The following episode is a recording of the conversation between Alison Beckman, Hanne Sandison (Senior Staff Attorney at the Advocates) and Madison Swanson (Refugee and Immigrant Program Legal Intern at the Advocates).
Alison Beckman is a licensed therapist and Senior Clinical Consultant for the Center for Victims of Torture, a Minnesota-based organization which envisions a world free from torture and all of its sociological, psychological, and physical effects. CVT combines research, training, and advocacy with hands-on healing services for torture survivors in Minnesota, Georgia, and abroad. In our conversation, Alison breaks down CVT's work and delves into the experiences of torture survivors as they navigate the asylum process, including how their trauma may affect their memory and ability to testify in court. Highlighting what can be most terrifying for torture victims while sharing best practices to carry them through these moments, our conversation covers how attorneys can best support their clients when CVT's therapists cannot be in the room with us.
