Educators, counselors trained on trauma healing

Educators and counselors are trained to become effective "wounded healers". (Oasis News)

ELEMENTARY and secondary teachers from various school districts in Zamboanga City underwent a series of training on Trauma Healing to help them acquire basic counseling skills and first aid intervention.

Organized by Silsilah Dialogue Movement, the training complements the human and spiritual aspirations of persons who come from different faiths and cultural backgrounds in helping other persons to overcome trauma.

Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, in his foreword on the manual of the Trainers’ Training on Trauma Healing, said it is important for educators and guidance counselors to approach trauma victims with a listening heart and show them there is hope beyond their painful experience.

“We wish our wounded healers to believe that beyond skills we need to approach people with trauma with a listening heart, ready to show that there is hope and telling the survivors in life that behind the clouds there is a sun that continues to shine and guide us,” D’Ambra said.

The training was organized in partnership with the Department of Education Division Office of Zamboanga City headed by School Divisions Superintendent Pedro Melchor Natividad, CSEE.

“The Department of Education is very grateful to Silsilah for offering the training to our educators and guidance counselors which happens to be in line with the campaign and advocacy of the DepEd Memorandum No. 40, the Child Protection Policy that would remind our teachers as they struggle daily with the duty of instilling discipline among their students. I hope that the objective of the training will surely serve its purpose and since all of you have undergone the process of being healed, you yourselves will now be considered as wounded healers,” Natividad said in his message during the closing program of the first batch of the training  held last July 10-12.

On the first day of training, participants were led to take a reflective look into one’s self to recognize one’s values, attitudes, characteristics and qualities which one can nurture and develop to become an effective healer.

The second day tackled various concepts, techniques, approaches and skills in counseling and trauma healing.

The last day focused on “Healing through Spirituality”, an approach to trauma healing based on the premise that the ultimate source of healing power and energy is God.

The three-day live-in training will have five batches and each group will have 50 participants from the Elementary and Secondary Levels coming from different Districts all over Zamboanga City.

The second batch started its training July 15 until today, July 17 with counselors from various institutions in Zamboanga as speakers and facilitators.

Three more trainings are scheduled on different dates in the next two months: August 7-9; August 14-16 and September 4-6.