Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed March 8, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-64).

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The subject of recollection of traumatic collective memories resulting from a single, unexpected event is still a new phenomenon in the trauma-related literature, especially in the context of exiled political refugees. The focus of this research is to explore the nexus between Chilean exiles' personal meanings of Pinochet's unexpected arrest and release in England, and the construction of group memories of traumatic life experiences triggered by these events. To access the individual and collective meaning experiences of the members of this community, this study used narrative inquiry. The participants created individual narratives of these events, and they shared them in a group format. Through sharing these experiences in a group setting, the participants created a "cultural group narrative." This embodied their individual and collective experiences, their lived experiences of exile, their adaptation to a new culture and their re-experiencing of traumatic memories and life events when hearing the news of Pinochet. Because the researcher is also Chilean and because Latin American culture is collective in nature, she played a dual role as both investigator and participant. This study has several implications for counselling practice, education and supervision. It provides further knowledge and understanding of the historical, political and cultural issues related to traumatic experiences in both individuals and groups, as well as further understanding of the events or situations that trigger the re-appearance of traumatic memories. The results of this research also provide important information for therapists working in the areas of cross-cultural counselling and the development and improvement of therapeutic approaches for dealing with traumatic memories among political refugees and immigrant populations. In a broader context, this study enhances the understanding of similar processes in other ethnic communities. Finally, this study contributes to the documentation of the collective trauma processes of the Chilean community in Vancouver, Canada.

Police officers are subject to stressors from traumatic incidents, day to day policing duties as well as organizational sources. This quantitative study examined 195 serving police officers in the Vancouver Police Department to determine what if any relationship existed between any prevalence of traumatic symptoms and their years of experience as police officers. Trauma symptoms were measured through the use of the Trauma Symptom Inventory, which was administered to a randomly selected sample. The sample was divided into seven groups based on years of completed service; recruits, 0<2 years, 2<5 years, 5<10 years, 10<15 years, 15<20 years and 20+ years. While the recruit group showed a spike on the validity scale of Response Level and there were spikes in Anger/Irritability and Depression among the 2<5 years and 20+ groups respectively, most of the significant scores were among the group 10<15 years. This group showed significantly elevated scores in Atypical Responses, Anxious Arousal, Anger/Irritability, Depression, Intrusive Experience, Defensive Avoidance and Impaired Self Reference. In terms of support the respondents indicated through a demographic questionnaire that Family Support was the one most frequently endorsed at the high level, followed by Social Support and then by Peer Support. There was also low levels of endorsement of the Critical Item on the TSI that had to do with hurting others and problems due to alcohol consumption and sexual behaviour. Empirical support and personal experiences of the researcher are provided as explanations for the trends. The number of females in the latter groups was limited due to the demographics of the population. Several recommendations are made for future research as well as recommendations to the Vancouver Police Department to address the findings with their sworn members.

My interest in the process and effects of the witnessing act guides the purpose of this study. Here, I initiate a deeper understanding of the vicarious witnessing experience from the perspective of the witnessing participant. My central question is: How do individuals make sense of vicariously witnessing trauma through narrative, visual, and evidence-based representations of traumatic events in the concentration camps of Europe? Vicarious witnessing begins with abstract representations of the event. The evidence is witnessed firsthand, but the event itself is represented through various perspectives such as photographic or artistic images, survivor stories, or physical remnants. Witnessing the evidence evokes a potent embodied experience, so that a person can make the statement, "I have imagined what another has experienced, hence I believe I know." It is through the imagination that a witness forms a picture of the trauma. Undoubtedly, there is immense power in meeting another's experience in the realm of imagination. Compassionate action and social justice is based in this area of human empathy. To best achieve my purpose, I use a narrative method that involves two types of analysis, interpretive readings and narrative instances, as an approach to understand the participant's experience of vicarious witnessing. Participants in this study construct three types of narrative texts-written, spoken, and visual. Each textual perspective shapes the meaning that the participant attempts to express. As a first level of analysis, interpretive readings of the texts include general, specific, visual, and relational readings. Secondly, through exploring the interaction between various parts of these texts, and between the texts themselves, I explore three types of narrative instances--single-text, intratextual, and intertextual. Each analysis of a narrative instance is matched specifically to each participant, and I believe, is uniquely adequate for understanding the experience of vicarious witnessing. My inquiry outlines how individuals make sense of vicariously witnessing trauma, clarifies the meaning that participants make of the vicarious witnessing experience, shows the risks and coping involved in vicarious witnessing, and presents the kinds of social action that vicarious witnessing evokes. In the field of counselling psychology, the witnessing experience is an important aspect of trauma theory that has been left unexplored by psychologists. My research enlarges the social and theoretical conversation concerning the vicarious witnessing experience.

