Gwen Soffer

I am the Manager of Wellness at Nationalities Service Center, a non-profit in Philadelphia that serves immigrants and refugees from around the world. I oversee our onsite therapy, holistic therapeutic services, Wellness Liaison program, Chronic Pain Management Program, and Youth Wellness. We currently are running a pilot program called the Chronic Pain Management Program. Participants are refugee and asylum seekers who are survivors of torture and experience chronic pain. They will receive no cost coordinated and co-located services at NSC including therapy, occupational therapy, acupuncture, massage, yoga, mindfulness practices, and psycho-education for 8 months. We will be tracking changes in pain, perceptions of pain, changes in ADLs, and other data points. Our hope is to expand this program in 2023 to a clinic model to serve immigrant and refugee survivors of torture. Our focus is accessibility and cultural sensitivity. We will also gather information on traditional practices and integrate these into client wellness plans.