May Issue

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In this Issue

	Research Post-Doctoral Fellow Jeannie Annan and Colleauges Publish Report on The State of Female Youth in Northern Uganda
	PSOT Clients Explore New York and Celebrate Tibetan New Year
	Q&A with PSOT Intake Coordinator Lillian Perdomo

In Other News

Siré Sidibé, daughter of client M'mahawa Traore, has been nominated for membership in The National Society of High School Scholars based on her outstanding academic achievement at Martin Luther King Junior L A CJ.

On April 14, WBAI New York FM radio channel featured an interview with Dr. Leanh Nguyen, Director of Clinical Training at the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture. The program discussed the special kind of persecution and trauma that refugees escaping persecution based on sexual orientation face in their home countries. Click here to listen to the program.

 Program client Cheikhna Mahawa has been accepted as an ESL Outreach Intern for the Mayor's Office of Adult Education.
 

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Research Post-Doctoral Fellow Jeannie Annan and Colleauges Publish Report on The State of Female Youth in Northern Uganda

Youth have been both the primary victims and the primary actors in the twenty-two year war between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army. It was not clear, however, exactly who is suffering, how much, and in what ways. For instance, researchers knew little about the experience of youth: what is the magnitude, incidence, and nature of the violence, trauma, and suffering of youth in northern Uganda? An understanding of the effects of war on women and girls was particularly lacking, whether they were abducted or affected by the violence in other ways. Click here to view the full report.

PSOT Clients Explore New York and Celebrate Tibetan New Year

Thanks to our Volunteer and Education Coordinator, Meghan Nickerson, our clients have had the chance to explore New York city with our dedicated volunteers. Also check out highlights from Losar 2008 (Tibetan New Year), including an art workshop with volunteer artists Alessandra Exposito and Steed Taylor. Click here to view a slideshow.

Q&A with PSOT Intake Coordinator Lillian Perdomo

How long have you been working at PSOT?

About eight years ago I heard Allen (Dr. Allen Keller, Program Director) speaking at NYU. I began working for PSOT shortly thereafter. I volunteered for two years when I was in college and took on a full-time position as an administrative assistant when I graduated.

How did you transition to the position of intake coordinator?

As the program’s reputation grew, we began to have more and more referrals from lawyers and doctors, and the need for a staff member to manage initial screenings became apparent.

What does a typical week look like for you?

Every week I present new clients at our intake conference. There, psychology externs consult with program clinicians to decide on the best treatment plan and I coordinate services. I oversee our Monday Night Clinic, where our clients go for medical and psychiatric care. I also manage our waiting list, schedule intake appointments and interpreters.

How important is patience in your position?

Often, clients will come in unannounced and ask for a myriad of different services. I have to anticipate these un-scheduled visits and try to help them. I also spend a lot of time coordinating with the Bellevue business office and pharmacy, acting as an intermediary between the client (who often doesn’t speak English) and the hospital employee. Sometimes this means accompanying clients to various other departments of the hospital—Bellevue can be an intimidating place for our clients!

How does PSOT’s mission to maintain a “multi-disciplinary, client-centered” approach effect your position?

I help clients access medical, psychological, and social services, and I keep staff members informed of progress in each realm. I also pay attention to client demands—many of our clients are completely unfamiliar with Western notions of psychotherapy and therefore prefer not to access psychological services or to attend group therapy sessions. Our Tibetan clients, for example, who have a strong community identity, are often very eager to participate in group therapy but hesitant to seek out individual therapy.

Staff members often refer to you as the “glue” that keeps PSOT together. What do you think they mean by that?

I deal with every patient and all clinicians—I interact with everyone!

How has PSOT’s relatively new implementation of 6 month follow-up appointments with clients changed your job?

The 6 month follow-up catches people who may have otherwise fallen through the cracks. It creates more work, and can be frustrating, but ultimately it helps us provide better services to our clients.

Can you describe some of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?

I can’t always get to new clients as quickly as I’d like to as our waiting list is often extensive. Telling people in desperate need of our services that they may have to wait is very hard. Alternatively, seeing clients after they have been granted asylum, seeing how appreciative they are of the services we’ve provided for them, makes everything worthwhile.

This is an entirely unscientific observation, but it seems like many recent college grads stay at their first post-college jobs for less than two years. What has made you stay at PSOT for 8 years?

I love working with everyone on our staff, many of whom I consider friends for life. We have an amazing support system and we do great work. Every day I feel gratified.

Lillian Perdomo is an NYU graduate with a degree in anthropology. She began with the Program as a volunteer in 1998 and joined the staff in 2000. She is fluent in Spanish. She is responsible for coordinating intake interviews for clients and for arranging follow up referrals/appointments for medical, mental health, and social services. She also assists in coordinating appointments for the 6 and 12 month follow-up evaluations.