Minnesota was the home of our founding, and much of our headquarters and administrative work continues from the state. While CVT has expanded far beyond the U.S. borders, we have long-standing, valued relationships with partners and professionals here who support survivors of torture who live in the state. We work on policy advocacy at the state level to ensure that support is sustained and enhanced over time.

In our Minnesota centers, we provide torture survivors with a healing sanctuary and support them as they rebuild their lives. We also work with refugee communities, training leaders to promote healing within their communities. We have clinics in St. Cloud, St. Paul, and also in primary care clinics in the Twin Cities in our Healing Hearts program, where we work closely with survivors.

In Minnesota, the Community Programs & Engagement project brings together Twin Cities-based survivors of trauma, conflict and torture to develop opportunities, participate in knowledge-sharing and identify meaningful ways to engage with CVT, partners and the local survivor community.

St Paul, Minnesota

• There are more than 50,000 torture survivors living in Minnesota.
• CVT was founded in 1985 as an independent nongovernmental organization.

CVT St. Cloud

CVT St. Cloud extends culturally competent rehabilitative care to refugees and asylum seekers, incorporating culturally competent specialized care that is most effective for survivors of war atrocities who have fled their countries to the U.S. in search of safety and a new beginning. CVT St. Cloud uses a holistic model of care that incorporates psychotherapy, community education and professional interpretation to address the unique needs of clients in a safe therapeutic space.

Healing Hearts

Healing Hearts, Creating Hope: Exploring the Efficacy of Integrated Mental Health Services for New Refugees was CVT’s five-year collaborative project with M Health Fairview Clinic-Roselawn and M Health Fairview Clinic-Bethesda to provide culturally competent, on-site mental health services to Karen refugees. The project completed the research portion of the program in 2017. It has continued as an ongoing mental health services program where CVT clinicians provide targeted case management and psychotherapy in coordination with primary care staff to support refugee patients at these two clinics. In 2019, Healing Hearts published its comprehensive clinical toolkit titled, “Improving Well Being for Refugees in Primary Care: A Toolkit for Providers.”

Raahat Project

To serve Afghan refugees who are living in Minnesota, CVT’s Raahat project provides culturally and linguistically appropriate services to our clients, offered both in Dari and Pashto. We incorporate cultural competence into every aspect of our services, ensuring that clients feel comfortable and understood as they work toward rebuilding their lives in the United States.

St. Paul Healing Center

There are more than 50,000 torture survivors living in Minnesota. They are men, women and children who have endured devastating events and are now rebuilding their lives in a new community.

At our St. Paul Healing Center, each survivor works with a team of professionals who use an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to treatment. The team works to ensure that survivors are safe and stable before they begin their healing journey.