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Teachers as Therapists
Seminars Our seminars typically last two days and are built upon a core base of information regarding normal child development. For example, seminars typically began with presentations about temperament, attachment and bonding, psychosocial development, specific symptoms of PTSD, diagnostic assessment of depression, and other related psychiatric symptoms. The use of questionnaires and specific interview strategies were included in our presentations. During day two, seminar faculty and volunteer teachers conducted interviews with children in front of the audience. Faculty feedback fine-tuned the interviewing tech- niques and empowered teachers to interact therapeutically with children. As time went by, we revised seminars to address particular issues of concern. Popular topics included: children of shaheed (soldiers killed defending their country) and children of rape, adolescent suicide, substance abuse, victims of rape, the concept of childhood resilience, and the role of the family in trauma treatment. Individual seminars also benefited from presentations by local experts who shared their experience from the field with their colleagues. Manual "The Psychiatric Training Manual for Teachers and Mental Health Professionals," a document we produced early in the Teachers as Therapists Program, has become a valuable item to support our presentations. The manual was upgraded throughout the course and translated into the Bosnian language. It is now being put on the World Wide Web. Participants and organizers We were fortunate to have many collaborators, without whom the seminars would not have been possible. In particular, the Coordinating Council for Humanitarian Agencies has played a pivotal role in obtaining needed funding. UNICEF also is providing funds for our training program. At the local level, residents in each city graciously offered a venue for our sessions. They include, but are not limited to: in Sarajevo, the Edham Mulahdic School, hosted by the staff of the Education Center of Bosnewy; and, in Tuzla, the University of Tuzla faculty of Medicine in Mostar and the Osnave school. The attendance varied from 40 to almost 100 people per seminar. Participants included teachers, students, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. In many cases, we were honored by the presence of local dignitaries Seminar assessment During each seminar, we provided time for audience feedback. Dividing participants into small groups, we asked them to assess the seminar and offer advice for improving it. Certain themes were repeated. Above all, teachers liked hands-on experiences, such as interviews with children and group therapy demonstrations. Many concluded that modeling interviewing techniques with children was the seminar's most helpful attribute. In fact, participants called for seminars with even more interaction, both with children and professionals from other areas.
Seminar participants agreed that frequent follow-up sessions would help to clarify what they had learned. They were ready to share their knowledge with other pro- fessionals in the region and strongly encouraged seminar faculty to forge ties with local counseling centers. Throughout the seminars, we sought suggestions for additional topics for future presentations. Among them were managing bereavement in children, helping children of rape, treating emotions of revenge, wounded children, refugee children in a new community and the trauma experienced by teachers. We hope to touch on all these topics-and more-during return trips to the region. Meanwhile, we have developed a few recommendations as well. We have designed a system in which local professionals, having been trained by us, hold their own training sessions for others. To maximize this arrangement, we recommend follow-up visits to our local trainers. The MU International Center for Psychosocial Trauma will maintain a direct link with these professionals. In addition, we strongly recommend that data on PTSD symptoms and depression of Bosnian children continue to be collected. This data can be used to further assess children's progress in recovering from the tragic effects of war.
Conclusion With generous funding from CCHA and UNICEF and the dedicated effort of faculty members at MU, we have brought direct relief to some of Sarajevo's 60,000 war-traumatized children, as well as to children in Tuzla, Mostar and Zenica. To bring long-term relief to these victims, we must offer continued guidance to the seminar- trained professionals, collect data on intervention techniques and reach out to others in the region. Given the support we have received so far, I am confident we will succeed. Participants seemed to enjoy a creative problem-solving environment. In some cases, mental health professionals and teachers worked together-something that had never occurred in the past. The two groups formed a bridge of understanding how each could best help children. The participants also liked our frequent visits, which allowed them to maintain a link with the outside world. |
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The faces of Sarajevan teachers attending a Teachers as Therapists training seminar plainly show the stress and pain many share with their students. 
Recommendations 
