[RECAP] Sehat wa Salamati (Health and Wellness)

Addressing Child Trauma in Afghan Refugee Families

On Tuesday, November 1^st, MAS-SSF co-hosted a training for service providers on the topic of Trauma within the Afghan Children. The training was led by the Public Health Institute along with another co-host UC Davis School of Medicine.

Over 117 participants registered to attend training. Participation included all sectors of support-to-support newcomer refugees. Participation included the following but not limited to school districts, first five, resettlement nonprofits, California Department of Social Services, therapists, nonprofits, etc.

Here are some highlights from the event:

• Welcome and introductions by Mohammad Sediq, MD, MPH, and Ellen Chang
• Cultural performance by newcomer Afghan band
• Session 1: Significance of addressing child trauma in Afghan refugees by Mohammad Sediq
• Session 2: Causes/Etiology of child trauma in Afghan children by Qais Alemi, Ph.D., MPH MBA (via zoom)
• Session 3: Clinical picture of child trauma in Afghan children by Marius P. Koga, MD, MPH
• Session 4: Refugee Panel: Voices from the community facilitated by  Gulshan Yusufzai, CEO MAS-SSF – Panelists included Masoud Saqib, Ofsana Popal, and Abid Ahmad
• Session 5: Trauma Screening by Serena Yang, MD, MPH (via zoom)
• Session 6: Interventions/Trauma treatment by Caroline Giroux, MD, and Andres F. Sciolla, MD
• Session 6: Intervention/Trauma Treatment by Gulshan Yusufzai, CEO of MAS-SSF