The Initiative for Conflict Related Trauma (ICRT) was formed in 2012 to build upon the experience of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation (NICTT) which established and delivered a comprehensive psychological trauma service from 2002 until 2011 in the context of the conflict in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles . The NICTT had in turn been established to build upon the earlier therapeutic work undertaken after the Omagh bombing of 1998. This work included the development of highly innovative therapeutic trauma focussed cognitive therapy services – with the guidance and support of Professors David Clark and Anke Ehlers, and their colleagues (at Oxford University and the Institute of Psychiatry, KCL and The Maudsley, London) in response to a significant need linked to the bombing, along with community psycho-social interventions aimed at building and supporting local resilience.
Using health and social innovation approaches to address extensive need within the Northern Ireland community over a period of ten years, the the NICTT extended the provision of its trauma-focused therapeutic services to the wider regional population. The NICTT also developed research partnerships, new trauma-related therapeutic practices, workforce planning analyses and proposals, associated training programmes, and advocacy based proposals – including policy support for politicians and public services, along with the development of managed service network proposals (based on the concept of managed clinical networks) for service commissioners. It developed training programmes to help advance services for people affected by the civil conflict, as well as conducting population research in partnership with the Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing (University of Ulster) that further informed understanding of the need arising from the years of violence, and subsequently became a key resource for policy and service development. The Centre shared its experience and capability with other regions affected by conflict, including post 9/11 New York and supported public services, NGOs, researchers and community practitioners in Sarajevo, Sri Lanka, the Basque Region of Spain and Nepal.
As a social entrepreneurial organisation the Centre worked at the nexus of mental health, conflict management and peace making. It operated within unstable and uncertain pre and post-political settlement circumstances, and within a context of on-going violence and threats of violence. This rare space allowed the NICTT Trust and Centre to create an integrated analysis on addressing the trauma related needs in the specific context of violent community conflict. To achieve this, the Centre’s founders and the Centre itself, developed a range of funding partnerships and proposals to government, the EU and Trusts and Foundations, and managed the associated projects.
For further information on the work of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation please visit:
