Trauma Training

Sir Kenneth Bloomfield in his report We Will Remember Them (1998) recommends:

‘The expansion of training courses to raise the awareness of the needs of traumatised individuals ... and provide training opportunities for organisations whose members are working with traumatised people.’

WAVE has endeavoured to achieve this through its development of a range of training courses. In order to ensure high standards of practice, quality of design and content, all courses are accredited either by the Open College Network or Queen’s University Belfast through the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Between April 2003 and March 2005, 420 people have enrolled on WAVE courses.

Six courses, all developed as a means of enhancing the “Helping Relationship”, are accredited at levels 2 and 3 by the Open College Network. These are:

  • Listening and Communication Skills
  • Volunteering
  • Grief, Trauma and the Helping Relationship
  • Compassion Fatigue (taking care of the carer)
  • Trauma and Addiction
  • Storytelling

Because of demand for these courses throughout Northern Ireland and in particular the Grief, Trauma and the Helping Relationship course, seven new facilitators were trained in June/July 2004 to enable us to meet demand for these courses. Courses have taken place in Belfast, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Corrymeela, Limavady, Derry Londonderry, Strabane, Omagh, Irvinestown, Armagh, Lisburn and Magherafelt. Those taking these courses have to date been awarded 593 Credits by the Open College Network.

A Diploma in Trauma Studies (accredited by Queen’s University) commenced in November 2003 with the first 16 students graduating in December 2004. A further 16 will hopefully graduate in December 2005. This course, which is experiential in nature, is unique and the first of it’s kind. The impact of any course comes not only from its content but also from the medium it employs to deliver that course. Participants are encouraged not only to expand their knowledge of trauma but their own field of knowledge and work experience is also recognised. Contributions from participants are encouraged throughout the course as indeed they are on all our courses.

Training cannot remain static but needs to be fluid to meet the needs of those wishing to participate. Some organisations eg The Cedar Foundation, Deloitte and counsellors working with the PSNI have approached us to run short courses focused on a particular aspect of the work they are carrying out. These have been very successful and we are always available to tailor short courses to meet the needs of a particular organisation.

At the time of writing we have a waiting list of participants wishing to enrol in all our courses. This augurs well for our future.