The major aim of Trauma Aid is to improve the quality of trauma treatment of people who have been exposed to violence and other forms of extreme psychological distress. To achieve this Trauma Aid focuses on the training of therapists in countries where so far no sufficient training in psycho-traumatology is available. European standards of training and therapy are taken as the relevant quality level.

The Basic Course in Psychotraumatology is designed to introduce psychotherapists to the specific problems related to coping with traumatic events. Diagnostic techniques including some specific tests, systemic perspectives and new insights from neurobiology form one part of this basic introduction. Another part focuses on the stabilization of the client as the basis for all further treatment, using inter alia imaginative and hypnotherapeutic methods. Some specific techniques using a more confrontational approach are also introduced.

The Second Training involves information on differential diagnostics, co-morbidity and the differentiation of simple and complex traumatic stress symptoms. At the core of this training component lies the training in EMDR. This method uses bilateral stimulation via eye movements, sounds or physical "tapping" with the hands both for the mobilization of positive psychic resources and for processing stressful (traumatic) events. These very often are the root cause of many mental illnesses. Moreover EMDR integrates elements from other psychotherapeutic methods in such a manner that they can achieve optimum effectiveness. These methods include psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal and body-oriented therapeutic approaches.

The Third Training concentrates on complex traumatic disorders. Besides the diagnostics used for complex trauma and for dissociative disorders the relevant neurobiological knowledge is being imparted. For trauma confrontation some hypnotherapeutic techniques and the advanced techniques within the EMDR method are taught. For highly dissociative clients some potential modifications of these techniques are introduced, such as working with fragmented memories or inner parts of the personality.

For a continuous control of the quality of therapies carried out by our therapists regular supervisions are mandatory. They are carried out in-between trainings and also convey further refinement of the methods used. Therapists in these supervisions present cases and their own therapy approach. Diagnostic findings, treatment plan and therapeutic interventions are then discussed and fine-tuned to the specific case of the client.

A prerequisite to be qualified as a supervisor are many years of experience in treating traumatized clients. Future supervisors must have seen many clients with a wide spectrum of diagnoses and developed a high degree of confidence in using a variety of techniques. Moreover a firm grasp of the theoretical basics is required when advising younger therapists on their treatment. Didactic skills and a sensibility for culturally specific elements in therapies are further essential requirement for supervisors.

The next step in the training sequence is to become a facilitator. Here supervisors are being taught how to most effectively support and instruct small groups of therapists during training seminars.

The last step in training is to become a trainer oneself. This requires as a rule many years of experience as a therapist and an excellent command of the underlying theoretical knowledge, not only with regard to traumatology. Very few participants are able to reach this level, because trainings need to be carried out according to extremely strict European standards.

Helga Mattheß