Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation in partnership with the Child Protection Network (CPN) organized the Trauma – Informed Psychosocial Processing (TIPP) Training on November 27 – 29, 2017 at Bob function room, Microtel Hotel by Wyndham, Mall of Asia. It was facilitated by some of the TIPP Developers themselves namely: Samuel Girguis, PsyD; Katharine Puthman, PsyD of Azusa Pacific University; Norietta Calma-Balderrama, MD; Stella Guerrero-Manalo, MD of University of the Philippines. The participants were screened by the Child Protection Network (CPN) to ensure that the TIPP are conducted by reliable professionals to the targeted children. Most of the handpicked participants were registered social workers around the country and there were around 40 participants. ACTION Project Officers (POs) were given the opportunity to be selected through the help Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation. They did it by giving ACTION the chance to nominate two of its staff, if selected they said that they would sponsor all of the expenses for the participation in the training. Fortunately, CPN approved of the two Project Officers .
The three (3) day training helped the two ACTION POs understand what trauma is and how to process the trauma of the children. Ms. Norietta Calma-Balderrama even demonstrated how to explain the trauma in Filipino language. The two POs also participated in the simulations by portraying the child with trauma. One of their favorite parts of the training was the introduction of different relaxation techniques, which is not only helpful to the children but also to TIPP facilitator. These techniques will help the children in relaxing and cope with their trauma in a healthy way.
It was also emphasized that the presented framework of TIPP is still a work in progress because it is based on the western setting but the developers assured that the comments that they garnered through the TIPP training conducted and interviews with different helping professional will be incorporated so that the framework will be culturally fit for the Philippines.
“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects. —Dalai Lama”. As what the saying said, the TIPP training is the single pebble that created ripples into the water. The training produced future TIPP facilitators that later on will affect the future of traumatized children, by teaching these children coping techniques. The children will be able to overcome their trauma in a healthy way. There is also a tendency that these children will help other traumatized children by sharing the coping techniques they learned or becoming a TIPP facilitator as well.
Again, big thanks to Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation for sponsoring for ACTION and in organizing the TIPP training. They also extended their sponsorship by also giving two slots for the Ako Para Sa Bata (APSB) Conference.
By:
Lindsay Jhen M. Kurais
Project Officer
