Daniel, Gwyn, Healey, Arlene and Marie, Mohammad (2020) Families in chronically unsafe community environments: Experiences in Northern Ireland and Palestine. In: The Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy, Systemic Family Therapy and Global Health Issues. John Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, pp. 191-214. ISBN 9781119438519

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Abstract

Experiences of families in Northern Ireland and post‐1967 occupied Palestine are explored to highlight the impacts of trauma, political violence, and dislocation on family life. A therapeutic model that focuses in detail on the psychological and relational effects of oppression and power imbalance is outlined. The disadvantages of applying individualized models of posttraumatic stress disorder to contexts where assaults on community life are ongoing are addressed through the concepts of complex trauma and community trauma with its associated traumas of impotence and humiliation. The wider effects of social deprivation and poor access to mental health facilities are addressed as well as—in the case of Palestine—the ongoing theft of land and livelihoods. Factors that support family and community resilience are discussed. Therapeutic interventions that aim to strengthen family and community connections and sustain hope in contexts of extreme suffering and despair are outlined. The chapter includes a discussion of the position of therapists who endure the same political oppression and traumatic experiences as those they are helping and draws out some principles that can be useful to therapists working in other contexts.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	Published Online: 25 August 2020
Subjects:	Families > Families - Psychology Human Psychological Processes > Strange Environment/Situation Human Psychological Processes > Stress Race and Culture > Social/Cultural Influences on Psychology (e.g. disasters, war)
Department/People:	Visiting Lecturer
URI:	https://repository.tavistockandportman.ac.uk/id/eprint/2211

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