Humanitarian Policy and Practice

About the HPPC

Disaster Response

Protection and Refugee Affairs

HPPC Guidelines

Working Groups

Resources on Counter-terrorism Measures

Email Lists

Press Lists

Resources and Links

Member Activity Reports

Members

How YOU Can Help

Below are a number of links to organizations, articles, and other resources addressing stress and trauma in humanitarian settings.

Interviews

How Can Charities Sustain Sudan Efforts?
March 17, 2008

The Headington Institute
Headington Institute provides psychological and spiritual support for humanitarian aid and disaster relief personnel worldwide. The Institute specializes in:

• Training and education programs to help humanitarian workers understand and cope with traumatic stress
• Counseling
• Orientation & debriefing for humanitarian workers who travel internationally
• Consulting on effective staff care strategies and procedures

Antares
The Antares Foundation offers support to the managers of humanitarian organizations working closest to the population. These organizations work in continually changing contexts and in circumstances of great complexity. This results in increasing pressure, insecurity and personal danger for their staff. Both management and staff are in need of professional tools to handle work-related stress and cope with chaotic and life threatening situations.

Resource sites

• The Headington Institute's Online Learning Center provides free resources on psychological and spiritual support for humanitarian aid and disaster relief personnel worldwide, including online training modules in five languages and links to research reports and articles.

• The CARD Directory (Counselors Assisting Relief & Development): The CARD Directory is an international online directory of professional counselors interested in providing services for humanitarian relief and development workers.

• Church World Service Staff Self Care Learning Center
• Idealist: Links and resources
• UNHCR Guide: Managing the Stress of Humanitarian Emergencies Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Psychosocial Issues of Humanitarian Staff Care
  16-17 November 2004, Melbourne, Victoria
  The conference aimed to increase the awareness of how best to support the well-being of national (locally based) staff who work for western humanitarian NGOs. It will examine ways in which humanitarian organizations that employ personnel for the field can better prepare and support staff for cross-cultural interactions at the interpersonal as well as team and organizational levels in order to effect meaningful and sustainable aid intervention.

Articles and other resources

• Humanitarian Involvement in Armed Conflicts: The Stress Factor
• Managing Stress in Humanitarian, Health Care, and Human Rights Workers
• Supporting Front Line Staff: Stress and Trauma Management
• Stress in Humanitarian Emergencies
• Like Troops, Aid Workers Suffer Stress Syndrome
• Cut Your Stress Levels with People In Aid
• Selection, training, and support of relief workers: an occupational health issue
• Managing Stress in Humanitarian Aid Workers: The Role of the Organization
  A PowerPoint presentation given at the USAID OFDA, Humanitarian Debate Series, Washington, D.C. on July 27, 2004 by Dr. John Ehrenreich of the State University of New York.