Torture, Trauma, Psychosocial Impact and Mental Health:

Transcription

1 CERTIFICATE COURSE Torture, Trauma, Psychosocial Impact and Mental Health: Meeting the Needs of War and Torture Survivors Triumph Over Torture Visit Us Online At:

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3 Course Objectives This course comprises a series of tailored individual seminars addressing key aspects of refugee mental health. Each seminar is a realistic and upto-date appraisal of the topic, which will include resources for the attendee where possible. Each topic will be addressed across the life course (from childhood to later life) and incorporate understandings and information about best approaches with special need groups. Participants who successfully complete a minimum of six seminar sessions will receive a Certificate. After completing this course the participants will be able to: I. Outline the key determinants of refugee mental health II. Discuss the impact of pre- and post-migration experiences on refugee mental health III. Describe the effects of politically organized collective violence, war, intimidation and targeted individual violence on survivors and their families and communities Main Office 194 Jarvis Street, 2nd Floor Toronto, Ontario Canada M5B 2B7 Tel: Scarborough Office 2401 Eglinton Ave. East, Unit 310 Scarborough, Ontario Canada M1K 2N8 Tel: The Hub 1527 Victoria Park Avenue Toronto, Ontario Canada M1L 2T3 Tel: Fax:

4 Workshop Sessions Please see chart for a complete listing of certificate training sessions. Sessions will take place from 3:00pm-5:00pm* at CCVT, 194 Jarvis Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario. #1: Broad Aspects of Torture, Dr. Wendell Block & Dr. Donald Payne.... September 20, 2017 #2: Determinants of Refugee Mental Health, Dr. Branka Agic October 18, 2017 #3: A Cultural Psychiatry Approach to Refugee Women s Mental Health Dr. Lisa Andermann..... November 15, 2017 #4: Mental Health Needs of LGBTQ+ Refugees Dr. Ranjith Kulatilake.... January 19, 2018 #5: Growing Older as a New Canadian: Intersections of Life Events and Life-Stage Issues, Dr. Rosemary Meier.... February 21, 2018 #6: Fostering Adaptation in Families, Children & Youth, Dr. Debra Stein, Dr. Marlinda Freire and Dr. Simone Levey.... March 21, 2018 #7: Trauma, Stress & Resilience in Refugees, Dr. Clare Pain April 18, 2018 #8: Recognizing the Risks & Signs of Addiction, Polly Florius MS, RN, CCAC May 16, 2018 #9: Self-Care: Vicarious Trauma & Secondary Traumatization, Dr. Teresa Dremetsikas June 20, 2018 * With the exception of Session #1 which will take place from 2:00pm-5:00pm, Session #4 which will take place from 2:00pm-4:00pm and Ses sion #6 w hich w ill take place from 2:00pm-5:30pm

5 Session One: Broad Aspects of Torture SESSION ONE: Wednesday September 20, :00-5:00PM Session two is composed of two related segments and is designed to serve as a broad introduction to the field. Part A, led by Dr. Wendell Block, focuses on defining torture. It will include a comprehensive overview of torture s physical, mental, social and spiritual components, while also exploring who is affected and how they respond. This session will also explore who commits acts of torture and why. Part B, by Dr. Donald Payne, will describe the psychological effects of torture, both the objective findings we can observe and the subjective experiences of individuals enduring it. It will describe ways that these psychological symptoms can interfere with adjustment to life in Canada. It will describe factors that can mitigate or exacerbate symptoms and adjustment, and will describe signs that indicate that a person is seriously mentally disturbed. Lecturers Dr. Wendell Block Dr. Wendell Block, Family Physician Dr. Wendell Block is a family physician affiliated with CCVT since the mid 1980 s. He has actively participated in diverse activities at the CCVT -he has been an enthusiastic member of the Health Committee, the Board of Directors, and the Health Network. He also contributed to the development of the CCVT Guidelines for Medical Legal Documentation of Torture Survivors which have been instrumental in training newly recruited Physicians at CCVT. Dr. Block also serves as a resource person to newly recruited physicians. Dr. Donald Payne Dr. Donald Payne Psychiatrist Dr. Donald Payne served as a Member of the Board of CCVT from and again from In 1988 he testified to the USA Congressional Human Rights Caucus regarding the examination of Somali torture victims in relation to attempts to stop the USA from providing arms to the Somali government. In 2005 Dr. Payne spoke on the psychological effects of torture to the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in relation to Maher Arar. Dr. Payne served as the Canadian representative on the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) from Dr. Donald Payne was awarded the YMCA Canada Peace Medal in 2001.

