Benjamin Greenberg
As I have lived abroad in impoverished areas and conflict zones for over 8 years, the mission of PTR resonated with what I personally witnessed in people’s need to seek safety and freedom across the globe. With deep sympathy for the experience of displacement, I have profound respect for individuals who have made the journey to the U.S. in seeking asylum or refugee status, and am inspired to help them cope with the unique challenges of their journey.
Ronna Haglili
“When you save one life it is as if you saved the entire world.” – Talmud
As an international student coming to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at California School of Professional Psychology – the Social Justice track, I was looking for a practicum site that combines my passion for clinical psychology and my social activism aspirations. When I first heard about Partnership for Trauma Recovery, I felt that this was exactly what I had been looking for. This hunch happened to be the exact truth. It is not just that PTR provides a wide array of invaluable support to our clients, a support that they would otherwise not get; it is also not just the fact that the services we provide at PTR enable our clients to recover from the unimaginable atrocities they went through. What we do is, actually, much more profound and basic at the same time. PTR is helping our clients regain hope in humankind, as it creates a compassionate human relationship with those who were brutally and maliciously victimized by other human beings. As a third-generation descendant of Holocaust survivors, who survived the horrors of race-based persecution, forced labor, torture and the deaths of their entire family , looking the other way, for me, means to repeat this dark history all over again. I was privileged to meet some of the wonderful survivors that we support for the past few weeks and I wished that everybody were able to meet them too and experience the kind bonding that has been created between us, here at PTR. Although it may feel like a dream sometimes, I know that if others were to adopt just a little bit of the kindhearted perspective and the nurturing culture we try cultivating here at our wonderful safe space, the world could be a much better place.
Maxwell Osaghae
During the past year of going through the clinical training application process, I came to accept that I was not going to receive the kind of clinical training experience I hoped for. Even though there are so many different training sites, none of them meet the needs of students, like myself, who plan to return to their native country to work with populations facing unique experiences that are hardly talked about in the classroom setting. This process is challenging and thought provoking for foreign students like myself.
Finding Partnerships for Trauma Recovery and now being a part of PTR’s Clinical Internship team is a dream come true. I had not expected to get the level of training I am now exposed to. The environment at PTR is so warm and welcoming. The staff and supervisors are always willing to answer questions and meet the learning needs of trainees like myself. Least I forget, my fellow trainees are so diverse, professional and intelligent. I have had the opportunity of learning so much from them just within a short period of time. I am especially inspired to learn so much that is practically applicable to my specific focus and interests.
To summarize my current experiences at Partnerships for Trauma Recovery – it is truly a dream come true!