Interconnectedness Initiative Research Report: Stakeholder Strengths & Opportunities

As a coalition of agencies and individuals responding to the needs of survivors of torture and their families, VCST works to increase public awareness of survivors in our communities. Part of our work is to research strengths and opportunities among our stakeholder organizations in our Interconnectedness Initiative.

In the fall and winter of 2024, we conducted interviews with our stakeholders to learn about the programs and services available to survivors of torture. We also analyzed stakeholder websites to catalog their offerings. 

We are proud to present our research report about our findings! The report details our methodology and findings, as well as a collection of strategies for increasing program accessibility for survivors. 

Some of the key strengths that came through the research are:

• Trauma-informed care underlies much of our stakeholders’ work;
• Staff cohesion and dedication contributes to a caring atmosphere for clients;
• A variety of healing modalities combined with social opportunities supports client growth.

Some of the key opportunities that surfaced in our research are:

• Lack of sustainable long-term funding for counselling services limits program reach;
• Ethical considerations of identifying survivors of torture among clientele can inhibit understanding of the size of the community;
• Need for further training and support for working with survivors of torture can further empower staff.

This report is intended for our stakeholders and anyone interested in learning about the landscape of the settlement and services sector from Victoria and Nanaimo to Vancouver. 
This project is funded by the Victoria Foundation.

Introduction

This research comprises a major component of the Interconnectedness Initiative (I.I.) of VCST. As a coalition of agencies and individuals responding to the needs of survivors of torture and their families, VCST works to increase public awareness of survivors in our communities. Partnerships across agencies enable consistent, high-quality support for survivors and help standardize practices (Aroche & Coello, 2022; Torture Journal, 2022). Our work is to collaborate with various stakeholders that survivors may encounter, such as settlement, counselling and crisis support agencies. We offer training, capacity building and networking opportunities among these agencies to foster a more collaborative service sector for the well-being of survivors. 

The Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST) and VCST are sister organizations. Together, we are the only agencies in British Columbia dedicated exclusively to serving survivors of torture, along with their families and communities. VAST is the principal torture treatment organization in BC, working directly with survivors, while VCST plays a coordination and facilitation role across the sector to improve services for survivors. Our long-standing collaboration is deeply rooted, with some of VCST’s founders also being among VAST’s founders. To further strengthen coordination, we presently have board members from each organization serve on the board of the other. Together, we work to enhance the capacity of settlement agencies and stakeholder organizations by developing specialized training and resources focused on supporting survivors. 

VCST’s Interconnectedness Initiative is multi-faceted. In the summer of 2023, during the previous stage of this project, we conducted two round-table discussions with our stakeholders. From these consultations, it was evident that there are several significant gaps in the collective support system for survivors of torture in our community. These gaps were consistently highlighted by the participating agencies. Our report Interconnectedness Initiative: Strengthening the Collective Support of Torture Survivors and Their Families in British Columbia discusses our findings from these discussions and is available on our website. 

To address these gaps, the current stage of the I.I. supports the creation of training and workshops about torture and torture survivors for stakeholder agencies on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. The project also facilitates up to three case conferences or networking events per year for stakeholders to learn from each other’s experiences and best practices. 

Finally, the Initiative conducts research about our stakeholders’ strengths and opportunities. This research is shared among our stakeholders to encourage dialogue about working with survivors across the sector. VCST also develops strategies for improving services for survivors of torture using research insights. 

The Interconnectedness Initiative is a multi-year project funded by the Victoria Foundation.

Land acknowledgement & positionality statement

The Victoria Coalition for Survivors of Torture (VCST) is a volunteer-run non-profit organization that operates predominantly from the unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking people, today known as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, and the W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations (the Tsartlip and Tseycum nations). Our board members contribute to VCST from across the land we now call Canada, including the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation and the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories. We come from many cultures and backgrounds, from North and Central America, Europe, Africa, and West Asia.

As an organization concerned about torture throughout the world, we recognize that torture is deeply connected to the brutality of colonization. Torture is one of many colonial tools used to dispossess the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples from their land, language and culture, along with the Indian Hospitals, Residential Schools and the Indian Act of 1876. Many newcomer survivors of torture living in our communities also come from countries that have experienced colonization. By acknowledging land and territory, we commit to understanding the unmeasurable ways that colonization shows up in our daily lives and in the communities we serve. We honour the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, the W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations, and all the nations where we do our work, as these Nations have directly experienced colonization – both past and present – on these lands where we now have the privilege to reside.

Methodology

The I.I. research aims to identify the most successful and common practices and therapeutic approaches used by service providers working with survivors of torture and identify stakeholder strengths and opportunities. With this information, we aim to develop a strategy for promoting the accessibility of services to survivors of torture and their families in our community.