An exploratory study covering phase 1 stages 1, 2 and 3 only was undertaken in this large hybrid research project to determine perceptions and understandings of the practitioners and the community about mental health problems of children and adolescents in Zambia because so far there is little known about this phenomenon. The aim of this exploratory study was to gain new insights into the phenomenon by undertaking a preliminary investigation to determine priorities for the future post doctoral research before a more structured study to develop the PHC innovative curriculum. The process first 'explored' social reality on the ground to better comprehend the perceptions and understandings of mental health problems of CA and the curricula model preferences as perceived by the practitioners and the community respectively. This was done to appreciate the "reality of practice" on the ground using the Systems, Ecological, and Biopsychosocial theories which underpinned the four field areas of the study which are: Mental Health, Curriculum Development, INSET and Action Research (AR). The total project is open-ended with three (3) phases and eight (8) stages, from the initial exploration of perceptions (phase 1), through reports to government and stakeholders, curriculum development and piloting with health educators (phase 2) and finally implementing the reconstructed curriculum and integration (phase 3) in such a way as to empower primary health workers to themselves do further research. This thesis, covering the initial explorations of perception, encompasses ONLY the first phase and three stages of this larger qualitative research project because of the Higher Education requirements and funding to try to complete in 4 years. This entails literature review of all 4 field areas because in order to orientate the first phase and three stages of such research and to see the implications of results, it is necessary to have a good grounding in all four. The research study process commenced with an orientation and introduction of the context and purpose of the study, followed by the search conferences and focus group meetings using Qualitative Research Design and Methodology. Search conferences, focus group discussions, hospital registers and clinic records were the three sources of data collection. Analysis of Qualitative and Quantitative Data used NVIVO and SPSS 13.0 Statistical Data Analysis Soft ware respectively. The study showed that mental health problems of Children and Adolescents perceived by the community and the practitioners were also referred and recorded in various hospital registers. The analysis of data from hospital records on referred cases further showed that there are serious psychotic mental health disorders in children and adolescents referred for further consultations to hospitals from the community, some of which are: acute psychotic states, with some associated with HIV/Aids. In addition to these psychotic states, epilepsy, drug and alcohol abuse, child defilement, rape cases, mental retardation and conversion disorders particularly in female children/adolescents appeared to be relatively significant mental health concerns and problems in the researched community sites. The conclusion of the study suggests that there were more environment related factors perceived to cause mental health challenges to children and adolescents. This finding further suggests that there are similarities of cases referred from the community with those seen in clinical practice areas. The significance of these findings in the reality of practice, implies that the preferred PRISMS curriculum model to be developed later as a post doctoral activity for 'INSET' of PHC practitioners in Zambia should have deliberate blending of curriculum content with more socio-environment related issues than the current traditional curricula models which are more clinical in structure, process and content. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

