Psychosocial Support for Humanitarian Aid Workers

Fiona Dunkley is a senior accredited MBACP Psychotherapist, Trauma Specialist, Supervisor and Trainer. She is a member of EMDR, UKRCP and ESTSS. Fiona founded FD Consultants, offering psychosocial support and trauma specialist services for humanitarian aid organisations. She has presented on ‘Good Morning Britain’ as a trauma expert, has published several articles and has been asked to speak at various international conferences.

"Raising standards in psychosocial support for those working on humanitarian response to crises and disaster is only just being recognised by those organisations working in the field. This book is an essential and timely contribution to understanding the need for such support as well as providing a practical guide to establishing systems and approaches. I would urge all those responsible for humanitarian aid workers and indeed, for those responsible for staff or volunteers working in development organisations, to read this book as a matter of urgency and to take on board its recommendations" Philip Goodwin, Chief Executive, VSO International.

• AcknowledgementsPreface 1. Introduction: the roadmap of psychological risk Aid work: the curse of the strong Organisational duty of care Ripple effect of trauma The changing face of aid work The scars of wisdom 2. The physiology of trauma:the mechanics of trauma What is trauma? The survival response How is the brain impacted by trauma? Common trauma symptoms 3. Treating trauma: support vehicles of recovery What are trauma specialist treatments? EMDR: how does it work? Case study 1 (EMDR) TF-CBT: how does it work? Case study 2 (TF-CBT) 4. Resilience toolkit: the first aid kit Relaxation Education Social Physical Exercise Creativity Thinking 5. Psychosocial management of critical incidents: the emergency route Peter Moore: case study Megan Nobert: case study Organisational trauma What psychological support should be available to staff after a critical incident? Appropriate timings of offering psychological support Summary of early interventions 6. The complete package of care: the road most travelled Pre-deployment psychosocial support Psychosocial support during deployment Post-deployment psychosocial support The homecoming Conclusion 7. Cultural relevance of psychosocial support: local roadmaps Culturally sensitive support Cultural models of psychosocial support Developing localised services or importing international professionals Supporting national staff Conclusion 8. Conclusion: the complete trauma grab bag Survival Unresolved trauma leads to war Post-traumatic growth Final thoughts Sources of help ReferencesIndex