Three Day Refugee Trauma 101 Continuing Education Course
This 18-hour, continuing education course for volunteers and mental health professionals working with refugees introduces the refugee trauma experience to enhance resilience and self-healing. The course also covers the self-care of helpers, and includes lectures, discussions and experiential workshops.
When: April 8-10, 2016.
Where: Laurier’s Waterloo campus.
Cost: $150 plus HST (includes lunches)
Instructors
Heidi Ahonen, PhD, RP, MTA, FAMI, professor of Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier University, graduate of the Harvard programme of Global Trauma Recovery: Refugee Trauma. Ahonen is a psychotherapist specialized in refugee trauma and PTSD. She conducts vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue workshops all over the world.
Brice Balmer holds a DMin in spirituality and addiction from University of St Michael’s College, an MA in regional planning and resource development from the University of Waterloo, and an MDiv from Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
Iman Arab graduated from Aleppo University in Syria with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree, then a MPH from Damascus University. As a doctor, Arab worked in varies Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Kuwait and Jordan, with both national and international organizations. Her professional career in Canada has been health-related, especially in the field of mental health promotion and education, diversity and intercultural communication skills. Over the past 10 years she has been a board member of the Reception House for government-assisted refugees, and of the Muslim Social Services. She is a member of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council and Community Coalition on Refugee and Immigrant Concerns, and the vice-chair for the Immigration Partnership – Belonging Group.
Topics Covered
Topics to be covered include:
- Intercultural communication skills;
- “Cultural meaning making” of trauma;
- Introduction to refugee trauma;
- Understanding neurology and implications of PTSD;
- Refugee trauma experience;
- Trauma screening;
- Stories that heal: introduction to refugee trauma and healing stories, and how to use storytelling to enhance resilience and self-healing;
- Spirituality and trauma;
- Participants’ own life stories;
- Self-care of helpers: vicarious traumatization and compassion fatigue.
Registration
Download the Refugee Trauma 101 registration form and follow the instructions on the form.
Well-being For Refugees Sponsorship Group Preparation
The Sponsorship Group Preparation event is an opportunity to gather individuals and groups who are in the process of sponsoring a refugee(s). The hope for the day is that through interactive presentations, participants will gain knowledge regarding Syrian history and culture, trauma and settlement services. There will be opportunities to meet others who are sponsoring refugees and to engage the agencies and groups who provide community support.
Workshop
Refugee Trauma 101 Workshop
Where & When
Saturday, 23 January 2016 from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM (EST)
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary – Corner of Bricker Ave. and Albert St.. Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo Campus. Waterloo, ON CA
Sponsorship Group Preparation: well-being for refugees and sponsors
The Sponsorship Group Preparation event is an opportunity to gather individuals and groups who are in the process of sponsoring a refugee(s). The hope for the day is that through interactive presentations, participants will gain knowledge regarding Syrian history and culture, trauma and settlement services. There will be opportunities to meet others who are sponsoring refugees and to engage the agencies and groups who provide community support.
Workshop
Refugee Trauma 101 Workshop
Where & When
Saturday, 5 December 2015 from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM (EST)
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary – Corner of Bricker Ave. and Albert St.. Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo Campus. Waterloo, ON CA
Experiential Workshop: University of Limerick
Experiential Workshop
EXPLORING THE SOURCE OF VICARIOUS TRAUMA AND BURNOUT AND EMPTYING THE CONTAINERS
Instructor: Heidi Ahonen, PhD
Are you a helping professional, therapist, nurse, social worker, or volunteer? Do you work with traumatized people? Do you witness or share heartbreaking experiences day after day? This experiential workshop is for those who listen to the traumatic experiences of others and find those experiences to be traumas that burdens them as well. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue affect helping professionals’ physical, psychological and spiritual health as they observe and interact in daily traumatic accounts or react to the traumatic situations of others. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue not only steal away a helping professional’s passion, but also deteriorates their health. Many of us have unknowingly experienced it. It manifests as a sense of helplessness and ultimately leads to burnout and depression if disregarded. During this experiential workshop a variety of experiential techniques will be used to help participants identify and explore their vicarious traumatization, burnout, stress and resources.
Place: University of Limerick
Time: May 18, 2013 at 12 – 4:30 pm (Includes a coffee break)
Heidi’s Bio
Heidi Ahonen, PhD, Psychotherapist, Group Analyst, Accredited Music Therapist, and Compassion Fatigue Specialist, is a professor of Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier and director of the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research. Her teaching career includes posts at North Karelia Polytechnic, the Sibelius Academy for Further Education and the Finnish Mental Health Association’s Psychotherapy Training Institute. She has extensive clinical and supervisory experience and has published widely on various therapeutic methodologies and qualitative research. Heidi is the author of Group Analytic Music Therapy (2007) by Barcelona publishers. Heidi has trained music therapists and psychotherapists and conducted workshops for healthcare professionals since 1991. As a clinician, Heidi practices music psychotherapy and in the music therapy field she has developed group analytic music therapy methods, group analytic music therapy supervision model, integrated art and music therapy methods and music listening, imagination and improvisation methods. She specializes in adult clients with childhood traumas, PTSD, burn-out, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and depression.
Experiential Workshop: Finnish Group Analytic Society, Kaupunkilahetys, Helsinki, Finland
Experiential Workshop
EXPLORING THE SOURCE OF VICARIOUS TRAUMA AND BURNOUT AND EMPTYING THE CONTAINERS
Instructor: Heidi Ahonen, PhD
Are you a helping professional, therapist, nurse, social worker, missionary worker, pastor, rescue worker, or volunteer? Do you work with traumatized people? Do you witness or share heartbreaking experiences day after day? This experiential workshop is ideal for those who listen to the traumatic experiences of others and find those experiences to be traumas that burdens them as well. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue affect helping professionals’ physical, psychological and spiritual health as they observe and interact in daily traumatic accounts or react to the traumatic situations of others. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue not only steal away a helping professional’s passion, but also deteriorates their health. Many of us have unknowingly experienced it. It manifests as a sense of helplessness and ultimately leads to burnout and depression if disregarded. During this experiential workshop a variety of experiential techniques will be used to help participants identify and explore their vicarious traumatization, burnout, stress and resources.
Place: Finnish Group Analytic Society, Kaupunkilahetys, Helsinki, Finland
Time: Sept 8, 2012 at 9 am – 2 pm
WORKSHOP CONTENT
9- 10:00 Introduction of Vicarious Traumatization? What it is? What are the sings? What contributes it?
Break
10:15-11:45 Experiential workshop
Lunch Break
12:30 -14:00 Experiential workshop
Heidi’s Bio
Heidi Ahonen, PhD, Psychotherapist, Group Analyst, Accredited Music Therapist, and Compassion Fatigue Specialist, is a professor of Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier and director of the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research. Her teaching career includes posts at North Karelia Polytechnic, the Sibelius Academy for Further Education and the Finnish Mental Health Association’s Psychotherapy Training Institute. She has extensive clinical and supervisory experience and has published widely on various therapeutic methodologies and qualitative research. Heidi is the author of Group Analytic Music Therapy (2007) by Barcelona publishers. Heidi has trained music therapists and psychotherapists and conducted workshops for healthcare professionals since 1991. As a clinician, Heidi practices music psychotherapy and in the music therapy field she has developed group analytic music therapy methods, group analytic music therapy supervision model, integrated art and music therapy methods and music listening, imagination and improvisation methods. She specializes in adult clients with childhood traumas, PTSD, burn-out, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and depression.