Helping the helpers. Taking care of humanitarian/emergency response workers during and after mission

Humanitarians are working in difficult situations, even though they often do not feel affected by situations they have to face like human suffering after the earthquake in Algeria in 2003, the Tsunami in 2004, the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 etc. With quite some exceptions, helping the suffering population or dealing with difficult images afterwards is not that overwhelming one might think. The positive action, the fact that humanitarians are helping where so much help is needed, is valorizing the work furnished and leads to positive outcomes for the worker, with ego-strengthening effects. Humanitarians are proud of what they do (acts of triumph: Pierre Janet) and this is highering mental strength and mental efficiency and promotes energy. Coping mechanisms and stress management are part of the trainings and seem to be well integrated. But according to the AIP model of Francine Shapiro, underlying the theory of EMDR, human suffering and difficult individual situations are triggers for one’s unresolved personal and individual history. So humanitarians have to deal with a lot of personal topics during and after an emergency response or during longer missions on site, like their own losses, own accidents or those of beloved ones, threatening or difficult situations in the past etc. In addition, the fact to be a humanitarian worker is often seen as a very valuable job with high esteem and grants somewhat of a “tough guy“-status. Humanitarians often do not want to tell that they need psychological help. Because they are afraid of being seen as weak and of not being engaged anymore by their head of office. If this psychological help is anonymous and confidential, they are more likely to agree.

Conference

English

Eva Zimmerman

Zimmerman, E. (2014, January). Helping the helpers. Taking care of humanitarian/emergency response workers during and after mission. In EMDR and coaching (Rosalie Thomas, Chair). Presentation at the 2nd EMDR Asia International Conference, Manila, The Philippines