Charles R. Figley, Ph.D.
Florida State University
Traumatology Institute
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide a recap of my recent trip to Belfast as an historic record and as a token of my appreciation for being invited by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). This report starts with some background about the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the potential need for the VVMF tour then discusses the purpose of the trip. Part I discusses my lecture at the Queens University, along with those of two well known Vietnam veteran businessmen. The final section discusses working with the WAVE Trauma Center staff and board and current plans to establish a permanent training program to train those working with the traumatized.
Background
Hopes for peace in Northern
Ireland his high. In the last several years a considerable number of
According to the Cost of the Troubles (COTT) Study, there have been
3,585 people killed in Northern Ireland between December 3, 1997 and 1969.
Among the dead 91% were male and three quarters were of the dead were under
40 years of age. The death rate among Catholics was 2.5 per 1,000 and among
Protestants, 1.9 per 1,000. Responsibility for these deaths are largely
due to paramilitary forces (59% by Republicans, 28% by Loyalists).
In addition to the COTT study there has been the highly influential
We Will Remember Them,
a Report of the Northern Ireland Victims Commission by its Commissioner,
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, KCB (April, 1998). Also there is the Health Service
report of the Social Services Inspectorate: Living
with the Trauma of the 'Troubles' (March, 1998). Both reports call
for much more attention to the psychosocial and emotional needs of the
traumatized including but not limited to those directly in harms way. Of
special interest to the Institute is the call for trauma-informed standards
of practice in mental health services and all other services directed toward
the traumatized.
new books and reports have been published that document the high
cost of the Troubles. Marie Smyth wrote
Half
the Battle: The Cost of the Troubles (Understanding the impact of the
Troubles on children and young people) that was a follow-up to the book,
Mapping Troubles-Related
Deaths in Northern Ireland, 1969-1998 (first published in 1997).
Purpose of the Trip
My primary purpose was to provide support for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's Historic Tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland with my presence. However, the agreed upon objectivers were as follows: (1) Delivery a lecture at The Queens University in Belfast Saturday, April 17. (2) Present two workshops at the request of the WAVE Trauma Centre. (3) Investigate the possibility of establishing a permanent Traumatology Institute to train trauma counselors with with those affected by the 30 years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.hAlso, as a way of preserving an historic record of the trip, I attempted to take sufficient numbers of digital photographs of the highlights of the trip. The results are seen throughout this report.
The Wall and the
Queens Lecture
The first task after arriving in Belfast was to meet with various leaders
in the community to have a clear idea about what they most wanted from
me and my presentations in the coming days. Monica Worth (coordinator of
the Tour), Dr. Kathleen Allden (Harvard Professor) and I met with Rev Dr.
David Clements, a member of the WAVE
Advisory Committee and
the new Executive Director of WAVE, Sandra Peake. They emphasized the need
to be prepared for the large numbers of people who will be coming forward
for help once the Troubles are finally over. There was a need for a wide
variety of trauma services including but not limited to "befrienders."
These are trained survivors of the Troubles who go to the homes of the
traumatized and listen compassionately and give these "members" hope. These
befrienders serve as witnesses to telling their stories. David and Sandy
also stressed the need to avoid promoting further the medical model and
the need for medication to mask the symptoms of Troubles-related traumatic
stress reactions.
The next day, after working hard that night to construct the lecture in Power Point, I delivered the 40 minute lecture, "Trauma, Transition, and Transformation." The lecture was well received with good and useful responses from the discussants, Drs. Allden and Clements, and questions and observations from the audience.
Rev. Dr. David Clements
and Selwyn Black pose following the Sunday Queens University Lecture
Here the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund's Moving Wall is assembled at the Queen's University
Lawn
It seemed to be quite
a contrast. The stark, dark, sad "Wall that Heals" in the foreground and
the beautiful 150 year old Queens University building in the background.
Visiting Americans
join citizens of Northern Ireland to discuss their common experiences with
trauma and recovery.
Following the lecture,
Dr. Allden and I were taken on a tour of Belfast's divided sections by
Rev. Dr. Clements. We had an opportunity to visit, among other places,
the home of the Survivors of Trauma and its staff. In the evening, we attended
the Queens University lecture by James V. Kimsey (AOL Founder) and
Nathan Kantor (WinStar Comm).
James
V. Kimsey (standing) with Nathan Kantor (sitting)
as they respond to questions
from the audience
At the post-lecture
reception, here is the guy who made this historic tour possible, Jan Scruggs,
President and Founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and his wife,
Becky.
