INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION TO TRAIN THOUSANDS OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE

London, UK, 9 June 2023—Babette Rothschild, specialist educator in the treatment of trauma and PTSD, is partnering with the Complex Trauma Institute (CTI), in the UK and W. W. Norton & Company, the international publishing house, to bring training to 3,000 Ukrainian therapists.

“CTI is providing a platform for internationally recognised trauma specialist Babette Rothschild to hold a 3-day online event on Somatic Trauma Therapy from 28 to 30 June 2023. This event is being made freely available to Mental Health professionals in Ukraine and over 3,000 participants are expected to attend online.”

Dzmitry Karpuk—Director, the Complex Trauma Institute, York

Babette Rothschild explains: “At the time the war broke out in Ukraine, I was in regular contact with colleague and former student Hanna Kemp and was deeply concerned for her and her family’s welfare. At the same time, I was immersed in reading a book about a woman surviving in Second World War Paris. This led me to wonder what I might need if I found myself in a similar situation. Firstly, I realized I would want those outside my country to know and remember what was happening and to care. As a result, I started sending contributions to organizations that were beginning to help in the crisis. At Hanna’s request I helped spread the word about needing ‘humanitarian corridors’ so refugees could pass safely out of Ukraine.

“We began to discuss if there was anything of my professional expertise in trauma and PTSD, as well as self-care for therapists that might be useful to Ukrainian therapists and others. In July 2022, Hanna organized and gathered an all-volunteer team of translators and hosts to conduct a 12-hour professional training, held over three consecutive days, for about 200 Ukrainian therapists and other helping professionals. Following the success of this session, Hanna teamed up with Dzmitry Karpuk from the Complex Trauma Institute, again, with a team of volunteers to organize a program to be held in June 2023 where I would speak to 3,000 Ukrainian therapists.

“One of the many things I learned from Hanna about fleeing within or from a war-torn country is that saving books cannot be a priority. This knowledge inspired me to contact Pamela O’Reilly at W. W. Norton to see if they might donate professional books to those who left them behind when seeking safety. As a result, Norton is donating not just a few, but thousands of professional e-books to Ukraine therapists. To my knowledge, this level of generosity from a prominent world-wide publisher is unprecedented! That, among other things, makes me so proud to be a Norton author!”

Babette Rothschild—Master of Social Work, body-psychotherapist and specialist educator in the treatment of trauma and PTSD

“When Babette Rothschild approached W. W. Norton with the idea of running workshops directly with Ukrainian therapists, we were pleased to be able to help. Babette’s relationship with Hanna Kemp and the Complex Trauma Institute presented the perfect opportunity to create a partnership and donate a total of 5,000 copies of two of Babette’s ebooks (Help for the Helper and Revolutionizing Trauma Treatment) to participating therapists working on the ground with displaced Ukrainians.”

Julia Reidhead—President, W. W. Norton & Company, New York

Complex Trauma Institute

This event is part of a larger pioneering programme of membership services provided by CTI, with the support of the University of York, which have been made freely available to Ukrainian Mental Health professionals. Since the invasion began this programme has allowed CTI to organise regular free group supervision and to host training events for Ukrainian professionals. CTI’s 4th International Trauma conference in September 2022 was attended by around 2,000 Ukrainian colleagues. Read more about CTI at complextraumainstitute.org.

W. W. Norton & Company

W. W. Norton & Company is the largest book publishing house owned by its employees. In light of the on-going war in Ukraine, we are in a position to help, even if only in a small way. One of the core principles of W. W. Norton’s co-founders was a dedication to the dissemination of knowledge to the public, especially in times of conflict and uncertainty. This year as Norton celebrates the centenary of our company, that philosophy remains truer than ever. Read more about Norton’s 100-year celebration at wwnorton.com.