Clinical Care of Individuals with PTSD From Survival to Thriving: Evolving Approaches to Posttraumatic Stress

Significant practice gaps exist in the evaluation and treatment of PTSD among Survivors of Torture (SOT). Many clinicians lack adequate training and supervision in trauma-focused, evidence-based therapies – such as Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and EMDR – particularly when these treatments must be adapted for highly traumatized populations of varied origins. There remains a critical need for culturally competent, trauma-informed approaches that address social determinants of health, linguistic and religious variance, historical trauma, and the broader bio-psycho-socio-cultural context of survivors’ lives. Stigma and mistrust of institutions further hinder connection to care, often leading to disengagement from essential mental health services. The adoption of next-generation tools (e.g., neuromodulation, wearable technologies, and digital platforms) is limited by clinician unfamiliarity, infrastructure constraints, and concerns about cultural contextual fit. While Artificial Intelligence offers promise in enhancing screening, risk prediction, and personalized care, its integration is nascent, and ethical pitfalls (e.g., algorithmic bias, data privacy, lack of safeguards) remain largely unaddressed in trauma-exposed refugee and SOT populations. Addressing these multifaceted gaps is essential to shifting from survival-based interventions to comprehensive models of healing, resilience, and posttraumatic growth.