STA – Stress- and Trauma-sensitive Approach®
The STA – Stress- and Trauma-sensitive Approach® is a low-threshold way to ensure support can be offered in a low-resource environment to people affected by violence and trauma. It takes into account certain basic principles in dealing with people who have experienced violence.
- Avoid additional stress for those affected
- Prevent traumatisation
- Empower and stabilise
At the same time, the people who are helping those affected should also stay healthy. They need to avoid any indirect traumatisation or burn-out due to excessive stress.
Security, stabilisation, self-determination
The principles of stress- and trauma-sensitivity – working towards security, empowerment, solidarity and connection, promoting self- and staff care – are applied throughout the fields of work and support measures at medica mondiale. Creating or re-establishing a feeling of security and safety is not only important in direct psychosocial work with clients, but also during legal advice sessions, during medical examinations or treatment or in court during witness statements.
Development of the STA
The Stress- and Trauma-sensitive Approach ® (STA) grew out of close cooperation with partner organisations of medica mondiale from Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Liberia. It is based on practical experiences from our project work. The STA is passed on in training courses and it is always adapted to the specific working context and regional circumstances.
Updated: 01/2024
