ABSTRACT
Survivors of all systematic torture/trauma face a daunting task in their attempts to restore shattered lives. Their lives are irrevocably altered by the death of loved ones, or by injuries, or through surviving experiences of chronic subjection to routine harassment, persecution, and threats of death. I will argue that multicultural counseling with the survivors of torture/trauma is a professional activity that must draw on a number of disciplinary knowledge bases to find a substantial theory-of-practice base. A bare knowledge of posttraumatic stress disorder will not adequately equip the counselor for work in this area, nor will knowledge provided by texts on multicultural counseling, which lack the required specificity. In this chapter, 12 major points gleaned from multicultural counseling with survivors of torture/trauma will be put forward to assist in comprehending the task facing multicultural counselors working with this client population.
