Since 2003, Jennie has been teaching therapists in Asia how to use the expressive therapies, often combined with narrative ideas, to improve the lives of their clients. Now she has been invited to extend her work to Africa, and in the spring of 2018 she taught in Egypt and Kenya.
The expressive and narrative therapies are extraordinarily effective at mitigating the long-term effects of trauma, and have become the treatments of choice for many Western clinicians. Yet, these powerful tools are unavailable to many clinicians in “less developed”countries. Indeed, therapists in Asia and Africa often find accessing training in these contemporary approaches to addressing challenging problems (especially trauma) difficult. As a result, they ask trainers like Jennie, from Europe and the North America, to come to them.
Such teaching trips are rich learning experiences for both trainers and participants. Jennie seeks to support the students and professionals whom she trains to adapt strategies, theory, and techniques to their unique needs and experiences. In return, the participants in her training help her to expand her vision for what might be useful and effective; her trainings are truly collaborative and mutually rewarding.
Jennie feels honored and blessed to have been repeatedly invited to teach, knowing that those she trains will then train others. Yet, these days there is very little institutional support for clinicians to travel and teach, and although participants usually contribute to paying for trips, exchange rate issues mean that trainers must provide the bulk of the funding for projects themselves. Jennie’s work in Africa, and return trip to India next summer, are no exception.
To learn more about Jennie’s African projects, or to make a contribution to them, visit Leveling the Playing Field!