6 Session Two: Determinants of Refugee Mental Health SESSION TWO: Wednesday October 18, :00-5:00PM Refugees are a vulnerable group at risk of mental health problems. However, not all refugees develop mental disorders, and among those who do, many individuals manage to function effectively. The prevalence and severity of mental health problems in refugees is influenced by a number of risk and protective factors that interact with each other. Growing evidence shows that stresses experienced after migration have a major impact on refugees' ability to cope with premigration trauma. This interactive session will discuss pre-migration, migration and postmigration determinants of refugee mental health, with particular focus on the factors that come into play after refugees arrive in Canada. The key barriers and facilitators to mental health care will also be addressed. Lecturer Dr. Branka Agic Dr. Branka Agic PhD Dr. Branka Agic is the Manager of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Public Health at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Branka holds a PhD in Health and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Toronto along with a Medical Degree from the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Branka has extensive experience in counselling, research and service development with immigrants and refugees. Her primary research interest is in the area of mental health and substance use among immigrants, refugees, ethno cultural and racialized groups. Branka is currently the Principal Investigator (PI) on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada funded Refugee Mental Health Project and a Co-PI on the Mental Health Commission of Canada -funded The Case for Diversity project. Branka has worked on key initiatives focusing on immigrant and refugee populations including the Health Promotion Guidelines for Immigrants and Refugees, the Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEAI) tool and its Immigrant Populations Supplement, and Language Services Toronto. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) and is a member of the UNHCR Regional Beyond Detention Strategy Working Group.

7 Session Four: A Cultural Psychiatry Approach to Refugee Women s Mental Health SESSION THREE: Wednesday November 15, :00-5:00PM This session will provide participants with culturally competent assessment tools and skills to gain a better understanding of refugee women's mental health. The DSM-V cultural formulation will be used to gain an understanding of cultural identity (including gender identity), explanatory models, stressors and supports, and to explore the cultural factors in the relationship between clinician and client. Risk factors, including trauma history, and resilience will also be addressed. Lecturer Dr. Lisa Andermann, Psychiatrist Psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Andermann Dr. Lisa Andermann, MPhil, MDCM, FRCPC is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she works in the Psychological Trauma Clinic as well as the Ethnocultural Assertive Community Treatment Team. She is also a psychiatric consultant with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and a former Board Member. Her main areas of interest in research and teaching focus on cultural psychiatry. For the past few years, she has been very involved in an educational initiative to enhance the cultural competence of the postgraduate psychiatry residency curriculum together with colleagues from the Equity, Gender and Populations Division. Together they led a faculty development initiative on culturally competent supervision and teaching, which won the 2008 Ivan L. Silver Award for Excellence in Continuing Mental Health Education. She has been part of the Toronto-Addis Ababa Psychiatry Program (TAAPP), assisting in the development of the first psychiatry residency training program in Ethiopia. In 2015, Dr. Andermann won the U of T Faculty of Medicine Postgraduate Education Social Responsibility Award, awarded jointly with Dr. Kenneth Fung, for their work on Pillar 4 of the Department of Psychiatry Strategic Plan dealing with underserved and marginalized populations, antistigma and antidiscrimination and global mental health.

8 Session Four: Mental Health Needs of LGBTQ+ Refugees SESSION FOUR: Friday January :00-4:00PM This session will demonstrate the need for an equitable and caring pathway towards providing mental healthcare for LGBTQ+ refugees. Two LGBTQ+ newcomers will share their lived experiences of accessing mental healthcare in Canada. The session will then identify the key social determinants and pre-and post-migration re-settlement stressors of health that impact upon LGBTQ+ refugees. Emphasis will be placed on the best practices of mental healthcare, based on an equity-based, integrated anti-oppressive framework of service delivery. Lecturer Ranjith Kulatilake Ranjith Kulatilake Community Health Worker Ranjith Kulatilake is a Community Health Worker at Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, Toronto. He conducts re-settlement support workshops, and provides one-on-one resettlement support, for LGBTQ+ newcomers at Access Alliance s East and West End locations in Toronto. For this work, Ranjith won the 2014 United Way Toronto Bhayana Family Foundation Award for Innovation and Creativity. Ranjith studied in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and the Netherlands, and taught architecture and urban design at a university in Sri Lanka. He left this established career in Sri Lanka for one reason only, his sexuality. Ranjith is on leave from a PhD program at York University. He has also studied counselling at George Brown College, Toronto. Address: Access Alliance, 3079 Danforth Ave. Toronto, ON, M1L 1A8. Pronouns: he, him, his

