Day 4: Training

The team spent today in training with the Smiles Foundation staff in order to better equip them for their ministry. The morning began with a presentation by Dr. Keyes and Dr. Reese on compassion fatigue and self-care when faced with traumatic situations. Dr. Keyes explained the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and secondary PTSD, which mental health workers often experience when working in the field. The results of secondary PTSD often result in compassion fatigue, also known as burn out. The team then broke into groups with the Smiles Foundation staff and processed the information that had just been shared. The stories ranged from experiences dealing with extreme poverty, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and substance abuse. One staff member, Dan, shared how deeply he hurts when he processes the photographs for the foundation’s website that show the extreme poverty the people of Cihei contend with. What a privilege it was to hear their stories and to affirm and address the toll trauma and secondary trauma inevitably takes on those in the helping professions. It became apparent through the group sessions that more cultural similarities exist than not between the Regent team and the Smiles Foundation staff when dealing with the realities of compassion fatigue and trauma.

The afternoon session consisted of a presentation by Drs. Keyes and Reese on attending behaviors and basic counseling skills. The Smiles Foundation staff was receptive and caught on quickly to the reflective listening exercises, paraphrasing, and asking open-ended questions. Even the professional staff (social workers and counselors) were appreciative of the training, as it served as a good reminder how powerfully effective basic listening can be to someone who is hurting. It has become clear, even in this first day of training that the Smiles Foundation staff is high caliber, very passionate, dedicated to their work, and appreciative of training the Regent team provided. The relationships that were formed today with the staff will certainly continue to develop and deepen as we go through each day.

--Jason Boling