With traumatic stress an increasing global challenge, the U.N., the NGO community and governments must take into account the psychological aftermath of large-scale catastrophes and individual or group violence. This volume addresses this global perspective, and provides a conceptual framework for interventions in the wake of abuse, torture, war, and disaster on individual, local, regional, and international levels. To be useful to both practitioners and policymakers, the book identifies model programs that can be implemented at every level.

This book addresses the impact of war and extreme stress on civilian populations, as well as psychology's response to these phenomena. Contributors examined and developed interventions in locations including Africa, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Siberia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

"As foreign assistance flows into post-conflict regions to rebuild economies, roads, and schools, it is important that development professionals retain a focus on the purely human element of rebuilding lives and societies. This book provides perspective on just how to begin that process so that the trauma people suffered is not passed on to future generations long after the violence has stopped." - Amy T. Wilson, Ph.D., Gallaudet University, Washington, DC "This ground-breaking text provides the reader with an excellent and comprehensive overview of the existing field of trauma rehabilitation. It also masterfully navigates the intricate relationships among theory, research, and practice leaving the reader with immense appreciation for its subject matter." - Hanoch Livneh, Hanoch Livneh, Ph.D., LPC, CRC, Portland State University Fear, terror, helplessness, rage: for soldier and civilian alike, the psychological costs of war are staggering. And for those traumatized by chronic armed conflict, healing, recovery, and closure can seem like impossible goals. Demonstrating wide-ranging knowledge of the vulnerabilities and resilience of war survivors, the collaborators on Trauma Rehabilitation after War and Conflict analyze successful rehabilitative processes and intervention programs in conflict-affected areas of the world. Its dual focus on individual and community healing builds on the concept of the protective "trauma membrane," a component crucial to coping and healing, to humanitarian efforts (though one which is often passed over in favor of rebuilding infrastructure), and to promoting and sustaining peace. The book’s multiple perspectives—including public health, community-based systems, and trauma-focused approaches—reflect the complex psychological, social, and emotional stresses faced by survivors, to provide authoritative information on salient topics such as: Psychological rehabilitation of U.S. veterans, non-Western ex-combatants, and civilians Forgiveness and social reconciliation after armed conflict Psychosocial adjustment in the post-war setting Helping individuals heal from war-related rape The psychological impact on prisoners of war Rehabilitating the child soldier Rehabilitation after War and Conflict lucidly sets out the terms for the next stage of humanitarian work, making it essential reading for researchers and professionals in psychology, social work, rehabilitation, counseling, and public health.

With traumatic stress an increasing global challenge, the U.N., the NGO community and governments must take into account the psychological aftermath of large-scale catastrophes and individual or group violence. This volume addresses this global perspective, and provides a conceptual framework for interventions in the wake of abuse, torture, war, and disaster on individual, local, regional, and international levels. To be useful to both practitioners and policymakers, the book identifies model programs that can be implemented at every level.

Fear of Persecution offers an absorbing and necessary overview of the plight of internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees. James D. White and Anthony J. Marsella bring together essays that address issues emerging from the current relationship of international law, human rights, and refugee health and well-being.

Mediation and negotiation, personal transformation, non-violent struggle in the community and the world: these behaviors – and their underlying values – underpin the United Nations’ definition of a culture of peace, and are crucial to the creation of such a culture. The Handbook on Building Cultures of Peace addresses this complex and daunting task by presenting an accessible blueprint for this development. Its perspectives are international and interdisciplinary, involving the developing as well as the developed world, with illustrations of states and citizens using peace-based values to create progress on the individual, community, national, and global levels. The result is both realistic and visionary, a prescription for a secure future.

Designated a Doody's Core Title! We live in a changed world, a world where the enemy is no longer in uniform on the other side of a trench. There is no longer an identified "war zone" and the "enemy" may be the innocent looking person standing next to us. Clear boundaries and an assumption of safety no longer exist. Learning new skills to address the injuries incurred by sudden trauma and unpredictable lives is essential. This book is written for those persons in the "helping professions." It is also written for those who have a sufficient understanding of psychology and a sufficient awareness of our current world, and want to gain some knowledge about being helpful. This book offers the educator and the practitioner training methods, exercises, and intervention techniques applicable to the gamut of experiences that we currently encounter. It also will introduce readers to newer concepts and their applications such as role play, spirituality, the role of animals in healing, and the concept of forgiveness. Throughout the book, whether it is in those who represent the highly resilient or those who continue to struggle, a strengths perspective is emphasized. Finally, this book describes the "Phoenix Phenomenon", a concept Wainrib developed during the course of her teaching and practice, which articulates and illustrates an inherent ability to use resilience in the process of converting pain into growth.