scholarly journals Trauma Psycho Social Support Plus® and EMDR therapy for children and adolescents in a post-conflict setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-87
Author(s):  
Frank Hofmann ◽  
Mirjam Goihl ◽  
Michael Hase ◽  
Adrian Hase
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Refugee Camps ◽  
Conflict Setting ◽  
Northern Iraq ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Post Conflict

Abstract: Being confronted with the alarming situation in countries like Iraq and Syria – areas shaped by war, of people having lost their homes and suffering from horrible experiences - TraumaAid has designed and conducted a training program, especially for health workers in refugee camps. Clearly the intervention would have to adjust to specific circumstances; it would need a method adapted to another language and culture, an approach that could be used in a not-yet-secure situation with an undetermined number of sessions with every client. Resilience is an important aspect enabling people who suffered from different traumata to resume an everyday life again. Resource installation is a basic technique in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) which intensifies an integral awareness of individual resources for the client. As easy as this method may seem, a careful priming for its actual use is required. A profound understanding of how a traumatic experience affects body, thoughts and emotions is needed as background knowledge. Moreover qualified skills concerning the interaction with children are needed to be able to establish a trustful relationship in the first place. The following article describes a pilot project in Kurdistan / Northern Iraq - a training for psychologists, social workers and other mental health professionals working in different refugee camps. The aim was to provide the staff members with background knowledge of the dynamics of traumatization and teach them how to use resource installation in a responsible way to work with children, adolescents and their parents. 

Hygiene treatment of the hands of health workers is the most important condition for the prevention of infections related to medical care (assessment of the implementation of the pilot project)

2020 ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
Nikolay Vladimirovich Shestopalov ◽  
◽  
Izabella Aleksandrovna Khrapunova ◽  
Tatyana Nikolaevna Shestopalova ◽  
Vasiliy Gennadevich Akimkin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Important Condition ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
Prevention Of Infections

Now they’re listening: involvement in clinical psychology training

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Laura Lea ◽  
Sue Holttum ◽  
Victoria Butters ◽  
Diana Byrne ◽  
Helen Cable ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Clinical Psychology ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Service User ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Psychology Training ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Clinical Psychology Training ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe 2014/2015 UK requirement for involvement of service users and carers in training mental health professionals has prompted the authors to review the work of involvement in clinical psychology training in the university programme. Have the voices of service users and carers been heard? The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe authors update the paper of 2011 in which the authors described the challenges of inclusion and the specific approaches the authors take to involvement. The authors do this in the context of the recent change to UK standards for service user and carer involvement, and recent developments in relation to partnership working and co-production in mental healthcare. The authors describe the work carried out by the authors – members of a service user involvement group at a UK university – to ensure the voices of people affected by mental health difficulties are included in all aspects of training.FindingsCareful work and the need for dedicated time is required to enable inclusive, effective and comprehensive participation in a mental health training programme. It is apparent that there is a group of service users whose voice is less heard: those who are training to be mental health workers.Social implicationsFor some people, involvement has increased. Trainee mental health professionals’ own experience of distress may need more recognition and valuing.Originality/valueThe authors are in a unique position to review a service-user-led project, which has run for 12 years, whose aim has been to embed involvement in training. The authors can identify both achievements and challenges.

scholarly journals Conflict affected, parallel health systems: challenges to collaboration between ethnic and government health systems in Kayin State, Myanmar

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colette Pang Biesty ◽  
Aung Ja Brang ◽  
Barry Munslow
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Peace Accord ◽  
Government Health ◽  
Peace Processes ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Observation Methods ◽  
Minority Ethnic Groups

