Episode
Reimagining Trauma Healing for Refugees with Yukako Sortino
- Podcast
- Transforming Trauma
- Published
- Feb 4, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4470
- Processing state
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Summary
"Healing is not about improvement of daily functionalities or reduction of symptoms. Healing is deeply relational, cultural, and it's a political act." - Yukako Sortino On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes Yukako Sortino, Manager of the Refugee Behavioral Wellness Program at Heartland Alliance Health, for a profoundly moving dialogue on trauma, resilience, and relational healing within refugee and immigrant communities. Drawing from her work in Chicago and her lived experience as an immigrant, Yukako invites listeners to reconsider healing as a collective, nonlinear journey that honors dignity, body, identity, and culture. Yukako illuminates the "triple trauma paradigm"—pre-migration, migration, and post-migration trauma—emphasizing how experiences of displacement and systemic oppression are woven into the fabric of everyday life for many refugees and immigrants. She shares how the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®) influences her approach as a relational lens, not a rigid method—prioritizing paced, attuned presence, honoring survival adaptations, and centering co-regulation before self-regulation. Through a vivid case study and reflection, she illustrates how micro-interventions, group-based and somatic supports, and culturally rooted practices restore agency and belonging amid ongoing adversity. The conversation also highlights the structural barriers and burnout faced by providers, advocating for rest as an ethical imperative and collective care as essential resistance. Listeners are called to see beyond clinical outcomes, to foster authentic community, and to recognize the vital role of therapist self-care and sustainability. We invite you to listen to the full episode and follow Transforming Trauma on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouT…