#005: Three decades treating torture survivors | Mario Gonzales

One Step Forward

Mario is a clinician and psychotherapist, who first started working with Guatemalan immigrants to the USA in the early 1990s. These days he’s clinical supervisor at the Marjorie Kovler Centre in Chicago (https://www.heartlandalliance.org/kovler/), a part of the Heartland Alliance. He works with people claiming political asylum, and helps on initiatives elsewhere around the world. We discuss a three-decade journey with severely traumatised people, what can work in rebuilding resilience, and the gradual growth of the field. Show notes: [02:30] Mario’s work with survivors of torture, and how they can rebuild and move on with their lives. How people react to his job when he meets them socially. [11:20] How to reach people across cultural and language divides. Finding cultural and spiritual resources to build resilience. [22:15] Application of the Kovler Center’s approach in Guatemala, Colombia, and other contexts where resources for this kind of work are not abundant. [27:00] How psychotherapy can work for people who have had their trust in people and institutions destroyed. What the first steps look like. [37:00] How Mario manages the cumulative stress of dealing with thousands of cases of torture. How to balance genuine empathy with self-care over the long term. [46:15] The evolution of the field over thirty years, from modest beginnings to its present state. Mario's key intellectual and practical influences.