Abstract Background Myanmar has had a long history of civil wars with its minority ethnic groups and is yet to see a sustainable peace accord. The conflicts have had a significant impact on health in Myanmar, with ethnic populations experiencing inequitable health outcomes. Consequently, to meet the health needs of ethnic people, Ethnic Health Organisations and Community-Based Health Organisations (EHO/CBHOs) created their own health system. The EHO/CBHO and Government health systems, provided by the Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports (MoHS), remain parallel, despite both stakeholders discussing unification of the health systems within the context of ongoing but unresolved peace processes. EHO/CBHOs discuss the ‘convergence’ of health systems, whilst the MoHS discuss the integration of health providers under their National Health Plan. Methods A qualitative study design was used to explore the challenges to collaboration between EHO/CBHOs and the MoHS in Kayin state, Myanmar. Twelve health workers from different levels of the Karen EHO/CBHO health system were interviewed. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and coded. Data was analysed thematically using the Framework method. Topic guides evolved in an iterative process, as themes emerged inductively from the transcripts. A literature review and observation methods were also utilised to increase validity of the data. Results The challenges to collaboration were identified in the following five themes: (1) the current situation is not ‘post conflict’ (2) a lack of trust (3) centralised nature of the MoHS (4) lack of EHO/CBHO health worker accreditation (5) the NHP is not implemented in some ethnic areas. Conclusions Ultimately, all five challenges to collaboration stem from the lack of peace in Myanmar. The health systems cannot be ‘converged or ‘integrated’ until there is a peace accord which is acceptable to all actors. EHO/CBHOs want a federal political system, where the health system is devolved, equitable and accessible to all ethnic people. External donors should understand this context and remain neutral by supporting all health actors in a conflict sensitive manner.

The Challenges Facing Mental Health Programs for Post-Conflict and Refugee Communities

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrick Silove
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Displaced Persons ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Post Conflict

AbstractThe majority of refugees and communities exposed to warfare and oppression live in low-income countries with few resources or special skills. Yet, epidemiological studies have identified high levels of traumatic stress reactions in such populations. These stress reactions can be intensified by harsh policies aimed at deterring survivors from seeking refuge in technologically advanced societies. The scale of the problem of mass violence and displacement creates formidable challenges for mental health professionals in their efforts to develop practical frameworks for responding to the extensive needs of displaced persons. In this article, a model is proposed for low-income, post-conflict countries, based on a two-tiered formulation. At the eco-social level, mental health professionals can play a supportive, but not a lead, role in facilitating recovery of core adaptive systems that hasten natural recovery from stress for the majority of the population. Where small-scale, community mental health services are established, the emphasis should be on assisting persons and their families who are at greatest survival and adaptive risk. Training and promotion of local workers to assume leadership in such programs are essential. In technologically advanced societies in which refugees are in a minority, torture and trauma services can focus more specifically on traumatic stress reactions, acculturation, and resettlement. In a historical epoch in which displaced persons are facing particularly harsh treatment, there is a pressing need for consensus amongst mental health professionals in advocating for their needs.

scholarly journals External actors’ role in solving local collective action problems in a post-conflict setting: A case study of Turkish Cypriot beekeepers

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Omer Gokcekus ◽  
Clare Finnegan ◽  
Huseyin Cakal
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Conflict Setting ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Health Quality ◽  
Legal Constraints ◽  
The One ◽  
External Actors ◽  
Turkish Cypriot ◽  
The Eu

In addition to legal constraints and social-psychological barriers, in a post-conflict setting mutually beneficial economic transactions might not occur due to the widening gap between the health, quality, and environmental standards of the parties. A lack of incentives during the years of conflict prevent the members of the weaker party, the one economically isolated from the rest of the world, from engaging in the collective learning necessary to upgrade the health and packaging standards of their commodities. In this study, we detail the technical, political, and legal challenges external actors must consider in order to successfully help small businesses in a post-conflict environment. Specifically, we explain how the EU helped Turkish Cypriot beekeepers by supplying funds to support training and educational programs, and upgrade the equipment used by the beekeepers. We demonstrate that third parties, like the EU, can provide the impetus for domestic institutions—such as producers associations, chambers of commerce, and cooperatives—to overcome their collective action problem. [JEL codes: D74, H56, O1]

scholarly journals Evaluation of a pilot program for task sharing short and long-acting contraceptive methods in Burkina Faso

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1499
Author(s):  
Dawn S. Chin-Quee ◽  
Kathleen Ridgeway ◽  
Yentéma Onadja ◽  
Georges Guiella ◽  
Guy Martial Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Task Sharing ◽  
Planning Methods ◽  
Long Acting

