with basic dental care and optometric services.
Interpreters
SURVIVORS’ bank of trained interpreters includes native speakers of more than 45 languages. These individuals facilitate meetings between clients and SURVIVORS’ staff and medical and mental health professionals.
Healing Groups
SURVIVORS organizes group therapy and other activities that counteract clients’ feelings of shame, humiliation and isolation. Groups include a psychotherapy group, an advanced English class, a cooking class where clients learn to prepare nutritious meals, and a monthly Healing Club that addresses recovery from torture and rebuilding a life in a new country. Art, music, sports, and local sightseeing activities are also organized. Clients have an opportunity to meet, rebuild trust, and enjoy activities with others who empathize with their experiences.
Case Management & Social Services
SURVIVORS coordinates healing service appointments for clients. Clients are counseled on life and culture in the United States and are introduced to opportunities for education and new careers. SURVIVORS maintains a computer which clients may use for their writing class, to prepare resumes, and to read news from their home countries. A library is also available for clients to use as a quiet reading space.
Medical Affidavits
When needed and requested, SURVIVORS coordinates volunteer physicians who conduct examinations, document physical evidence of torture and prepare medical affidavits in support of clients’ political asylum claims.
 Legal Services
SURVIVORS refers clients to nonprofit immigration law centers and other immigration attorneys for services necessary to pursue their claims for asylum in the United States. SURVIVORS provides emotional and logistical support for these clients during the long asylum process.
For many clients, asylum represents the difference between safety and returning to the hands of their torturers.
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