On Site: Being at the Scene of Conflict

This year’s symposium looks at vicariously experienced trauma that mental health workers, news correspondents and photojournalists, victim advocates and international rescue workers share.  The professionals in these disciplines all bear witness to extreme scenes of violence and yet are not integrated into nor a part of that experience. Working with those who suffer trauma stirs up complicated feelings. A common thread uniting the efforts of these professionals is the emphasis on bearing witness, exposing the truth, and informing the world whether in a court of law, in the therapeutic dyad, or to the international community. We will examine the complex feelings that emerge when bearing witness to trauma that inspires some people to bring about change and, for others, causes them to turn a blind eye.

** Please note that all students may attend at the ‘trainee’ fee reduction.