Background: The Family Health Directorate of the Ministry of Health  and Marie Stopes Burkina Faso, with implementing partners, Association Burkinabè pour le Bien-être Familial  and Equilibres & Populations  collaboratively conducted a pilot project in Burkina Faso focused on “increasing access to family planning (FP) services through task-sharing short- and long-acting family planning methods to primary care cadres.” Four cadres of providers  provided intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants, while community health workers (CHWs)  provided pills and subcutaneous injectables. FHI 360 and the Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population  evaluated the project’s impact on method uptake, client satisfaction, safety, acceptability and the feasibility of task sharing. Methods: The evaluation employed FP service statistics on new users and conducted 425 client exit interviews  and 27 in-depth interviews . New FP clients, community representatives, MoH officials, and pilot project-trained FP providers from Dandé and Tougan districts participated in these interviews. Results: Providers, community representatives and government officials all spoke favorably of the pilot project and considered it a boon to women and the communities in which they lived. FP clients were satisfied with their methods and the services they received from their respective providers, and they reported no safety concerns. However, service statistics did not show a clear and steady increase in method uptake for the four methods beyond spikes coinciding with pre-existing free contraceptive weeks. Conclusions:  A scale-up plan for 2020-2022 is in place and will purposefully implement sensitization and demand generation activities to improve FP uptake beyond free contraceptive weeks.

scholarly journals What differs former, light and heavy smokers? Evidence from a post-conflict setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-22
Author(s):  
Tatjana Gazibara ◽  
Marija Milic ◽  
Milan Parlic ◽  
Jasmina Stevanovic ◽  
Nebojsa Mitic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Smoking Prevention ◽  
Second Hand Smoke ◽  
Tobacco Prevention ◽  
Conflict Setting ◽  
Heavy Smoking ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Former Smokers ◽  
Heavy Smokers

Background: Evidence suggests that people who live in regions affected by the armed conflict are more likely to smoke. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess factors associated with smoking status in a sample of students in the northern Kosovo province. Materials and methods: A total of 514 students enrolled in University in Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo, were recruited be- tween April to June 2015 at Student Public Health Center during mandatory health checks. Participants filled in socio-demo- graphic and behavioral questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Based on responses about smoking, students were categorized in non-smokers, former smokers, light smokers (1-13 cigarettes/day) and heavy smokers (> 13 cigarettes/ day). Results: Of 514 students, 116 (22.6%) classified themselves as smokers. Higher education level of fathers (Odds ra- tio [OR]=2.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-6.44, p=0.009), not living with smokers (OR=0.42, 95%CI 0.15-0.97, p=0.017) and longer exposure to second hand smoke (OR=1.07, 95%CI 1.01-1.13, p=0.036) was associated with former smoking. Studying medical and natural sciences (OR=2.07, 95%CI 1.05-4.18, p=0.040), consuming alcohol (OR=2.98, 95%CI 1.19-10.03, p=0.020), living with smokers (OR=2.88, 95%CI 1.49-5.56, p=0.002), longer exposure to second hand smoke (OR=1.06, 95%CI 1.01-1.11, p=0.019) and having a more intense depressive symptoms (OR=1.08, 95%CI 1.03-1.13, p=0.002) was associated with light smoking. Being male (OR=0.22, 95%CI 0.07-0.41, p=0.001), older (OR=1.47, 95%CI 1.21-1.78, p=0.001), living with smokers (OR=3.78, 95%CI 1.69-8.07, p=0.001), longer daily exposure to second-hand smoke (OR=1.10, 95%CI 1.04-1.16, p=0.001), and having more severe depressive symptoms (OR=1.12, 95%CI 1.07-1.18, p=0.001) were associated with heavy smoking. Conclusion: Smoking prevention and cessation programs should include the entire community, because exposure to en- vironmental second hand smoke may facilitate initiation and more intense smoking. Screening of student smokers for depression should be prioritized in the process of rebuilding the framework for primary and secondary prevention in the post-conflict period. Keywords: Students; smoking; tobacco; prevention.

Transcultural issues in the dynamics of a Balint clinical reflection group for community mental health workers

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 366-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Group Process ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Clinical Work ◽  
Reflection Group ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Community Mental Health Workers

The author presents transcultural issues in the content, process, and group dynamics of consecutive meetings of a Balint clinical reflection group for community mental health workers at Inala, Australia. Balint work and the context and evolution of the group process are briefly described, as is the consultative research methodology. The process of a Balint group meeting is reported in detail, following the author’s consultation with group members. The collaborative work of a culturally diverse team of mental health professionals is examined in the context of discussion of a practitioner–patient relationship in which transcultural, gender, and family conflicts were the focus of affective and cognitive dissonance. For mental health workers engaging with communities of cultural diversity, Balint reflection groups can facilitate insight into cultural countertransferences that adversely affect clinical work. The group served to support the caseworkers’ engagement with patients of different cultures, and provided a safe environment for the creative consideration and exploration in fantasy of the emotional pressures and complex ethical dilemmas related to boundaries in transcultural client–practitioner relationships, including those in which open discussion would otherwise be avoided.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document