Healing Hearts
CVT’s Healing Hearts program uses a holistic, team-based approach to bring specialized care to Karen clients. The program began as Healing Hearts, Creating Hope: Exploring the Efficacy of Integrated Mental Health Services for New Refugees, 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.
The program also provides community-level activities in collaboration with community partners.
A major study by the Healing Hearts team was published at BMC Family Practice journal in 2020, demonstrating the positive impacts of CVT’s care. When CVT extended care to refugee survivors of torture in primary care, clients saw significant improvements in mental health symptoms, including, “. . . depression, PTSD, anxiety, and pain symptoms and in social functioning at all time points, with magnitude of improvement increasing over time.” Read the press release here.
In 2019, Healing Hearts published its comprehensive clinical toolkit titled, “Improving Well Being for Refugees in Primary Care: A Toolkit for Providers.” This comprehensive manual gives providers the necessary tools to improve treatment plans for patients who have lived through traumatic experiences. Download the toolkit here.
Our Clients
Healing Hearts serves clients from the Karen State in Myanmar (Burma). The majority of clients are women. Check out details about our client care and results here.
Note: In response to the COVID-19 crisis, CVT is currently providing remote telehealth services. We are accepting new clients.
Check out our beautiful mural by Jane Weis as it's being created!
Contact us:
Kathleen O’Donnell Burrows, MSW, MPP, LICSW
Program Manager - Healing Hearts and St. Cloud
651.888.6285
555 Park Street, Suite 310
St. Paul, MN 55103
