The twentieth century opened with the Armenian Genocide, witnessed the Holocaust mid-century, and closed with the genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. In that same period two world wars and countless smaller ones between and within nations decimated stable communities, killed tens of millions and displaced still more. Oppressive regimes in South Africa, the Soviet Union, and many other countries created victim and perpetrator populations--often overlapping, within every community.
When the genocide, war, oppression, and violence come to an end there is an urgent need for focused work to promote individual and social healing and to reconstruct the psychological, social, economic, and justice foundations of shattered communities. It is only through such processes that neighbors become fellow citizens and a long-term path to reconciliation and a “strong peace” becomes possible.Read More »
Join PsySR's Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Action Committee Today!
Interested PsySR members are encouraged to join the Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Action Committee. For more information about the committee’s projects, recent actions and how to join, please contact action committee co-chairs Paula Green (paula@karunacenter.org) and Jancis Long (jancislong2004@yahoo.com). You can join the committee’s listserv by sending an e-mail message with a blank subject and body to psysr-reconcile-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
PsySR's Gaza Community Mental Health Project
Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR) urges our members and friends to contribute to the Gaza Community Mental Health Project, a new PsySR campaign to support the Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP), which has suffered extensive damage to its headquarters at a time of escalating demand for its services. Read More »
A PsySR Member Perspective: Paula Green on Elements in the Process of Reconciliation
Former enemies frequently find themselves neighbors again, needing to accommodate to a shared future. Although different societies take different paths towards reconciliation, certain common elements seem necessary to complete this journey successfully. The following list summarizes several components of reconciliation that should be considered by local or outside facilitators of peacebuilding when working with recovering communities.Read More »
Trauma, Recovery and Resilience
Human beings are remarkably resilient in the face of adversity. Yet human actions are often the cause of many of the most common and most severe traumatic reactions, as seen in child abuse, gender-based violence, torture, slavery, forced displacement, and war. All take a profound toll on psychological well-being, ranging from individual reactions--including depression, acute stress reactions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other anxiety disorders—to the disruption of crucial support networks within communities. Read More »
A Graduate Level Curriculum For Trauma Intervention and Conflict Resolution
This Graduate Level Curriculum for trauma intervention and conflict resolution in ethnopolitical warfare was prepared by a joint task force of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations. PsySR served as the secretariat for this important project.
Links and Resources to Learn More and Take Action
PsySR's Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Action Committee has initiated a project to develop a comprehensive listing of valuable links and resources for people working in this area or wishing to learn more about it. Our preliminary list can be found HERE, and we welcome recommendations of materials to be added. Please also refer to our Humanitarian Aid page for additional links and resources.