Work in Eastern Croatia, Northern Bosnia and Vojvodina: results and perspectives for a community-based model of complex rehabilitation.

Resultados de trabajo en aras de post-conflicto y perspectivas para un modelo de rehabilitación compleja basado en la comunidad

The Coalition for Work With Psychotrauma and Peace has worked in roughly 25 locations in eastern Croatia, northern Bosnia and Vojvodina during the past five years.

The initial aim was to train professionals and non-professionals at village level in techniques of psychotrauma and non-violent conflict resolution, but this changed considerably in the course of the work.

Both "village" or "client" groups and (semi-) professional groups were held. Group sessions lasted from 2-4 hours. Groups were conducted weekly. The majority of groups were of single ethnicity. The groups included persons of Serb, Croat and "Bosniak" ("Moslem") ethnicity as well as persons who were the result of mixed marriages and/or who were currently in mixed marriages. In general, groups included long-term residents as well as refugees and internally displaced persons. No criteria for participation were set with regard to ethnicity or residential status. A number of individuals were also seen.

Issues dealt with in the groups included loss, mistreatment, denial, blocked mourning, inability or inexperience in expressing feelings, effects of previous traumatization, identity, coping mechanisms, addiction, family violence, physical health, skills of communication, skills of democratization, individual responsibility, initiative, reconciliation, return, non-violent conflict resolution and economics. The (semi-) professional groups dealt with the adaptation of the concepts of traumatization to conflict and post-conflict situations.

It is estimated that between 5% and 15% of the population in the locations in which we worked were physically mistreated. There is little epidemiological work on mental or physical health in any of the areas in which we worked. Such work is urgently needed. Further, we developed a model known as Complex Rehabilitation, which includes work with the community on epidemiology, and other needs assessment, development of a plan of rehabilitation with the communityitself, training of local capacity within the community in the areas listed under "results" above and transmission of that knowledge to others. The model is aimed at the levels of the individual, the family, the group, the community and the society. Although the model is directed toward target groups within the community such as torture victims, it is essential that all parts of the community be involved in the rehabilitation of the community as a whole.