Healing starts locally

“We want people in communities affected by crises to be able to act. That is why we train multipliers who then pass on their knowledge as trainers within their churches,” says Godwin Ampony. 

With these words, the Head of the Department for International Diaconia at the United Evangelical Mission (UEM) describes the goal of a one-year certificate course in trauma healing, which UEM has launched together with Duta Wacana Christian University (UKDW) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Seventeen pastors, deacons, and mental health professionals from UEM member churches across Asia are taking part in the program, including participants from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Second course following a successful pilot program in the Africa Region

 

From 2023 to 2024, UEM had already implemented a comparable course in the African region in cooperation with Protestant University of Rwanda (PUR). The insights gained during this first cycle directly informed the design of the current program. The curriculum was deliberately adapted to be context-sensitive, addressing the specific challenges faced in Indonesia and other Asian countries.

While churches in many African regions primarily identify trauma in connection with conflicts and wars, natural disasters are more prominent in Asia, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons. At the same time, there are traumatic experiences common to both contexts: domestic and gender-based violence, the loss of loved ones, death, or unemployment.

“This is truly a topic where you first have to heal yourself on your journey of accompanying others,” says Ampony. He reiterates the core approach of the program:
“We want people to be present in local communities who can respond. It is essentially about building resilience. We want to encourage communities after a tsunami or a typhoon to find their way back into life and to continue their lives as normally as possible.”

Holistic support as a mission of the churches

 

To achieve these goals, UEM and its partners at Duta Wacana Christian University have developed a curriculum that is both context-sensitive and based on strong theoretical foundations. The course covers traumatology, psychiatry, and psychology, as well as psychosocial support, trauma-informed care, and theology.

One distinctive component focuses on practical aspects: participants learn how to engage the body and its senses in processing and integrating traumatic experiences.

For Ampony, these competencies are central to the mission of the churches: “We want to arrive at a holistic response. It is not only about mobilizing financial resources. Financial support is important. It’s not just about providing shelter. Shelter is important. Alongside these efforts, people will also be able to offer psychological support to those affected in their communities and churches.”

Over the year, the pastors, deaconesses, and psychologists participating in the course will meet twice more in person. Between these on-site sessions, they will apply their newly acquired knowledge during supervised internships. The program will conclude in October 2026 with the certification of the participants, who will then serve as trainers within their own communities.