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Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center relies on an extensive volunteer network, numbering nearly 200, to provide essential services to survivors of torture. From interpreting and accompaniments, to therapy and psychiatry, our work would not be the same without their commitment and partnership.
Selma is a master’s degree student of Clinical Psychology and part of the first generation of refugees who arrived as children and are educated in the U.S. The start of her volunteering coincided with a wave of referrals of Bosnian couples and individuals who are suffering long-term effects of trauma, war and dislocation.
Selma interpreted for the intake of a woman likely to be near her mother’s age, and they developed a strong trusting relationship, together with the staff provider. Selma shared that initially she did not think herself emotionally capable of working with survivors and had been fearful about how she would do hearing these stories that close to home, but her experience at Kovler has completely changed her mind. Participating in a treatment model that is client-focused and strengths-based has demonstrated the hopeful side of working with survivors. She now considers making it her career focus.
The Kovler Center staff and volunteer team thanks, Selma, for taking a chance and finding fertile ground for personal and professional growth while helping survivors connect with a community of healing.