All modules will be combinations of lectures, sharing, discussion groups, artistic exercises, learning practical, creative tools and strengthening one’s own inner balance.

MODULE 1: 30 Sept – 3 Oct 2021 – Essential Competences in Challenging Times    

Module 1 has its focus on transmitting a profound understanding of trauma/toxic stress and resilience from a medical and psychological point of view. At the same time the participants will start experiencing their own creativity, discovering the possibility of transforming knowledge into creative tools for working with clients and beginning to use creativity to strengthen their own inner balance.

The module will be run by 2 interdisciplinary teams: Marah Evans (counsellor/psychotherapist, art therapist and supervisor) and Myrtha Faltin (eurythmy therapist and stART emergency worker) and Dr. Farah Hussain and Christoph Bednarik (stART emergency worker, educator and eurythmist).

MODULE 2: 3-5 Dec 2021 – Community-based therapeutic work     

Module 2 will focus on the challenges professionals encounter today when working with people suffering from toxic stress/trauma in non-therapeutic settings such as schools, youth centres, community centres etc. Many professionals in these working environments – with or without a therapeutic background – struggle with the large number of clients affected. Participants will therefore strengthen their own trauma-therapeutic view in the work with their clients, learn about indirect traumatization and necessary precautions, understand how to deal with large groups of people in a healing way, gain familiarity with interdisciplinary work and learn different creative tools for direct application.

The module will be run by Myrtha Faltin and Rita Eckart, emergency therapists with long experience in this field.

MODULE 3: 4-6 Mar 2022 – Pedagogy of Resilience

Module 3 focuses on resilience-strengthening work with children and young people. Derived from the distinct phases of child development, different approaches for building resilience with different age groups (early and middle childhood and adolescence) will be developed and tools including storytelling, manual crafts, movement, and land art will be taught for direct application.

The module will be run by Birgit-Marie Stoewer and Christoph Bednarik, emergency educators with long experience in the field.

MODULE 4: 29 April – 1 May 2022 – Emergency, trauma and social arts

Module 4 will enrich and deepen the professional knowledge and tools of the programme with an introductory course in emergency and trauma art therapy in theory and practice. It will also offer an insight into beneficial approaches to social art in today’s complex and fractured world. These combine the individual and intimate path everybody can pursue on their own to nourish one’s inner balance and strength, with a supportive exchange with others.

The module will be run by Rita Eckart from stART international, and Marion Green, Registered Art Psychotherapist and Certified Trauma Therapist.

MODULE 5: 1-3 July 2022 – Systemic Trauma and Resilience

Module 5 widens the focus to systemic traumatization and resilience-strengthening work in organizations and within society. It will give an understanding of the direct and indirect traumatization of whole systems and the dynamics that may be triggered, as well as exploring the concept of a mindful organizational culture and presenting tools for fostering such a culture.

The module will be run by Maria Zemp from Medica Mondiale and Barbara Schiller from stART international.