9 Session Five: Growing Older as a New Canadian: Intersections of Life Events and Life-Stage Issues SESSION FIVE: Wednesday February 21, :00-5:00PM This session is designed to give participants an understanding of the relevance of individual circumstance, or the circumstance of family left behind, on settlement and adaptation in Canada. This session will also address and provide the relevance of life-stage in health and psychosocial problems, and in fostering resilience in life in a new country. This session will provide perspective in navigating health and social services to meet the needs of older new Canadians. Participation will be encouraged in an interactive session, with case studies and issues also invited in advance. Readings to be available in January Lecturer Dr. Rosemary Meier Dr. Rosemary Meier, Psychiatrist Born in London, growing up in Scotland, beginning her practice of Medicine in England and Canada, with further qualification in Psychiatry and Epidemiology in Toronto, Dr Meier has had a benign glimpse of the experience of migration. Previously a Staff Geriatric psychiatrist in University affiliated hospitals, in consultation-liaison and community-based programs, with cross-cultural research in barriers to mental health care for ethnoracial Seniors, and consultation in mental health and addiction to marginalised older adults, she has encountered many for whom migration has been forced. Experience of the legal culture, as a member of the Ontario Consent and Capacity Board, contributes to a longstanding working relationship with CCVT, and to the professional and personal privilege of meeting clients who are Refugees and Refugee Claimants and of working with CCVT staff, and volunteers.

10 Session Six: Fostering Adaptation in Families, Children & Youth SESSION SIX: Wednesday March 21, :00-5:30PM This session will provide attendees with an understanding of the impact of multiple stressors of forced migration, psychological trauma and acculturation on refugee children, youth and families. Topics within this framework will include language learning and school difficulties, parenting, and issues specific to each childhood developmental stage (infancy, latency, adolescence). This session will also examine the intergenerational transmission of trauma in families and introduce the concept of Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD), differentiating it from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children. Finally, it will provide an understanding of the types of psychologically and socially-based interventions found useful in helping this population. Lecturers Dr. Simone Levey Dr. Simone Levey Dr. Simone Levey is a licensed Clinical Psychologist working in Toronto. She obtained her Master s degree in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Adelphi University, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, in New York City. She has worked in numerous respected clinical settings in New York including Bronx Children s Psychiatric Centre, Jacobi Medical Centre, and North Central Bronx Hospital. She also worked at Riker s Island Correctional Centre, and at Youthdale Treatment Centres in Toronto. Dr. Levey currently works in private practice where she provides psychotherapy to adolescents, adults, and families, in addition to supervising students in psychotherapy. Dr. Levey also works as a consultant at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT). There, she does psychological assessments to support refugee claimants in their hearings to seek refugee status in Canada. She also supervises students and does workshops for clients. Dr. Levey is a member of the Ontario Psychological Association, The Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) Institute, and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISST-D). She is also on various professional committees including the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) Continuing Education and Research Committee, and the Health Committee at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT). Dr. Debra Stein Dr. Debra Stein Dr. Debra Stein is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Sickkids Centre for Community Mental Health (formerly known as the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre), where she co-leads the Migration Consultation Team, a consultation service that supports the work of front-line staff helping newcomer families. She also provides consultation to children, youth and their families at the CCVT. A lecturer with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, she has spoken on varied topics ranging from psychological trauma, the mental health concerns of asylum seekers, and culturalsystemic aspects of child and adolescent psychiatry. Dr. Marlinda Freire, Dr. Marlinda Freire Dr. Marlinda Freire, a Chilean physician (background in pediatrics), entered Canada as a refugee (1974). She has worked with refugee and newcomer children and families since, through the CCVT, HSC, St. Michael s Hospital, community mental health organizations and a private practice. She worked at the TDSB for 20 years and was chief of service for 17 years. Dr. Freire has lectured in her areas of expertise (trauma, trauma-related issues in child/adolescent development) at U of T, York University, Ryerson University, Addis Ababa University and Mothercraft College.

11 Session Seven: Trauma, Stress & Resilience in Refugees SESSION SEVEN: Thursday April 18, :00-5:00PM By definition, refugees fear for their lives if they return to their country of origin. They have often had complicated experiences of politically organized collective violence, war and intimidation or targeted individual violence. Once in Canada the major stressors for refugees are their impending hearing and settlement issues - these can offer significant challenges to even the most resilient of refugees. For the most part specialised mental health services are not necessary for refugees despite the stress they are under and the trauma they have been through. This session will investigate how the mixture of trauma, violence and subsequent settlement complexity affects the mental health of a refugee. We will explore some approaches to address the distress of a refugee and how we as service providers, can best help refugees stay well and face the future with resilience. Lecturer Dr. Clare Pain Dr. Clare Pain, Psychiatrist Dr. Clare Pain is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Director of the Psychological Trauma Program at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. She has been associated with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) for over 10 years where she consults part time. She is the coordinator of the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration which is an educational partnership building capacity and sustainability at Addis Ababa University. For more information on the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration (TAAAC), please visit:

