Dr. Kate Porterfield, PhD

Dr. Katherine Porterfield (she/her) is a consulting psychologist at the Bellevue Hospital Program for Survivors of Torture and a founding staff member of the Journalist Trauma Support Network, an initiative at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. Dr. Porterfield has provided clinical care to adults, children, and families who have experienced war and refugee trauma and torture for over 25 years. She has written and edited numerous publications pertaining to the care and evaluation of survivors of trauma. She regularly consults on issues pertaining to trauma and torture, including in cases at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, in US federal and state courts, and the International Criminal Court. Dr. Porterfield has worked extensively with journalists, attorneys, and human rights organizations on recognizing and managing secondary traumatic stress stress and building well-being practices. She was trained at the legendary Second City theater and was one of the founding instructors in the Second City Training Centers in Detroit and New York. As a group facilitator, Dr. Porterfield has developed workshops and interactive programs for organizations such as the International Women’s Media Foundation, The New York Times, Washington Post, Physicians for Human Rights, Committee to Protect Journalists, NPR, Major League Baseball, Pfizer, and the Ford Foundation. We are honored to have Dr. Porterfield as a plenary speaker and can’t wait until she graces the RJC stage. Stay connected to Dr. Porterfield!