ABOUT US

Dr Francine Shapiro

GIST-T was established with the support and encouragement of Dr Francine Shapiro, American psychologist, originator and developer of EMDR, who passed away on 16 June 2019. Her commitment to healing humanity’s traumas has been an inspiration for those involved with GIST-T and for many others worldwide. Francine was a demanding researcher, a didactic trainer, a skilful speaker and writer, an intrepid discoverer and pioneer of EMDR, and a big-hearted humanitarian and great visionary. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the field of trauma therapy, GIST-T dedicated the TSR programme to her memory.

Dr Francine Shapiro

GIST-T was established with the support and encouragement of Dr Francine Shapiro, American psychologist, originator and developer of EMDR, who passed away on 16 June 2019. Her commitment to healing humanity’s traumas has been an inspiration for those involved with GIST-T and for many others worldwide. Francine was a demanding researcher, a didactic trainer, a skilful speaker and writer, an intrepid discoverer and pioneer of EMDR, and a big-hearted humanitarian and great visionary. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the field of trauma therapy, GIST-T dedicated the TSR programme to her memory.

ABOUT US

The GIST-T project

The contribution large-scale trauma healing could make to enhance social, economic and cultural productivity, as well as individual educability, creativity and well-being, could well be historic. Effective trauma treatment could help break the causal chains of violence begetting violence, abuse begetting more abuse, transmitted from generation to generation. It could bring an end to immense and insidious inner suffering—suffering that is largely unnecessary.

The GIST-T project intends to help expand current efforts to scale up trauma treatment. To this end it uses several approaches, but its principal means is our recently developed Traumatic Stress Relief (TSR) programme – GIST-T’s flagship innovation. The TSR programme, currently in its pilot phase in several countries (Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Iraq, Jordan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, USA) aims to substantially reduce the trauma treatment gap and make effective, safe, earliest-possible TS relief available primarily for humanitarian settings in LMICs (low- and middle-income countries). Its focus is on frontline workers to be selected as para- and allied professionals, and to be capacitated to deliver simple trauma relief treatments to traumatized ‘people of concern’ and to their peers.

Why frontline workers? They deal with situations caused by violent conflicts and natural disasters. They are already on the ground, close to where and when trauma occurs. They themselves are frequently exposed to traumatic events and circumstances. So, increasing their own resilience, and attending to their trauma symptoms, will support their ongoing capacity to perform their challenging duties. And by creating a local capacity for them to offer simple, but effective, trauma treatments, this allows them to add a meaningful service to other traumatized people that goes beyond Psychological First Aid – a kind of Psychological Second Aid – at an early opportunity following a traumatizing exposure. 

Practical opportunities present themselves daily. The GIST-T project is set up to seize many of these opportunities, and to create new ones. This poses a challenge to all of us.

MISSION, AIM AND GOALS

Mission

Our professional staff seeks to increase awareness of both causes and consequences of stress and trauma on individuals and communities. We strive to improve the availability of, and access to, empirically validated trauma treatment worldwide.  Our approach is two-pronged: (1) We want to reach unreached traumatized populations by strengthening care capacity of local para- and allied professionals working in humanitarian settings in the Global South; and, (2) We also focus on at-risk professional personnel dealing with violent conflicts and natural disasters.

Aim

To reduce the global burden of stress and trauma, and in so doing promote healing, health and hope, and foster resilience, peace and productivity.

Goals

• To create greater awareness and understanding among key stakeholders about the far-reaching social, economic, physical and mental consequences of stress and trauma, and of the effective treatments currently available.

• To encourage the development of both conventional and innovative training schemes, including those aimed at paraprofessionals and volunteers.

• To increase the availability of effective services for stress and trauma in development, protection and humanitarian settings.

• To enable the greater use and coverage of services related to stress and trauma reduction.

• To promote research into new appropriate methods and approaches that will facilitate scaling-up of broader stress and trauma services within existing formal systems.

• To mobilize sufficient resources for GIST-T to become a sustainable organization that fulfils its mission.

GIST-T ASSOCIATION

Governance

ORGANIZATION

STATUS

The Global Initiative for Stress and Trauma Treatment (GIST-T) is an incorporated association in Switzerland (Statutes of Association).

It is in the process of incorporating in France, Netherlands and United Kingdom.

BOARD

The Board takes all decisions concerning GIST-T activities and finances. All members offer their services pro bono.

Rolf Carriere, Chairman

Clare Blenkinsop, Treasurer

Susanne Young, Secretary/Spokesperson

Absal Nuseibeh, Member

Gail Womersley, Member

CONSULTANT BOARD MEMBERS

Consultant Board members are all experienced senior professionals, actively involved in creating and developing projects in line with GIST-T’s vision. They make time available to GIST-T on a pro bono basis.

Derek Farrell

Jamie Hacker Hughes

Jacques van Hoof

TSR TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP

This group is for cutting-edge mental health experts engaged in design, promotion, training, development or research regarding work related to traumatic stress relief and PTSD treatment. They are pioneers in shifting this paradigm.

Femke Bannink

Ian Barron

Esly Carvalho

Derek Farrell

Sushma Mehrotra

Mark Nickerson

Ron Ockwell

Elan Shapiro

TSR TRAINERS & PRACTITIONERS GROUP

This group is for professional therapists actively involved in implementing, developing and evaluating TSR. It has been established to facilitate information exchange, research and study findings and offer mutual support among members.

Yesim Arikut-Treece

Cécile Bizouerne

Esly Carvalho

Anne Dewailly

Shiraz Farrand

Elia Gimenez Fernandez

Fanny Guidot

Silvia Guz

Kinga Komarzynska

Sonny Provetto

Adeline Pupat

GIST-T TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP (TAG)

During the first four years of start-up (2016-2019), GIST-T was very lucky to have advice and support from many members of the TAG which met quarterly. Their experience and encouragement were, and still are, much appreciated.