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Healthcare work, trauma-sensitive

Counselling patients, training medical specialists

Doctors, midwives and nursing staff are often the first point of contact for women and girls who have experienced sexualised violence. So they require more than just medical knowledge – they need psychosocial skills, empathy and a great flexibility in order to understand the personal situation of each affected person and deal with them in a trauma-sensitive manner.

Our main aim is to ensure the women and girls are met with respect and understanding, so they don’t suffer another traumatic experience and to help them regain stability and strength. If the healthcare professionals can manage to create a safe space for the women, they will open up. Then appropriate offers of further assistance can be arranged, including psychosocial or legal counselling.

Training by partner organisation of medica mondiale

Many partner organisations of medica mondiale offer training courses for doctors, midwives and nursing staff on trauma-sensitive approaches to treating survivors.

Updated: 01/2024

Illustration mehrerer Menschen, die Frau im Zentrum hat die Augen geschlossen, auf ihrem Oberteil ist eine Spirale aufgedruckt.

Stress- and Trauma-sensitive Approach® (STA)

Since 1993, medica mondiale has been supporting women and girls affected by sexualised violence in war and crisis zones. The STA – Stress and Trauma Sensitive Approach® was developed to provide them with competent and trauma-sensitive support.

Learn more

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Trauma work: the STA - Stress- and Trauma-sensitive Approach®

Find out more about the medica mondiale approach for a stress- and trauma-sensitive way to work with people affected by violence.