Trauma Rehabilitation After War and Conflict - Community and Individual Perspectives

'As foreign assistance flows into post-conflict regions to rebuild economies, roads, and schools, it is important that development professionals retain a focus on the purely human element of rebuilding lives and societies. This book provides perspective on just how to begin that process so that the trauma people suffered is not passed on to future generations long after the violence has stopped.' - Amy T. Wilson, Ph.D., Gallaudet University, Washington, DC

'This ground-breaking text provides the reader with an excellent and comprehensive overview of the existing field of trauma rehabilitation. It also masterfully navigates the intricate relationships among theory, research, and practice leaving the reader with immense appreciation for its subject matter.' - Hanoch Livneh, Hanoch Livneh, Ph.D., LPC, CRC, Portland State University
Fear, terror, helplessness, rage: for soldier and civilian alike, the psychological costs of war are staggering. And for those traumatized by chronic armed conflict, healing, recovery, and closure can seem like impossible goals.

Demonstrating wide-ranging knowledge of the vulnerabilities and resilience of war survivors, the collaborators on Trauma Rehabilitation after War and Conflict analyze successful rehabilitative processes and intervention programs in conflict-affected areas of the world. Its dual focus on individual and community healing builds on the concept of the protective 'trauma membrane,' a component crucial to coping and healing, to humanitarian efforts (though one which is often passed over in favor of rebuilding infrastructure), and to promoting and sustaining peace. The book's multiple perspectives-including public health, community-based systems, and trauma-focused approaches-reflect the complex psychological, social, and emotional stresses faced by survivors, to provide authoritative information on salient topics such as:

• Psychological rehabilitation of U.S. veterans, non-Western ex-combatants, and civilians


• Forgiveness and social reconciliation after armed conflict


• Psychosocial adjustment in the post-war setting


• Helping individuals heal from war-related rape


• The psychological impact on prisoners of war


• Rehabilitating the child soldier

Rehabilitation after War and Conflict lucidly sets out the terms for the next stage of humanitarian work, making it essential reading for researchers and professionals in psychology, social work, rehabilitation, counseling, and public health.


Erin Martz, Ph.D., C.R.C., the editor of this book, was an associate professor of rehabilitation counseling at the University of Memphis until December 2009. Prior to that, she worked as an assistant professor of rehabilitation counseling at University of Missouri, Columbia. She co-edited a book with Dr. Hanoch Livneh, which was published in 2007, entitled Coping with chronic illness and disability: Theoretical, empirical, and clinical aspects. She received a Fulbright Research Fellowship for Russia from the U.S. Department of State in 2006 and a Switzer Merit Fellowship from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research in 2001. Her research interests include the topics of disability and trauma, disability and employment, and international rehabilitation.