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Our Integrated Model
TASSC takes an integrated, trauma-informed, and survivor-centered approach to its work with survivors of torture. We aim to integrate and enhance anti-racist, community-focused, and trauma-informed principals into our service provision. All of our staff work with survivors through a strength-based perspective, focusing on resilience and each survivor’s own strengths as they move toward a brighter future. We work with, not for survivors as they move toward achieving their goals. We operate from a culturally-sensitive lens, and believe survivors know what is best for them in their approach to healing and empowerment.
Our interdisciplinary model also allows for coordination of care that addresses all aspects of a survivor’s wellbeing – from community and social connection, to legal, advocacy, mental health, and medical support. TASSC addresses the wide range of each survivor's physical and emotional needs, offering support from the most basic need, and on to each step as they find the care and strength they need to recover. To avoid re-traumatization, we have redesigned our services delivery model to be clear, concise, and transparent, allowing survivors to feel empowered and to increase staff collaboration to best advocate for survivors. Survivors are an active and integral part of their service provision and collaborate with TASSC staff at each step of the process.
We aim to provide a “second home” for survivors in a warm, caring environment where they can begin to heal. Aside from our service provision, we function as a drop-in center, where we encourage survivors to come at any time during office hours to enjoy coffee, eat lunch, speak with staff, attend events and workshops, or to use computers and borrow books from the library. Our doors are open to survivors of all ethnic, racial, gender, political, and religious identities.