Training in the Field of Psycho-traumatology
The continued exposure of Palestinian people to traumatic experiences at both social and political levels has led to an increase in the number of people suffering from the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder including insomnia, nightmares, numbing and hopelessness. In addition, other trauma-related disorders such as depression, panic disorder, and anxiety affect the overall mental health of the individual and require urgent psychological support to restore psychological balance.
Wings of Hope for trauma, in cooperation with the Center for Psycho-Traumatology and Trauma-Therapy Lower Saxony (ZPTN) and Wings of Hope Germany, has provided a training program for mental health professionals, in order to fill a need for specialized expertise to assist people suffering from trauma. The focus of this training is to provide practical application of the latest scientific methods to treat psychological trauma. Some of the topics that the training tackles are the fundamentals of psycho-traumatology, the importance of stabilization and resource mobilization and anchoring, neuroplasticity, and trauma confrontation and treatment. The objectives of the training are to gain a deeper understanding of this field, to work on the development of guidance and therapeutic skills for staff working in the field of mental health with people who suffer from psychological trauma, and to detect early trauma-related symptoms.
The training program includes seven stages, each stage lasts for five consecutive days, with the stages spread out over two and a half years, interspersed with meetings of review and supervision of the previous stages.
The Use of Music to Promote Mental Health
In the Palestinian community, people’s opportunities are reduced by oppression, occupation, and poverty, therefore, music can be used to create possibilities for action. The use of expressive and reflective elements of music can positively influence our mind, body, brain, and behavior.
Using music to promote mental health is a process by which music is used to alleviate the clients‘ psychological symptoms, help them become aware of their emotions, express themselves when words fail to speak, and facilitate communication through the use of sound and improvisation.
Wings of Hope for trauma, in cooperation with the German organization, “Music Can Help,” offers this music training for social workers and psychologists. The training focuses on the theories of the application of music and the techniques used when working with clients, as well as introducing various musical instruments and the basics of improvisation and role-playing. In addition, participants are trained on activities and exercises that help address specific topics and express them through music.