Trauma and Community Resilience Center

This toolkit will provide you with information about four core stressors that refugees and immigrants may face and sample questions to guide your assessment. These sample questions are not intended as a substitute for clinical judgment. If this is your first time using the toolkit, take your time, explore the sections, and then try the assessment component.

Our flagship intervention model, Trauma Systems Therapy for Refugees (TST-R), embeds mental health services for refugee and immigrant youth where they seek services, such as community, school, and integrated pediatric health settings. TST-R is an adaptation of Trauma Systems Therapy (TST) for refugee and immigrant children/adolescents and their families that takes into account the migration experience in addition to cultural, social, and logistical barriers (e.g., stigma, language, distrust) to engaging in mental health services.

TST-R was specifically designed to increase engagement in mental health services and to promote culturally responsive, linguistically appropriate care by pairing clinicians with cultural brokers. Cultural brokers are members of the refugee and immigrant community who speak the language and are from the same cultural background programs are hoping to serve. Our TST-R consultants provide training and consultation to organizations on our multi-tiered model.

Download to learn about TST-R.

Implementation Science and Practice Advisory Board (ISPAB)

In an effort to continue the effective and sustainable expansion of TST-R, in 2022 our program launched the TST-R Implementation Science and Practice Advisory Board (ISPAB). The goal of the ISPAB is to elevate and integrate the voice(s) of Trauma Systems Therapy-Refugees (TST-R) providers and program leaders into the continued development, adaptation, dissemination, and implementation of TST-R. We hold three national video conference meetings a year where we discuss and explore implementation and adaptation factors within the delivery and sustainability of TST-R. Drs. Jeff Winer and Luna Mulder direct the ISPAB, and we work in partnership with the TST-R NCAB.

National Community Advisory Board (NCAB)

The overall goal of the NCAB is to empower cultural brokers, experts, and leaders to play an active role in the TCRC’s implementation science and practice advisory board (ISPAB). The NCAB focuses on building connections, sharing experiences, and uplifting your unique perspectives as cultural brokers and leaders in TST-R programs across the country. We have 16 NCAB members representing six states. The NCAB is co-led by Ms. Naima Agalab of the Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center, and Drs. Alisa Miller and Luna Mulder of the TCRC.

TST-R model consultants provide ongoing training and consultation to prevention and intervention programs across the country and around the world. This work is centered on the empirically supported behavioral health intervention and organizational model of Trauma Systems Therapy for Refugees (TST-R). 

TCRC team members may be able to offer individualized trainings, presentations, or workshops for members of your organization with the goal of sharing best practices and increasing your capacity to best support refugee and immigrant youth and families. We have a long history of training school systems, colleges and universities, mental health agencies, hospitals, resettlement agencies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.

In 2022, we created a free webinar series outlining Best Practices for Working with Refugee and Immigrant Youth for Mental Health Providers. The series included nine trainings of 90 minutes each, discussing topics including "The Intersection of Trauma and Culture," "Working with Cultural Brokers and Interpreters​," and "Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth." You may find recordings of the webinars here.

In 2024, we created another free training series entitled "Best Practices for Working with Refugee and Immigrant Youth for School Professionals." After surveying a large group of school professionals to get a better idea of training needs, we developed five session of 90 minutes each. The topics included "Migration and Forced Displacement and Impact on Learning," "Classroom Strategies for Supporting Refugee and Immigrant Youth," and "Supporting Youth with Interrupted Education." You may find the recordings from this series here.

If you are interested in a specialized training, please fill out our training request form.