July 13, 2006

I know, I know. I always say that the most recent group that I’ve trained is the best ever. However, I just finished a three day training with the women from the various organizations who comprised the Violence Against Women group, and they seem very special to me. The experienced counselors are very strong. All have had a great deal of front line experience, e.g. I learned how a medic in the group has successfully helped sex trafficked women to escape from their “owners”. The few interns in the training were bright. They are eager for trauma training for rape victims. I can see many trainers coming out of this group.

This being my last full day in Mae Sot, I finished my 6:00-8:00 pm counseling training tonight at Mae Tao. Dr. May and K. D. John, veterans of the March intermediate training and last week’s EMDR training, have provided the translation the past two nights.
While the group was doing role plays, May said, “I had another case today. She was a woman who is anxious and afraid to go places where there are people.”
“What did you do?” I said.
“I taught her the safe place and she felt a lot better,” she replied.

I really didn’t have to, but I got out of my chair and leaped with joy several times, and then congratulated her on an excellent start to a difficult kind of case. I then went around the room and checked on the trainees’ role plays.

When I came back and sat down, May added to the story. “She was referred to me by a medical student from England,” she said. “The medical student said that she knew that it is called Agoraphobia, but that she didn’t know how to treat it.”

I think this raises the following question. If you were traveling far from home and you developed or exacerbated an emotional disorder, would you want to be treated by someone who’s trained in the West, can name the disorder, but can’t treat it, or would you want to be treated by someone who’s been trained locally, can describe the disorder and actually treat it appropriately?