Public Employee Press

Program puts torture survivors on the road to recovery

Lucia Kellar assesses treatment needs

Victims of torture often suffer lasting physical and psychological impairments because of severe beatings during their interrogation.

At the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, Sr. Psychologist Dr. Lucia Kellar evaluates patients who’ve experienced physical trauma to help therapists with treatment.

Kellar, who has worked for the program since its inception in 1995 and serves on the core faculty, is the director of neuropsychology assessment services. She also supervises students in the therapy program.

Typically, Kellar evaluates patients for two or three hours to come up with an assessment. The more complex cases require additional appointments.

In some instances, Kellar has patients undergo medical testing, such as a CAT scan or MRI, to find out whether they suffer from brain damage. Nerves may be permanently damaged when beatings are so severe that the brain is violently shaken.

Memory problems
“Many patients may have had head trauma caused from beatings,” Kellar said. “They are usually referred to us for evaluation because they have complaints about memory problems. They may have a clear memory problem, or they may be so caught up with their trauma that they don’t remember what people are saying to them.”

Memory loss may also be caused by post-traumatic stress and depression, which also result from torture.

In the neuropsychological testing, in addition to checking for memory loss and depression, Kellar determines whether patients suffer from visual and language impairments. She also evaluates their mental processing speed and physical flexibility.

“When the evaluation is finished, I write up a report and talk to the therapists about the findings,” Kellar said. “This helps therapists take into consideration any limitations a patient may have. It will help them in terms of how they see the patient and how they work with their patients.”

Unfortunately, memory impairment brought on by trauma cannot be reversed. So, the goal of therapy is to help patients with memory problems deal with their daily lives. Occasionally, therapists may recommend that patients go through cognitive therapy.

Patients are taught survival strategies. They are encouraged to post notes to remind themselves of chores and dates. And therapists suggest that their patients start to use agenda books.

“It is really encouraging to see how the patients are able to deal better with their daily lives,” Kellar said.