Help Gaza Kindergartens Heal

I'd like to share with you a story from a Gaza mother who benefitted from training as part of the UPA Healing Through Feeling (HTF) program. HTF builds a cushion of support around Gaza’s children by having local mental health practitioners lead training sessions (known as “psychoeducation sessions”) at kindergartens for parents and teachers to increase their awareness of trauma and its symptoms and to teach them techniques that will help alleviate trauma in their children. Below Amal describes how the program helped her son deal with the continuing effects of trauma from the 2014 Israeli War on Gaza.

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Carlton Cobb

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My name is Amal. I am 29 years old, married, with three kids. My eldest child, Mohammed, is five years old. We live in a small apartment that we rented after the Israeli army demolished our home in the last attack on Gaza in 2014. The most heart-wrenching experience was seeing the rubble of Mohammed’s room (he was only three years old). His toys and all his beautiful memories were scattered here and there. Mohammed witnessed all these difficult events and would always cry when we walked near our demolished home.

I first heard about UPA on Facebook. I met UPA’s mental health practitioners (MHPs) at an introductory session at the kindergarten, where they explained more about the HTF program. I wanted guidance on dealing with my son. All topics that were discussed in the sessions were informative, but the most beneficial was the session on trauma and how to deal with traumatized children.

That made me aware of my child’s behavior, and I started recognizing symptoms of his trauma, such as bedwetting, fear of loud sounds (such as fireworks), mood disturbances, flashbacks of the traumatic event, low academic achievement, and aggressive behavior. The symptoms also included parental attachment, especially at night, as Mohammed refused to sleep in his bed; instead, he insisted on sleeping in between my husband and me.

The MHPs with UPA taught me techniques for dealing with a traumatized child and giving support through love, play and setting a daily routine. I learned how important it is to allow my son to express his feelings – through playing, drawing, talking to me.

The MHPs met with Mohammed to observe his improvement. The sessions also had a positive effect on my attitude as I became less nervous and gained control over my anger, and I learned how to manage my stress.

The Healing Through Feeling program allowed me to understand myself and my children more clearly. I began engaging my children in discussions rather than assigning them tasks and ordering them around. The positive effects of the sessions have had a positive effect on my family; my husband now listens to me when I talk about what I've learned.

I recommend the sessions of HTF for all parents. If UPA holds more sessions here in the future, I will be the first one who will attend.

Amal