TRAUMA CENTRE TO SUPPORT MADRID INJURED
Trauma Centre to do all it can to support Madrid injured
BY NIGEL MCDONAGH
THE Omagh-based Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation has offered its assistance to the people of Madrid following last Thursday's devastating bomb attacks in the Spanish capital.
The centre, which was established in the aftermath of the Omagh bombing to help those traumatised by the Troubles, has already assisted communities affected by the September 11 and Bali bomb attacks.
Speaking to the UlsterHerald on Monday, David Bolton, the Director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma & Transformation, said that the Centre has been in touch with some of the people from Madrid who provided aid at the time of the Omagh bomb to offer its sympathies and services if required.
SYMPATHIES
"Following the news of the bombings we wrote to contacts in Spain with whom Centre staff had had contact in the past to convey our sympathies and concern, and offered the assistance of the Centre should it be needed. It was a natural thing to do, not least because of the links between Omagh and Madrid forged in the tragedy of August 1998.
"One of the Centre's aims is to reach out to other communities in distress, following the generous support and kindness shown towards this community in the wake of the Omagh bombing," he said
Mr Bolton added that, whilst services in Madrid were already well established because of the history of terrorist violence in Spain, the centre has much to offer in terms of the experience it has gained through its work during the past few years.
He said, "If called upon, we could share with colleagues in Madrid what has been learnt through our work, including the new approaches to psychological trauma being developed by the Centre.
"We do not foresee staff working 'on the ground' in Madrid. That work is best undertaken by local people who know the circumstances. Language is also an obvious limiting factor. However, as we found after the Omagh bombing, good information and staff training provided by other experienced Centres can greatly assist people coping with a major tragedy in putting the most appropriate services in place."
The Centre from time to time assists other professionals and communities in a variety of ways, both in response to requests for assistance and through the offering of help. Mostly this help has been provided through telephone and email exchanges.
The Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation can be contacted at 8225 1500 or on its website www.nictt.org.
BY NIGEL MCDONAGH
THE Omagh-based Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation has offered its assistance to the people of Madrid following last Thursday's devastating bomb attacks in the Spanish capital.
The centre, which was established in the aftermath of the Omagh bombing to help those traumatised by the Troubles, has already assisted communities affected by the September 11 and Bali bomb attacks.
Speaking to the UlsterHerald on Monday, David Bolton, the Director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma & Transformation, said that the Centre has been in touch with some of the people from Madrid who provided aid at the time of the Omagh bomb to offer its sympathies and services if required.
SYMPATHIES
"Following the news of the bombings we wrote to contacts in Spain with whom Centre staff had had contact in the past to convey our sympathies and concern, and offered the assistance of the Centre should it be needed. It was a natural thing to do, not least because of the links between Omagh and Madrid forged in the tragedy of August 1998.
"One of the Centre's aims is to reach out to other communities in distress, following the generous support and kindness shown towards this community in the wake of the Omagh bombing," he said
Mr Bolton added that, whilst services in Madrid were already well established because of the history of terrorist violence in Spain, the centre has much to offer in terms of the experience it has gained through its work during the past few years.
He said, "If called upon, we could share with colleagues in Madrid what has been learnt through our work, including the new approaches to psychological trauma being developed by the Centre.
"We do not foresee staff working 'on the ground' in Madrid. That work is best undertaken by local people who know the circumstances. Language is also an obvious limiting factor. However, as we found after the Omagh bombing, good information and staff training provided by other experienced Centres can greatly assist people coping with a major tragedy in putting the most appropriate services in place."
The Centre from time to time assists other professionals and communities in a variety of ways, both in response to requests for assistance and through the offering of help. Mostly this help has been provided through telephone and email exchanges.
The Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation can be contacted at 8225 1500 or on its website www.nictt.org.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1647
Published Date: 18-Mar-04
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