AIP-Inspired Group Trauma Processing – Utilizing online, low cost, and efficient strategies for International populations

* Formerly titled: Comparison of PIPA Group Trauma Reduction Program results between EMDR-Trained and non-EMDR-Trained Therapists in Ethiopia

Summary: 

The demand for helping people recover from trauma is rapidly increasing throughout the world. Individual EMDR is not often practical in handling the growing number of people who need immediate help. The “PIPA” group trauma program can be offered in a format that can be easily taught to therapists and be administered quickly to both large and small groups of traumatized people. The PIPA program was created by Dr. Esly Carvalho, Ph.D. and by Silvia Guz, psychologist, who have combined psychoeducation about trauma, a resourcing exercise called “the Pillars of Life”, Group Flash, and Quadrants, (an adaptation of IGTP), to reduce the intensity of trauma for multiple people in a one-day, 3-5 hour meeting, or in 2 to 3 shorter meetings over several days or weeks.

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will be able to summarize the PIPA program and recognize its success in reducing trauma symptoms in a group format for survivors of various types of trauma.
2. Attendees will recognize the statistical results from both EMDR-trained and non-EMDR trained therapists, illustrating the effectiveness that a few therapists can have for large groups of traumatized individuals. 
3. Attendees will demonstrate a new perspective on the effectiveness of group trauma work for multiple types of trauma. 

About the Presenters:

Solomon Abebe is an EMDR therapist, a Licensed Counseling Psychologist, and a psychosocial and life skill trainer. He is a member of the European Register of ECP Holders and a certified trainer of Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy in Africa and Europe. He is also a member of the World Association for Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy (WAPP) and the President of the Ethiopian Positive Psychotherapy Association.

Solomon is the Founder, Managing Director, and Lead Trainer of Hasset Psychotherapy and Training Center based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He has provided trainings to the government, to non-governmental organizations, and to corporations, as well as presenting scholarly papers at local and international conferences. As an EMDR therapist, Solomon has provided individual psychotherapy and group trauma treatment to a variety of target populations in Ethiopia and Europe. He was recently appointed to the advisory board of UCESCO Africa.

Solomon is the author of the book “Mental Distress and Sexual Violence among Refugees at Sherkole Camp: Mental Health Perspective,” and contributed a chapter to the book “Positive Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychology Clinical Applications.”

Solomon is the lead PIPA Trainer (Professional Intervention Program for Adversity) in Ethiopia and is strongly committed to teaching and researching the impact of PIPA.

Dorothy Ashman, M.A. is a licensed Psychologist and an EMDR Facilitator for Trauma Recovery/HAP and the EMDR Institute. Dorothy founded Bloomsburg Psychological Center, LLC, where she specialized in working with traumatized and dissociated clients. She was trained in EMDR in 1996-97.

Dorothy began working with Trauma Recovery/HAP in 2008, and traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia five times between 2009 and 2013, where she organized and facilitated EMDR trainings.

In 2019, Dorothy began virtual consultation and HAP-supported virtual EMDR trainings for Ethiopian therapists. Trauma Recovery/HAP awarded Dorothy the “International World Changer” award in 2021.

For the past year, Dorothy and Dr. Esly Carvalho have been working on creating the media for Dr. Carvalho’s PIPA training for countries with inconsistent Internet service and challenging accessibility. Dorothy is very committed to helping Ethiopians and people throughout Africa and the world gain access to PIPA to help reduce the level of trauma in group settings in a gentle and safe way. 

Dr. Sik-Lam Wong is a psychotherapist, a researcher, and a pioneer in the Flash Technique (FT). He has an early interest in groups for low-intensity trauma intervention. His first paper was on a divorce recovery group using EMDR-IGTP. He also published the first paper on an FT group for substance abusers in a homeless shelter. Dr. Wong led groups for victims of the Santa Rosa Fire in 2017; and under the TRN of Northern California, for victims of the Paradise Fire in 2018. He has taught FT to master-level social work students at California State University, East Bay, since 2020.