September 15, 2022 Recap – Trauma-coerced Attachment and Complex PTSD: Informed Care for Survivors of Human Trafficking
HT-RADAR Quarterly Research Meeting presents Dr. Ronald Chambers Jr. on Trauma-coerced Attachment and Complex PTSD: Informed Care for Survivors of Human Trafficking
 
Quarterly Meeting Recording
September 15, 2022
 
The presentation was hosted via Zoom and in-person at 9055 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92123. The research article can be found here. The beginning of the meeting was not recorded. Please look at the Medical Safe Haven resources below for additional information on that topic.
Video Time Stamps
  • 00:00 – Medical Safe Haven Overview
  • 16:15 – Presentation: Trauma-coerced Attachment and Complex PTSD
  • 49:25 – Q & A
Presentation Slides
TCA & C-PTSD (HT-RADAR)
If you would like to download or print the slides, click here.
Studies & Resources Mentioned During Presentation
 
Additional Resources Worth Exploring
 
Questions & Answers
No asterisk means Dr. Chambers responded via email after the presentation
*Dr. Chambers responded to these questions live at the end of the presentation.
**These responses were compiled by HT-RADAR.
How many HT survivor patients are your findings based on?

600 patients, 4000 visits

 

**The study cites over 3,000 patient visits across all Medical Safe Haven locations.”Trauma-coerced Attachment and Complex PTSD: Informed Care for Survivors of Human Trafficking” was published in Jan 2022. The figure has grown significantly since it’s publication

Speaker Bio
Dr. Ronald Chambers Jr.Dr. Ronald Chambers Jr. attended medical school at George Washington, residency at Dignity Health Methodist Hospital, completed fellowships in Faculty Development, Program Director Development, and earned the title of Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is the DIO and Program Director for the Dignity Health Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program, Chair of the Family Medicine Department, Chief of South Sacramento Hill Physicians, Medical Director for Mercy Medical Safe Haven Clinic, Physician Advisor for the Dignity Health Human Trafficking Response, Clinical Faculty for UC Davis School of Medicine, and Clinical Associate Professor for California Northstate College of Medicine. He is passionate about the acute and longitudinal care for patients who have experienced exploitation through human trafficking and the creation of trauma-informed, victim-centered “Medical Safe Havens” for survivors coinciding with resident physician education and training.  With promising outcomes for over 2000 patient visits provided the Medical Safe Haven is a low cost and sustainable model that, if replicated, could provide widespread care while concurrently training the physicians of tomorrow to appropriately identify, respond to, and longitudinally treat this vulnerable patient population.
Presentation Description
The trauma experienced within the trafficking victim population is frequently chronic and complex, and may coincide with time frames of brain development leading to specific manifestations of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD), intermixed with trauma-coerced attachment (TCA) – often referred to as trauma bonding- to the abuser(s). Healthcare providers need to consider incorporating both psychological and pharmacological treatments to adequately address complex PTSD with concurrent TCA. Trauma-coerced Attachment and Complex PTSD: Informed Care for Survivors of Human TraffickingHowever, more research and a better understanding of effective approaches for treating trafficking-related PTSD are essential to better inform survivor-centered care. Here, we present a conceptual understanding of trauma-coerced attachment and complex PTSD in trafficking victims, as well as an approach to comprehensive, trauma-informed care used at our medical safe haven (MSH). Improving the ability of healthcare professionals to effectively treat the psychological trauma of trafficked persons in a trauma-informed manner contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.