Evidence Based Trauma Stabilization (EBTS). Two training programs for stabilization of traumatized children among refugee, asylum seeking and immigrant families. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Evidence Based Trauma Stabilization (EBTS). Two training programs for stabilization of traumatized children among refugee, asylum seeking and immigrant families.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Quality Assurance; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

The goal of EBTS-project is to create and implement an Evidence Based Trauma Stabilisation (EBTS) training and programme that will expand professional expertise of specialists who work with asylum seeking, refugee and immigrant families. This project is born in the present need of more effective working with refugee, asylum seeking and immigrant families. The European situation is challenging, and as professionals we should find new ways of supporting the integration of refugees in our society. One way to do it, is to support constructive relations between children and parents and to develop resilience in the families. All refugee, asylum and immigrant families have some king of trauma experience in their original country or on their way to destination country.

The objectives of the project include design and piloting of EBTS-Training and EBTS-Programme and impact evaluation of both. The core content of the EBTS-Training include familiarisation with EBTS-Programme, psycho-education and improving the skills for psycho hygiene and self-care. The EBTS-Programme is based on combination between stabilisation of adult and child trauma simultaneously and building of basic skills how to deal with trauma.

There are 4 different kinds of partners in this project in Bulgaria, Finland and Germany, and one associated partner:
1. Specialists on theories, methodology and learning process of the methodology used in this project. These are psychodrama training institutions Center for child development and psychological consultation Cognitiva (Sofia, Bulgaria), Szenen Institute for Psychodrama (Cologne, Germany) and Helsinki Psychodrama Institute (Helsinki, Finland; coordinator).
2. Organisations which work or their members work directly with asylum seeking, refugee and immigrant families. These are State Agency for Refugees with Council of Ministers (Sofia, Bulgaria), SKM Köln-Sozialdienst Katholischer Männer e.V. (Cologne, Germany) and Finnish Familytherapy Association (Turku, Finland).
3. One research organisation, which is the New Bulgarian University (Sofia, Bulgaria
4. One associated partner FEPTO (Federation of European and Mediterranean Psychodrama Training Organisations; Belgium), which offered the European wide collaboration network and expertise on psychodrama and its research for the project.

The project is about trauma stabilisation of asylum seeking, refugee and immigrant families, which effectiveness in based on research. In the project, the EBTS-Training was developed, piloted and implemented for professionals working with these families in Bulgaria, Finland and Germany. An EBTS-Manual was created to support work of trained EBTS-Leaders. The EBTS-Programme for these families was developed, piloting and organised. There were two research studying impacts of learning of participants in EBTS-Trainings, and studying effectiveness of EBTS-programmes in families. Of both research, a pier-reviewed article is published. Three multiplier seminars were organised in Bulgaria, Finland and Germany, and two webinars on European level. Presentation and workshops were offered in seminars and conferences in several European countries to increase the knowledge about group-form trauma stabilisation and methodology used in this project. Articles about the project were published in media, and project opened both a web page (traumastabilization.eu) and a facebook page.

Administration was coordinated by Helsinki Psychodrama Institute together with an exec-team, which was formed by Szenen, Cognitiva and Helsinki Institute. There were regular face-to-face international partner meetings, which were supported by skype meetings. A special effort was made to actively involve senior management in SKM and SAR in the project, and its implementation in daily operations and services in their organisations.

All the four intellectual outcomes were created: EBTS-Training, EBTS-Manual, and EBTS-Programme, and effectiveness research of training and programme. 38 professionals working with asylum seeking, refugee and immigrant families were trained to become EBTS-Leaders in Bulgaria, Finland and Germany. Their professional competences increased especially in knowledge of trauma and PTSD, in leading groups and using creative, experiential action methods. These EBTS-Leaders conducted 15 EBTS-Programmes in different sizes. According to the effectiveness research, the EBTS-Programme had an positive impact on participating children.One partner organisation took EBTS-Programme to their service selection. The main partners in each country continue to provide EBTS-Trainings in EU countries and on European level. Both researches increased the knowledge on these methods especially among psychodrama professionals and trainers in Europe, and in academic world in general.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 171820 Eur

Project Coordinator

Istry Oy & Country: FI

Project Partners

• NEW BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY
• Center for child development and psychological consultation Cognitiva
• Suomen Perheterapiayhdistys – Finland Familjeterapiförening r.y
• State Agency for Refugees with Council of Ministers
• SKM Köln-Sozialdienst Katholischer Männer e.V.
• Szenen Institute for Psychodrama