Towards a systematic approach for the treatment and rehabilitation of torture and trauma survivors: The experience of STARTTS in Australia.

Abstract

This paper recovers a text written in 1994 that explored and discussed the complex interaction between the psychological and psychosocial sequelae of exposure to highly traumatic situations in the context of organized violence, and the stresses and demands of the exile and re-settlement process of refugees. The effects on the individual, the family and refugee communities were explored, and a model to address these problems from a systemic perspective, involving action at the individual, family, refugee community, mainstream community and mainstream political structures was put forward. The role of approaches such as individual counselling, group work and community development in this framework, and various issues in the practical application of this model were discussed in the context of STARTTS experience. Looking back, almost 30 years later, the paper has renewed value as it shows the founding theoretical principles and the path to what today is one of the most important anti-torture organizations in the world.