Young, living in the country illegally and alone, Hector Estrada was initially unsure about trauma therapy after immigrating to the United States from Mexico following the death of his brother.
But after taking advantage of the services provided by the Berkeley-based nonprofit Partnerships for Trauma Recovery, or PTR, Estrada was able to open up.
“(Refugees) want a feeling that somebody cares about them,” he said. “You feel safe, you know, they helped me so much with the trauma, with feeling lonely.”
This past September, PTR opened a new clinic providing mental health services for the refugee community in Berkeley. The Mosaic Healing Center, located at 1936 University Ave., offers free care for refugees, asylum seekers, human trafficking survivors and individuals who have fled their home countries in cases of war, torture and persecution.
According to Executive Director Monika Parikh, when refugees first arrive in the United States, they receive a few months of support from the government though “the timeline is very, very short.” Additionally, while refugees receive a physical health screening upon arrival, there is no comparable mental health check.
[For mor eof this story, written by Camryn Bell, go to http://www.dailycal.org/2016/1...h-services-refugees/]
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