patterns, severe personality patterns, depressive constructs, other clinical syndromes, severe clinical syndromes and dissociation following EMDR treatment. Thirty-two people, ranging from 23 to 65 years old, underwent the full EMDR protocol treatment for up to three traumas. The findings regarding clinical personality patterns revealed that EMDR is most effective in reducing the symptoms of dependent personality pattern because 76% of participants with clinically significant dependent personality pattern before EMDR treatment no longer had a clinically significant score (>75) on the MCMI-III at the end of EMDR treatment; compared to 75% with masochistic personality pattern, 77% with negativistic personality pattern, 69% with avoidant personality pattern, 40% with depressive personality pattern and 29% with schizoid personality pattern. These gains were maintained on the MCMI-III at follow-up by 76% with dependent personality pattern, 64% with masochistic personality pattern, 46% with negativistic personality pattern, 38% with avoidant personality pattern, 30% with depressive personality pattern and 29% with schizoid personality pattern. The analysis of the severe personality patterns at the end of EMDR treatment revealed that the scores on the MCMI-III reduced from within one standard deviation above the mean (60-74) to below the mean (<60) for 84% of participants with borderline personality pattern, compared to 68% with paranoid personality pattern and 52% with schizotypal personality pattern. These gains were maintained on the MCMI-III at follow-up by 84% with borderline personality pattern, 68% with paranoid personality pattern and 48% with schizotypal personality pattern. The analysis of the depressive constructs revealed that EMDR is most effective in reducing symptoms of major depression as 86% of participants with clinically significant major depression before EMDR treatment no longer had a clinically significant score (>75) on the MCMI-III at the end of EMDR treatment; compared to 73% with dysthymia and 40% with depressive personality pattern. These gains were maintained on the MCMI-III at followup by 86% with major depression, 58% with dysthymia, and 33% with depressive personality pattern. The findings regarding the other clinical syndromes revealed that 91% of participants with clinically significant post traumatic stress before EMDR treatment, no longer had a clinically significant score (>75) on the MCMI-III at the end of EMDR treatment, compared to 75% of participants with anxiety. These gains were maintained on the MCMI-III at followup by 91% of participants with post traumatic stress and 69% of participants with anxiety. The analysis of the severe clinical syndromes at the end of EMDR treatment revealed that the scores on the MCMI-III reduced from within one standard deviation above the mean (60-74) to below the mean (<60) for 78% of participants with delusional disorder, compared to 67% with thought disorder, 32% with bipolar (manic), 28% with alcohol dependence and 28% with drug dependence. These gains were maintained on the MCMI-III at follow-up by 67% of participants with delusional disorder, compared to 63% with thought disorder, 53% with bipolar (manic), 48% with alcohol dependence and 57% with drug dependence. The analysis of the effects of EMDR on dissociation revealed that there was a significant decrease in symptoms of dissociation on the DES at the end of EMDR treatment and these gains were maintained at the follow-up measurement at the end of the study. Whilst the findings of the present study cannot be generalised due to the small sample size, the findings do suggest that EMDR is successful in the treatment of a number of clinical conditions in addition to post traumatic stress; with further research being strongly indicated in order to further explicate the efficacy of EMDR across different psychiatric conditions. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Current studies in peace-building suggest that effective peace-building approaches comprise of intervention strategies that value the interconnectedness of trauma and peace-building processes. However current research reports suggest that there is limited evidence supporting this notion. In addition, there is little information as to how to effectively integrate the two themes to achieve lasting peace. The research study aims to articulate the role of an integrated approach to peace-building to inform current practice and it serves to encourage the donor community to support initiatives which recognise the link between trauma and peace building. The research took a close look at experiences of participants who attended trauma recovery workshops conducted by Sinani (an isiZulu word meaning “we are with you”), the KwaZulu-Natal Programme for Survivors of Violence, the name of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) for which the researcher works. In particular, it explored how participants who had attended these workshops could serve as catalysts to peace by examining their experiences of violence in relation to trauma and peace-building. In addition it attempted to explore experiences of participants who did not attend Sinani trauma recovery workshops and the possible implication this would have for trauma and peace-building. Furthermore it analysed recent research papers and reports which addressed trauma and peace-building from a psycho-social perspective. The proposed hypothesis is that if trauma support work is ignored in post conflict peace-building processes, certain survivors of past violence are at risk of becoming perpetrators of future violence. Integrating trauma support work in peace-building interventions will yield lasting peace. The emerging findings suggest several factors contribute to violence and peace-building. Children’s exposure to violence, the extent of trauma and certain aspects of the criminal justice system have been described by participants as factors that contribute to violence. Equally participants suggested a competent leadership collective, functioning safety and security structures as valuable contributions to peace. Other valuable insights were shared by participants on the role of spirituality as well as indigenous cultural rituals valuable in the trauma and peace-building field. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.