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Journal Publications

Last updated: September 1, 2023

CVT experts write about their work and have it published across many disciplines, ensuring that information and knowledge gained from our work with survivors is shared with professionals.

Survivors Engaging in Advocacy
Léonce Byimana, director of U.S. clinical programs, co-authored two articles published in Torture Journal, the publication issued by the International Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and Torture Prevention (IRCT). The first article, “Torture Survivors Who Engage in Advocacy in The U.S.: Review, Characteristics and Policy Implications” looks at differences among survivors based on their advocacy work, and identifies key characteristics for inclusivity in these opportunities. The second article, “Survivor Engagement: Experience with an Advocacy-Based Model in Washington, D.C.,” examines positive results from a model of care that supports survivors engaging in policy advocacy.

Human Rights Advocacy Evaluation in the Global South: A Critical Review of the Literature
As advocacy evaluation continues to emerge as a specialized area, Dr. Jennifer Esala, CVT research associate, Dr. Craig Higson-Smith, CVT director of evaluation & research, Kirsten Anderson, formerly with CVT, and Liz Sweitzer from CU Denver, published an article in the American Journal of Evaluation. The authors provide recommendations and a literature review to draw attention to the scarcity of scholarly work on human rights advocacy evaluation in the Global South.

Mental Health in an Unequal World: Together We Can Make a Difference
In his role as vice president, Constituency Development, at the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), Michael Kamau Kariuki, psychotherapist/trainer with CVT Ethiopia and formerly with Kenya, participated in the UN’s call to action for World Mental Health Day. As part of this event, Michael served as co-author of this article, together with Ingrid Daniels, Johannes John-Langba and Charlene Sunke. He also provided a testimonial here, writing, “As a mental health professional, l encourage all of us to join hands in this noble walk.”

How Therapeutic Justice Centres the Needs of Survivors in Justice Initiatives
This article by Debra L. DeLaet with Drake University, and CVT staff Shannon Golden, Ph.D., research associate, and Veronica Laveta, LCSW, MA, clinical advisor for mental health, was published on LSE, London School of Economics and Political Science, as part of the WPS Forum on Gender, Global Health and Violence: Feminist perspectives on peace and disease.

Programming to Address Suicidal Behaviour among Unaccompanied Refugee Minors in a Camp Setting: A Field Report from Ethiopia
Members of the CVT Ethiopia team published this article in Intervention Journal, writing about the program they developed in response to an increase in suicidal ideation among Eritrean refugee minors in the camps. Authors include Medhanye Alem, psychotherapist/trainer, Sandra Githaiga, clinical programs director, Esayas Kiflom, monitoring & evaluation officer, and Liyam Eloul, clinical advisor.

“A Field Report on the Pilot Implementation of Problem Management Plus with Lay Providers in an Eritrean Refugee Setting in Ethiopia”
This report covers a pilot training program that was conducted with paraprofessionals working with Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia, focused on skills and delivery of the Problem Management Plus (PM+) intervention, which focuses on mental health needs in humanitarian crises, including COVID response. Authors Frezgi Gebrekristos, MA, EQUIP focal person, CVT Ethiopia-Tigray; Liyam Eloul, MA, clinical advisor; and Shannon Golden, PH.D., research associate; write about the project and lessons learned.

“Development of a Tool to Assess Competencies of Problem Management Plus Facilitators Using Observed Standardised Role Plays: The EQUIP Competency Rating Scale for Problem Management Plus”
This report describes work completed to develop a structured competency rating tool for use with implementation of Problem Management Plus (PM+), an intervention for mental health needs in humanitarian emergencies, including COVID response. The authors write about their use of standardized role plays used for assessment, as well as the training and supervision needed for successful measures and implementation. Among the report authors are CVT staff including Frezgi Gebrekristos, MA, EQUIP focal person, CVT Ethiopia-Tigray; Liyam Eloul, MA, clinical advisor; and Shannon Golden, PH.D., research associate.

Physiotherapy-related Publications in Torture Journal
CVT physiotherapy staff published three papers about aspects of their work in the February 2021 issue of Torture Journal. The first paper, “Group Physiotherapy with Survivors of Torture in Urban and Camp Settings in Jordan and Kenya,” summarizes the physiotherapy-related results from more than 1,000 clients over the last 2+ years, since CVT began implementing the current physiotherapy assessment tool. The article was authored by Laura Pizer Gueron, PT, MPH, DPT, physical therapy clinical advisor, CVT Kenya; Arobogust Amoyi, PT, CVT Nairobi; Winnie Chao, PT, physiotherapist, CVT Kakuma; Justine Chepngetich, PT, physiotherapist, CVT Kakuma; Jepkemoi Joanne Kibet, PT, MS, doctoral candidate, physiotherapist/trainer CVT Nairobi; Stephen Nyambok, PT, CVT Nairobi; and Joseph Wesonga, PT, MPH, physiotherapist/trainer, CVT Kalobeyei.

The second paper, titled, “International Survey of the Utilisation in Treatment Centers for Survivors of Torture,” examines the findings of a 2014 survey of treatment centers for survivors of torture and the availability of physiotherapy as a therapeutic option. This paper is authored by Laura Pizer Gueron, PT, MPH, DPT, physical therapy clinical advisor, CVT Kenya, & MaryAnn de Ruiter, PT, former physiotherapy clinical advisor, CVT Jordan.

The third paper, “Collaborative Effort to Increase the Physiotherapist’s Competency in Rehabilitation of Torture Survivors,” describes the benefits of collaboration, topics critical to physiotherapists working with survivors of torture and important next steps for the physiotherapy field. CVT authors Ilona Fricker, clinical advisor for physiotherapy, CVT Jordan, and Sarah Peters, Ph.D., program evaluation advisor, contributed insight drawn from conducting a physiotherapy-focused needs assessment with two Jordan universities.

Organizational Development with Torture Rehabilitation Programs: An Applied Perspective
In this article, authors Kristi Rendahl, organizational development consultant, and Pamela Kriege Santoso, CVT project manager, Partners in Trauma Healing (PATH) Project, explore key organizational development needs in the field of torture rehabilitation, areas of future consideration for international agency donors, and additional future considerations for torture rehabilitation programs themselves. Published in Torture journal.

Torture: Causes, Consequences, and Strategies for Redress and Prevention
Shannon Golden, Ph.D., CVT research associate, contributed the above-titled chapter to Global Agenda for Social Justice, edited by Glenn W. Muschert, Kristen M. Budd, Michelle Christian, Brian V. Klocke, Jon Shefner, and Robert Perrucci (Policy Press, 2018). She notes, “This chapter briefly presents torture as a pressing contemporary global social problem and highlights key areas of empirical evidence around the issue, including research about consequences of torture, efficacy of rehabilitation, causes of torture, and the rise of the anti-torture movement. Recommendations are offered for how to both help realize survivors’ right to redress and to prevent the ongoing use of torture.”

Towards a Contextually Appropriate Framework to Guide Counseling of Torture Survivors in Sub-Saharan Africa
A paper co-authored by Craig Higson-Smith, CVT research director, was published in Torture Journal, describing the importance of therapeutic interventions that go beyond a focus solely on past trauma. The authors noted that along with work on trauma, clients “need assistance in dealing with immediate problems with important consequences for their survival.”

Collaborative Care for Refugees and Torture Survivors: Key Findings from the Literature
It’s time for more research on the value of collaborative care in addressing the needs of refugees and torture survivors, according to a report published in Traumatology. CVT researchers and colleagues conducted a comprehensive review of existing literature in the field of collaborative care, which is a multi-disciplinary approach to health care.