To reach these goals, we have used a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative interviews with quantitative data analysis of stakeholder website content. We wrote a survey asking respondents about their organization’s services and programs available to survivors of torture. We also asked our stakeholders about organizational strengths and weaknesses. 

Three respondents completed the survey themselves while seven were interviewed over the phone. The interviews allowed for a more conversational format, resulting in richer quantitative results from these respondents. 

We then collected information from the organizations’ websites about their programs and services. This information populates a spreadsheet catalogue of the respondents’ offerings. Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a framework, we sort the data according to how it fits within the framework, giving us an integral perspective on how the services available for survivors of torture and their families meet their needs.

References

Agic, B., McKenzie, K., Tuck, A. & Antwi, M. (2016). Supporting the Mental Health of Refugees to Canada. Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/wp-content/uploads/drupal/2016-01-25_refugee_mental_health_backgrounder_0.pdf

Aroche, J., & Coello, M. (2022). Towards a systematic approach for the treatment and rehabilitation of torture and trauma survivors: The experience of STARTTS in Australia. Torture, 32(1-2), 133–143. https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v32i1-2.132684

Clark-Kazak, C. (2017). Ethical Considerations: Research with People in Situations of Forced Migration. Refuge, 33(2), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.7202/1043059ar

Dehghan R, Wilson J. (2019). Healthcare professionals as gatekeepers in research involving refugee survivors of sexual torture: An examination of the ethical issues. Developing World Bioethics, 19, 215–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12222

Duffy, R. M., & Kelly, B. D. (2015). Psychiatric assessment and treatment of survivors of torture. BJPsych Advances, 21(2), 106–115. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.113.012005

Eisenman, DP., Keller, AS, & Kim, G. (2000). Survivors of torture in a general medical setting: how often have patients been tortured, and how often is it missed? Western Journal of Medicine, May; 172(5), 301-304. https://doi.org/10.1136/ewjm.172.5.301

Fleishman, J., Kamsky, H., & Sundborg, S. (2019). Trauma-Informed Nursing Practice. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 24(2), Manuscript 3. https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol24No02Man03

Lonn, M. & Dantzler, J. (2017). A Practical Approach to counselling Refugees: Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Journal of Counselor Practice, 8(2), 61–82. https://doi.org/10.22229/olr789150

Maslow, A. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346

Maslow, A. H. (1969). Various meanings of transcendence. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 1(1), 56-66. https://www.atpweb.org/jtparchive/trps-01-69-01-056.pdf

Mitchell, J., & Correa-Velez, I. (2009). Community development with survivors of torture and trauma: An evaluation framework. Community Development Journal, 45(1), 90–110. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsp003

O’Brien, C., & Charura, D. (2024). Advancing transculturally informed, humanistic therapeutic practice for refugees and asylum seekers presenting with embodied trauma. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 24, 1612–1631. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12808

Rojas, M., Méndez, A., & Watkins-Fassler, K. (2023). The hierarchy of needs: Empirical examination of Maslow’s theory and lessons for development. World Development, 165, 106185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2023.106185

Torture Journal (2022). Towards a systematic approach for the treatment and rehabilitation of torture and trauma survivors. Torture, 32(1-2), 133–143.

Trauma-Informed Care. (n.d.). https://www.traumapolicy.org/topics/trauma-informed-care

Turrini, G. et al. (2025). Comparative efficacy and acceptability of psychosocial interventions for PTSD, depression, and anxiety in asylum seekers, refugees, and other migrant populations: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.101152

United Nations High Comissioner for Refugees.  (n.d). https://www.unhcr.ca/in-canada/unhcr-role-resettlement/refugee-resettlement-canada/Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture. (n.d.). https://www.vastbc.ca/aboutus#faq

Glossary of organization names

CIS-IWC: Cowichan Intercultural Society – Immigrant Welcome Centre
CVIMS: Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society
ICA: Intercultural Association of Victoria
ISS of BC: Immigrant Services Society of BC
MTC: Men’s Therapy Centre
VAST: Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture
VICCIR: Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees
VIRCS: Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre
VSAC: Victoria Sexual Assault Centre

Original research project goals

Goals: 

1. Identify the most successful and commonly used practices and therapeutic approaches used by service providers/stakeholders when working with vulnerable community members, 
2. identify stakeholder strengths and opportunities, and 
3. draft a strategy for promoting the accessibility of services to survivors of torture and their families.

Method: a) Spreadsheet inventory of relevant programs and services listed on their websites. b) Mixed qualitative/quantitative phone, zoom or in-person interview asking what services, practices and approaches they find most successful for the communities they serve and why. 

Visualization/deliverable: Content analysis and report for the website, Board and stakeholders; and Word cloud and a PowerPoint presentation at conferences and symposiums.Outcome: Share findings about resources among stakeholders. Stakeholders get a better idea of what other organizations are doing, what is working for them and where there is overlap. Draft recommendations for promoting the accessibility of services for survivors of torture and their families. Follow up via phone.