Survey of National Consortium of Torture Treatment Program Therapists About the Assessment,Diagnosis,and Treatment of the Psychological Sequelae of Torture

Abstract

This study used qualitative methods to examine present practices in psychologically assessing and treating torture survivors in National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs (NCTTP) across the United States. Twenty-five NCTTP Center Directors were contacted and 21 agreed to participate. Seventeen therapists from 10 different centers ultimately completed a survey and eight participated in a follow-up phone interview. Unstructured interviews, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were employed by the majority of therapists to assess functioning. Psychoeducation, supportive counseling, cognitive-behavior therapy, and family counseling/therapy were the most common treatment approaches employed. Therapists identified treatment outcome research and population-specific outcome research as significant needs. Therapists identified barriers to treatment including clinic funding, lack of interpreters, and client transportation, legal, financial, and cultural/linguistic barriers.