Tutapona

Tutapona is a Christ-centered organization that provides mental health services for people impacted by war or conflict. We work in Uganda and Iraq and see a measurable reduction in trauma symptomatology, increased well-being, and resilience to face future challenges. Tutapona's local staff provides a range of programmatic activities in a linguistically and culturally relevant way: an adult-focused, group mental health program, a group-based children's curriculum, individual therapeutic support, MHPSS training and mainstreaming, and an Online Advanced Certificate course in trauma-focused interventions. Our adult group program called GROW is based on the therapeutic concept of Post-traumatic growth (PTG), which describes the experience of individuals whose development has not only survived but goes beyond the previous status quo. It also utilizes elements of evidence-based practices, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Solution Focused Therapy. The emphasis is not on retelling the traumatic event itself, but rather is focused on the positive growth that can occur post-trauma. There are nine sessions facilitated over a two-week period with a follow-up program occurring three months after the conclusion of the program. Our child-focused, growth program Heroes Journey is designed for war-affected children who are in the middle years of development. The nine sessions seek to develop hope, belief, gratitude, kindness, and the courage to forgive through highly interactive, child-friendly activities such as games, stories, songs, play and art. The program utilizes elements of CBT, Mindfulness and Shame Resilience Theory, among other interventions to empower participants to process their experience and develop positive coping practices. A critical facet of the program is the provision of coaching for parents and teachers to assist them to help empower participants as they recover and develop after traumatic events.