Date of Award
Winter 3-21-2026
Document Type
Doctoral Research Paper
Degree Name
Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
Organizational Unit
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
First Advisor
Gwen Mitchell
Second Advisor
Tiamo Tamale
Third Advisor
Meghan Colpas
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Keywords
Survivors of torture, Mental health care for asylum seekers, Collaborative therapeutic assessment (C/TA), Refugee, Trauma, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Abstract
Survivors of Torture (SoT) experience disproportionately high rates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety (Steel et al., 2009). Many SoT treatment programs use brief assessments to monitor symptoms (McFarlane & Kaplan, 2012). However, research on integrating feedback into treatment had been limited until Colpas et al.'s 2024 study on Sharebacks, a novel approach where clients review their progress with their clinician in structured feedback sessions. Given the therapeutic potential of assessment feedback (Tarocchi et al., 2013; Smith & George, 2012; Poston & Hanson, 2010) and Colpas et al.'s findings on Sharebacks' importance, this study explores how practitioners can most effectively incorporate psychodiagnostic feedback into SoT psychotherapy.
Using theoretical thematic analysis, qualitative data from transcribed video recordings of Sharebacks with nine SoT (M age = 40.33, SD = 9.62, range = 30-55) were examined to explore themes related to therapist interventions, the therapeutic relationship, client feedback, and post-traumatic growth. Furthermore, practical recommendations for clinical implementation are discussed, highlighting strategies to foster relational healing. By examining the application of Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment principles (Aschieri et al., 2016) in Sharebacks, this study investigates how structured feedback sessions can enhance the treatment of torture and migration trauma. Ultimately, this research provides an innovative exploration of clinical considerations for facilitating a therapeutic assessment feedback experience, ensuring that all elements of a treatment program contribute meaningfully to the healing journey of survivors across various treatment settings.
Copyright Date
12-17-2025
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Samantha Correa
Provenance
Received from Author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
51 pgs
File Size
556 KB
Recommended Citation
Correa, Samantha, "Adaptations of Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment with Survivors of Torture: Clinical Insights from Shareback Conversations" (2026). Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects. 584.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/capstone_masters/584