10 Top Trauma Tips for UK Hosts of Ukrainian Refugees
Thinking differently to tackle trauma: At Trauma Treatment International, we’re working for a world where everyone can get the support they need to stop past traumas from adversely defining their future.
Millions of people globally are caught up in war. An estimated 40 million people live in slavery. In fact, traumatic events account for half of all mental health problems worldwide; and yet trauma treatment is rarely available. Most victims of trauma never get the help they need to recover.
Without support, the survivors of traumatic events can experience effects that last a lifetime. Not only that, the repercussions of trauma can harm the lives of those around them for generations to come. Effective trauma treatment can stop this, but we need to find new ways to reach more people.
That’s why we’ve set up Trauma Treatment International, an organisation working to improve access to trauma treatment for the survivors of torture, trafficking, slavery, and war. Through our global network of specialists, we partner with organisations that are already supporting victims of trauma by building their skills in the most effective trauma treatments and assisting them to work more effectively to end the trauma. This ensures victims get the best possible support to recover. Torture, slavery, trafficking, and war destroy lives. Together we can rebuild them.
“Our work is used to inform and improve the wider political and social environment for victims.”
Dr Brock Chisholm, TTI Founder
Become a trauma-informed host and help refugees fleeing war
Thousands of people across the UK have offered to open their homes to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. These refugees may have seen unimaginable horrors, and will no doubt be feeling the traumatic effects of having to leave their loved ones, homes, jobs, and everything they held dear.
As a result, it is vital that hosts in the UK are trauma-informed when welcoming their new guests. This will help hosts to create an environment that fosters a feeling of safety, independence, and control, all of which are vital in recovery from trauma. Trauma Treatment International’s expert team of clinical psychologists has put together some top tips for you as hosts in the UK to take a trauma-informed approach to your guests. These are not just ordinary house guests. They have come to you because they have lost everything they know and own. Hence, we may have to learn to employ new techniques of empathy & compassion, which are different from those we use with each other.
