Institute Focuses on Re-Entry
 Humanitarian workers living and working overseas usually find their return home at least as stressful and challenging as their initial move. In fact, research suggests that approximately 60% of people who have been living overseas report feeling predominantly negative emotions in the initial weeks following their return.
The common pattern is a few days of euphoria at being home, followed by a mild depression and physical letdown that can last a couple of weeks. This letdown is often accompanied by feelings of loss and grief at what has been left behind, as well isolation and disillusionment. Returnees can find themselves overwhelmed by simple choices (like which type of cereal to buy), and often feel both guilty and irritated by the abundance and materialism present in their home culture. They also tend to feel marginalized in their friendship circles. Even their closest friends and family back home have a short attention span for stories and anecdotes that are so far removed from their own experiences.
Learning to deal with the feeling that there are few people in your life who can really understand the flavor and impact of the overseas experiences that have shaped you so significantly can be challenging. Recognizing this, the Headington Institute will be working with the World Vision Global Rapid Response Team on the topic of re-entry this summer during their annual retreat in Toronto. World Vision's GRRT is a team of 25 relief specialists strategically stationed around the globe. Members of this multi-national team are able to deploy to a disaster site anywhere in the world within 36 to 72 hours, and it is usually several weeks or months before they return home again. Given the vital role that home-based social support plays for most humanitarian workers, it's key that they manage these frequent transitions as smoothly as possible. See "Tips" later in this newsletter for some suggestions for returnees and their home team.
SO FAR THIS YEAR ...
In the first six months of 2004 the Institute has:
- Provided 115 hours of counseling, debriefing and orientation to humanitarian staff working in crisis situations.
- Conducted 6 training workshops on traumatic stress in the humanitarian field
- Conducted a four-day workshop on stress management and critical incident care in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Facilitated a retreat in Australia for staff returning from the Iran earthquake.
- Produced a continuing education module for mental health professionals on understanding, assessing, and treating humanitarian workers experiencing Acute Stress Reactions.
- Co-sponsored the humanitarian conference "Tending the Helper's fire" at Notre Dame.
Contributed to the working conference in Amsterdam on "Managing the stress of humanitarian aid workers."
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
 Recently, I've been reflecting on the changes in our work since we began in early 2001. Initially, we provided organizational consultation services to improve staff support programs, reducing the likelihood of compassion fatigue and burnout resulting from chronic traumatic stress associated with humanitarian work. The 9/11 tragedy then highlighted the widespread problem of vicarious trauma among relief personnel deeply affected by the suffering of victims. In response, we began offering training workshops to build personal hardiness and resilience in staff members and increase their capacity to thrive in their work.
The recent worldwide deliberate targeting of relief workers, now at risk of murder, kidnapping, and assault, has dramatically increased requests for counseling services. Through in-person, internet, and telephone communication, we provide pre-deployment orientation, ongoing counseling support during assignments, and post-deployment review/debriefing and consultations.
We are working hard to keep pace with the changing needs of humanitarian workers. Thank you for your support and encouragement, as we provide care for today's frontline caregivers. Jim Guy
CONFERENCES & COLLABORATION
 It is well beyond the capacity of any single organization to assist effectively with the stress and trauma issues of the global humanitarian population ... so Headington staff have been busy collaborating! In March, Jim and Lisa attended the conference "Tending the Helper's Fire", on mitigating trauma and stress in international humanitarian staff and volunteers. It was held at Notre Dame, co-sponsored by the Headington Institute, and attended by more than 80 practitioners, humanitarians, and human resource professionals from 50 organizations. This was the first significant step in the U.S. towards a broad-based worldwide network of professionals interested in the psychological support of humanitarian staff.
In April, Lisa attended the 3rd annual conference in Amsterdam, organized by the Antares Foundation and the Center for Disease Control, on "Managing the Stress of Humanitarian Aid Workers." Throughout the conference, working groups focused on topics such as: researching and modeling the impact of humanitarian work on staff; drafting minimum standards for the psychological care of staff; and the challenge posed by awareness raising.
DEALING WITH RE-ENTRY:
Tips for Returnees and the Home Team
Returnees ...
Before you leave your host country: Reflect on how you feel you've changed and how this might affect your homecoming. Take time to say farewell and acknowledge to friends there how much they have enriched your life.
Upon return home: Be prepared for the emotional letdown. When people ask you about your time away, share one short story and then be prepared to discuss something else. If people are really interested they will ask follow-up questions. Get involved. The feeling of belonging to the community again may be the best remedy for re-entry shock.
The home team ...
While they're away: Communicate! You may feel that your life is boring in comparison to their stories, but they are far from home and find details about your daily routine familiar and comforting. Write and talk about changes in the local neighborhood, political events, pop culture, and what everyone is talking about. Also, visit them if possible and allow them to share their other world with you.
When they return: Help them reorient to changes that have occurred with people and places. Listen, ask questions, and look at their photos. Make an effort to understand something about the country, culture, and what life there must have been like.
The Headington Institute is a federally recognized nonprofit corporation with 501.C.3 status. All contributions are fully tax deductible. Please contact us for more information on how to become a partner in this important work.
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