Everyone experiences suffering during their lives. Physical suffering is often visible and more noticeable. Mental and emotional suffering is invisible. Yet it hurts as deeply (or perhaps more deeply) as any physical injury. This pain cripples the lives of the people around us . . . or perhaps our own lives are crippled.

The purpose of this course  is to help and equip service providers with a greater understanding of people, mental health and trauma. The second goal is learning how to have positive impact through safe, compassionate and coordinated care. This course discusses similarities and differences among individuals and people groups. Topics are covered from medical, psychological, social, and spiritual perspectives. This is called whole person care or holistic care.

This content has been adapted to be (but is not limited to) use with the following formal and informal service provider groups:

Trauma Counselling Training is divided into five main parts. References are included at the end of each part.

Part One 

gives an overview of why people face problems from a holistic perspective. In addition, it provides models to better understand how to foster healing.

Part Two

defines stress and trauma along with its causes and consequences.

Part Three  

explains how to prevent stress and/or manage stress. In addition, this part covers basic counseling skills, and how to counsel in different settings. Part Three concludes with with simple tools to measure progress and success in a broad way.

Part Four

examines mental, neurological and substance use disorders. This content is based on the World Health Organization guidelines.

Part Five

describes and discusses specific groups of people, along with common issues for each group. These groups are: combatants, prisoners, people without homes, older adults, women, children and adolescents.