We are excited to announce the launch of our eighth cohort of the Healing and Resilience after Trauma (HaRT) program with survivors of human trafficking. HaRT is a 3-month group mind-body intervention combining mindfulness practices, yoga poses, and supportive group discussions. The program addresses three core themes: safety in the body, radical self-love, and healthy relationships. Through our collaboration with the HaRT nonprofit organization, we have integrated a culturally adapted version of this program into our core mental health services for survivors of human trafficking.
We recently published the key findings of our collaborative research with the University of Alabama School of Social Work and the nonprofit organization HaRT exploring the effectiveness of the program with survivors of human trafficking in the Philippines. Our mixed-methods research found that participation in HaRT was associated with statistically significant reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among survivors. Among participants in the HaRT program, rates of depression dropped from 61% to 11%, rates of PTSD dropped from 56% to 17%, and rates of anxiety declined from 44% to 6%.
Globally, most survivors of human trafficking do not have access to survivor-centered, evidence-informed mental health care. At Eleison, we are committed to removing barriers to mental health treatment and ensuring that survivors have access to free, trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and effective mental health care. We are grateful for the financial support provided by the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery grant program and the Harry Shapiro Charitable Foundation which have enabled us to continue to expand the reach of this impactful program to people with lived experience of human trafficking in the Philippines.
