Our History

The Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture grew out of a partnership of progressive mental health organisations including, the Emergency Services Group (ESG), The Detainees Treatment Team (DTT), the Organisation for Appropriate Social Services in South Africa (OASSA) and the National Medical Doctors Association (NAMDA), which were established during the 1980s to address the broad needs of the many victims of repression and human rights abuses by the apartheid regime.

The Trauma Centre was officially launched in July 1993 to cater for the mental health needs of ex-political prisoners, returned exiles and other victims of political violence and repression. Since 1993, the Trauma Centre has grown and evolved, in response to the changing needs of the population. Today the organisation comprises nearly 30 staff members involved in rendering the following programmes:

• Trauma Response (Crisis & Continuous trauma)
• Political Violence (Torture and Refugee Projects)
• Children and Violence
• Training

In response to the changing face of violence and the changing needs of post apartheid South Africa, The Trauma Centre has expanded its services to cater for a broader spectrum of requests that fall within the human rights abuses spectrum.

The Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture grew out of a partnership of progressive mental health organisations including, the Emergency Services Group (ESG), The Detainees Treatment Team (DTT), the Organisation for Appropriate Social Services in South Africa (OASSA) and the National Medical Doctors Association (NAMDA), which were established during the 1980s to address the broad needs of the many victims of repression and human rights abuses by the apartheid regime.

The Trauma Centre was officially launched in July 1993 to cater for the mental health needs of ex-political prisoners, returned exiles and other victims of political violence and repression. Since 1993, the Trauma Centre has grown and evolved, in response to the changing needs of the population. Today the organisation comprises nearly 30 staff members involved in rendering the following programmes:

• Trauma Response (Crisis & Continuous trauma)
• Political Violence (Torture and Refugee Projects)
• Children and Violence
• Training

In response to the changing face of violence and the changing needs of post apartheid South Africa, The Trauma Centre has expanded its services to cater for a broader spectrum of requests that fall within the human rights abuses spectrum.

Vision

The Trauma Centre is committed to the transformation of South Africa into a non-violent society and the development of a culture of respect for human rights.

Mission

The Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture will contribute to the transformation of South Africa into a non-violent society by providing and advocating for professional mental health services that:

•  relieve the traumatic stress experienced by survivors of violence and torture and promote their healing,
• develop and implement preventative interventions that impact on cycles of violence within families and communities,
• identify and analyse the origins and dynamics of violence and trauma to inform appropriate interventions.

The Trauma Centre's strategic objectives are to:

• provide informed, accessible, preventative and curative mental health services to individuals and groups affected by violence, primarily in the Western Cape and secondarily in the Eastern and Northern Cape,
• promote the wellbeing of the communities within which we operate,
• increase the understanding of trauma and its effects through research,
• build networks and liaise with partners to achieve a common purpose and to provide the most appropriate and sustainable support for clients,
• engage with institutions or individuals whose activities result in trauma and violence in a principled and constructive manner,
• build capacity within other organisations that work with survivors of violence,
• build networks and liaise with partners to achieve a common purpose,
• achieve excellence through training and motivation staff.

For further information contact us on: +27 (0)21 465 7373

"I can?t forget it for a moment. The trauma is with me every moment."

"The greatest pain is the pain that we are unable to express."

"For all the time you spent listening to me, I thank you and God must give you strength more and more. From someone who used to lose hope, but now I have hope, thanks to you."

Quotes from Survivors of Violence and Trauma.

"The greatest pain is the pain that we are unable to express."

"For all the time you spent listening to me, I thank you and God must give you strength more and more. From someone who used to lose hope, but now I have hope, thanks to you."

Quotes from Survivors of Violence and Trauma.