Integrating Heart Rate Variability in Trauma Treatment: Clinical Applications with Torture Survivors

Certificate of Completion

To be issued with a Certificate of Completion you need to view the recordings by clicking on the modules listed under ‘Course Content’ below. You will need to watch the recordings in full to be issued with a certificate. If you prefer to watch individual recordings only, then click on the links for the individual recordings in the ‘Course Description’ below.

Course Description

Refugee survivors of torture and trauma often experience ongoing disruptions to emotional and nervous system regulation following violence, persecution, displacement, and loss. These impacts can leave the nervous system in persistent states of hyperarousal, shutdown, or instability, affecting a person’s sense of safety, connection, and wellbeing.

This Clinical Master Class explores the role of heart rate variability (HRV) in understanding and supporting autonomic nervous system functioning in survivors of complex trauma, offering clinicians practical, body-based approaches to supporting regulation, stress recovery, and emotional stability.

Recording 1: Dr Kasia Kozlowska, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Westmead Children’s Hospital. Recording Link: https://youtu.be/GJHVPjLrsUk

Recording 2: Melissa Beit, Neurofeedback Counsellor, STARTTS. Recording Link: https://youtu.be/XOD0kPC_EvA

Recording 3: The Q&A panel discussion facilitated by STARTTS’ CEO and Clinical Psychologist, Jorge Aroche. Recording Link: https://youtu.be/JgGAFhuXTyI

This webinar was recorded on 22 July 2026. © STARTTS. Click on the ‘Materials’ tab above for PDFs of the slides.

Duration: 80 minutes. 

What you’ll gain

• A practical understanding of heart rate variability and autonomic nervous system functioning
• Insights into the relationship between trauma, stress physiology, embodiment, and emotional regulation
• Knowledge of how HRV can be integrated into trauma-informed clinical practice
• An understanding of body-based approaches that support regulation and recovery in complex trauma
• A real clinical case study illustrating HRV training with a survivor of torture and genocide
• Strategies to support emotional and physiological stability in refugee trauma work
• Greater confidence integrating nervous system-informed interventions into therapeutic practice
• The opportunity to watch a Q&A discussion

This webinar is ideal for:

• Psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, and social workers
• Mental health clinicians working with trauma and complex PTSD
• Practitioners working with refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture and trauma
• Occupational therapists, body-based practitioners, and neurofeedback clinicians
• Youth, family, and community practitioners supporting trauma-affected populations
• Health and humanitarian workers interested in nervous system regulation and trauma recovery
• Anyone interested in trauma neuroscience, embodiment, and trauma-informed care