12 Session Eight: Recognizing the Risks and Signs of Addiction SESSION EIGHT: Wednesday May 16, :00-5:00PM The relationship between psychological trauma, affect dysregulation and mental illness is inevitable and complex. A clear understanding of the client s denial, secrecy and defensive positions is necessary for the effective counsellor. Through an addiction lens this training session will examine the perceived role that substance misuse has in managing the pain of many survivors inner lives. We will also review signs and symptoms of substances of use, that if not directly explored will be left undisclosed. The client s perception of their substance misuse is essential to explore in order to promote a change process orientated towards abstinence and recovery. Lecturer Polly Florius Polly Florius, Nurse Clinician Polly Florius is a nurse clinician and former Coordinator of the Psychological Trauma Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. She has recently completed her Master s program at the University of Toronto in nursing with a specialty in Addiction Studies. In addition to her lectures on psychological trauma and addiction with the Mount Sinai Psychotherapy Institute, she has facilitated workshops to health care professionals and First Nation clinicians within Ontario through TAPE Educational Services affiliated with St. Michael s College, University of Toronto.

13 Session Nine: Self-Care Vicarious Trauma & Secondary Traumatization SESSION NINE: Wednesday June 20, :00-5:00PM This presentation will provide you with basic knowledge on the concepts of: vicarious trauma, secondary traumatization, compassion fatigue. It will also offer common understanding of the factors involved in the development of such conditions: how and why. A tool for selfassessment will be shared and an opportunity to discuss and share best practices to prevent and to deal with secondary trauma will be key components of this session. Lecturers Dr. Teresa Dremetsikas Dr. Teresa Dremetsikas Dr. Teresa Dremetsikas graduated from The University of Nuevo Leon in Mexico. She has been working for the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) for the past twenty four years in the areas of: assessment, counselling, crisis intervention, organisation and facilitation of support groups as well as coordination of the settlement program and volunteer program. She is presently the Program Manager at CCVT. She has been involved in research, planning, designing and evaluation of programs at CCVT. She has been very active in public education, delivering several training sessions on the issue of torture, assessment of survivors and development of supportive strategies for different institutions and for several organizations. Mbalu Lumor Mbalu Lumor H.BA Mbalu Lumor has an H.BA degree in Sociology from the University of Toronto. She has been working with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) for over a decade as a children/youth Trauma counselor and currently manages the Community Engagement program at CCVT. Mbalu is passionate about Social Justice, Public Education and Human Rights. She has extensive experience working with diverse groups, providing both settlement and trauma related counseling to refugee and immigrant populations. She also has experience in program design, facilitating group programming, evaluation and capacity building trainings for service providers and volunteers.

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16 Join Us For Our Annual First Light Celebration! Call (416) , ext. 225 or ext. 228 for more information or see flyer below. Save The Date CCVT 15th First Light Celebration Friday, November 24th, :00 11:30 p.m. Old Mill Toronto (21 Old Mill Road, Toronto)

17 If you are interested in registering for the Certificate Course, Torture, Trauma, Psychosocial Impact and Mental Health: Meeting the Needs of War and Torture Survivors, please complete this form and submit it with payment to: The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture 194 Jarvis Street, 2nd Floor Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 2B7 Name: Phone Number: *Submit your form before August 31, 2017 to take advantage of Early Bird Pricing. Organization: 1) Please indicate your understanding: I would like to register to for the full course. I understand that registration for the complete nine-session course costs $400 (or Early Bird Price of $350). Broad Aspects of Torture September 20, :00PM -5:00PM Determinants of Refugee Mental Health October 18, :00PM -5:00PM Mental Health Needs of LGBTQ+ Refugees November, 2017 A Cultural Psychiatry Approach to Refugee Women's Mental Health January 17, :00PM -5:00PM Growing Older as a New Canadian: Intersections of Life Events and Life -Stage Issues February 15, :00PM -5:00PM Fostering Adaptation in Families, Children & Youth March 21, 2018 Trauma, Stress & Resilience in Refugees April 12, :00PM -5:00PM Recognizing the Risks & Signs of Addiction May 16, :00PM -5:00PM Self-Care: Vicarious Trauma and Secondary Traumatization June, :00PM -5:00PM 2:00PM -5:30PM 3:00PM -5:00PM