Social Health Care for Healing Syrian Refugees

Our efforts to provide ongoing training in trauma treatment to grass roots service providers/volunteers working with the refugees is shifting to a new level of development. We are in the process of hiring professionals in the region to teach our basic program in crisis intervention, active listening, and psychological support. With our manual now translated into Arabic, we will be able to expand training opportunities to larger numbers of people who can then help expand support services to the refugees. Additionally, we are now adding two special virtual trainings per month on specific need topics that people on the ground are requesting. Through our growing number of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other mental health professionals we are able to expand these offerings. Topics in the next couple of months include:

a. Overview of trauma, its impact on the mind and body, and what we know from a treatment perspective

b. Use of Narrative therapy with traumatized populations

c. Mindfulness meditation for stress relief

d. How to address increasing populations with self-mutilation amongst children/teens

There is another medical/social support mission in July serving thousands of refugees over several days as part of our ongoing collaboration with SAMS (Syrian American Medical Society) and NAMA (National Arab-American Medical Association). We are tentative planning for another mission in October. All SHC staff will be in Jordan in October for hands on-training working with the refugees, provide training to professionals/volunteers/students working with us in the region, and teach at the International Trans-Generational Trauma conference in Amman which annually offers workshops relevant to the needs of the refugees. Special emphasis in October will be on the use of expressive arts in working with trauma.