From 1999 to 2005, the Minneapolis-based Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) served Liberian and Sierra Leonean survivors of torture and war living in the refugee camps of Guinea. A psychosocial program was developed with 3 main goals: (a) to provide mental health care, (b) to train local refugee counselors, and (c) to raise community awareness about war trauma and mental health. Utilizing paraprofessional counselors under the close, on-site supervision of expatriate clinicians, the treatment model blended elements of Western and indigenous healing. The core component consisted of relationship-based supportive group counseling. Clinical interventions were guided by a 3-stage model of trauma recovery (safety, mourning, reconnection), which was adapted to the realities of the refugee camp setting. Over 4,000 clients were provided with counseling, and an additional 15,000 were provided with other supportive services. Results from follow-up assessments indicated significant reductions in trauma symptoms and increases in measures of daily functioning and social support during and after participation in groups. The treatment model developed in Guinea served as the basis for CVT's ongoing work with survivors in Sierra Leone and Liberia. ((c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

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Psychosocial staff at a war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone conducted interviews with 147 witnesses after they completed their testimony. The interviewers asked participants to describe the most positive and most difficult aspects of their experience of testifying. Responses were recorded, coded, and examined using content analysis. Nearly all witnesses reported both empowering and difficult aspects, but the former outnumbered the latter. Witnesses mentioned 35 conceptually distinct positive aspects and 26 conceptually distinct negative aspects. The most frequently mentioned positive aspect was "being given the chance to tell my story, being able to talk about difficult/painful experiences, breaking silence." The second most frequently mentioned positive aspect was "being listened to, feeling believed/understood." The most frequently mentioned negative aspect was "emotional difficulty with some questions, talking about painful experiences." The second most frequent response was "nothing was difficult." Victim witnesses portrayed the experience more positively than nonvictims. For many witnesses, despite some challenging components, testifying provided a valued opportunity Editor's Note. Susan Opotow served as action editor for this article.

After a brutal civil war in Sierra Leone, a young prosecution witness in a war crimes tribunal in Freetown created, directed, and performed a drama that graphically portrays the trauma she and her fellow survivors experienced during the war. Stepakoff was the psychologist for the Special Court for Sierra Leone—working with victims of severe human rights violations—and an invited guest at the young woman's performance.

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