Center for Survivors of Torture

Caregiver's Corner                 June 2008

The Client Referral Process

At first glance, the myriad of organizations that provide services to refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of trafficking seems mazelike, almost confusing. How on earth, we wonder, do clients navigate these organizations? Furthermore, how did so many find their way to CST? The answer is a combination of a distinct referral process, a clear delineation of different refugee services, and a loyalty to the type of care that CST provides.

The multitude of the Center for Survivors of Torture Network’s services work in conjunction with those of other agencies. “We don’t want to duplicate services. We want to make sure that everyone has the services that will help them to heal,” says Associate Director Sharmin DeMoss.

CST’s unique contribution to the field is the mental health care we provide. As such, the most common referrals come from organizations that are aware of CST’s services, such as lawyers, other refugee agencies, and area refugee medical clinics in Dallas, Austin, and Houston. Other professionals working with torture survivors, however, may not be aware of their distinct need for treatment. CST accordingly provides training to law enforcement officials, medical professionals and school district workers so that they are able to recognize a potential torture survivor in need of CST’s care.

Signs of depression, nervousness, and PTSD, coupled with nation of origin, religious preference, and ethnic background, are key signs in identifying potential clients, and are fully noted on our Referral Worksheet. If the caregiver believes that the patient is a torture survivor, they must then fill out a CST Referral Form, noting why they believe the client has been tortured and what issues they feel need to be addressed.

Not all referrals, however, are quite so cut and dry. Many clients find CST through word of mouth, religious institutions, hospitals, and even self-referral by way of the internet. CST’s unique position as the sole torture treatment center in the south-central United States provides us with an enormous variety of clients, all of whom arrived at the center in different ways.

“I was referred by my attorneys,” says Emmanuel, a Kenyan client granted asylum several weeks ago. “They realized that what I’d gone through was too much and they realized that I had bottled up so much, so much, and it was affecting me and I wasn’t ready to talk it out. They realized it was a problem, what I was going through, and needed urgent attention. They realized I needed help.

"When I came, I shared my story for the first time. I was able to prepare for my asylum interview. To me, it came at the right time, and even when I was able to talk to my attorneys, I was able to share my story a little bit better and the asylum officer was able to know what I was going through also. He told me that since I’m getting help, I shouldn’t get worried. And I think that was the main thing that gave my application credibility.”

Emmanuel’s referral served both his legal case and his personal well-being. “I’m glad I was able to meet the center," he said. "To me, it’s like a dream come true. When I came here, I felt that people were concerned with me, that they were ready to bring the broken pieces together. I find the center bringing the broken pieces together.”

Communication, then, and the referral process as whole, serves as a driving mechanism for the valuable work that CST does. Through referrals, we are able provide care and facilitate healing—to bring the broken pieces together.